Best Movie Ever!

[crazed gonzo fa]

But Douglas proved to be as controlling with Kubrick as he was with Mann.

Yeah, and afterward called him "great crap". By the way, does Paths of Glory have any 'edgy' content in it?

 

[travellingpat]

Alright...next time im there ill definately pick it up

 

[Winslow Leach]

Yeah, and afterward called him "great crap". By the way, does Paths of Glory have any 'edgy' content in it?

Paths of Glory is one of Kubrick's best films, and one of the best anti-war films ever made.

It's set in 1916, on the western front during World War I. To ensure himself a promotion, division commander General Mireau (George Macready) accepts the proposition of his commanding officer General Broulard (played by Hollywood veteran Adolphe Menjou) to send his division on what will probably be a suicide mission, to take Ant Hill, a heavily-armed German stronghold. The promotion-minded Mireau is convinced the mission will be a success, despite the possibility of losing many good men.

Mireau tours the trenches, and addresses the war-weary soldiers with false hope, cheerfully asking, "ready to kill more Germans?" When Mireau comes across a shell-shocked soldier, he slaps him and throws him out of the regiment. Mireau assigns Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas), a criminal lawyer in civilian life, now commander of three regiments on the front line to take the hill. Dax is a realist, and knows the attack will be futile. He argues with Mireau that the only outcome will be a heavy loss of French soldiers with no benefit for their side. The stubborn Mireau won't budge, and tells Dax "France is depending on you," to which Dax replies, under his breath, "patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel."

The attack on Ant Hill commences, and, as Dax predicted, ends in complete failure. The men who attempt to take the hill are killed, while the others are so paralyzed, they don't even leave their trench. Mireau is enraged, and orders the men in the trench killed by their own artillery commander. The artillery commander refuses to kill his own men without written confirmation.

Because the attack on Ant Hill was a failure, Mireau decides to transfer the blame from himself to the soldiers, and decides to publicly execute 100 of the men for cowardice. Broulard convinces Mireau to reduce the number to three, to choose one man from each of the three companies, brand them cowards, and have them executed by firing squad.

The unlucky three are Corporal Paris (Ralph Meeker, who played Mike Hammer in 1955's Kiss Me Deadly), because his commanding officer has a personal vendetta against him; Private Ferol (Timothy Carey, who had appeared in Kubrick's The Killing), because he is a "social undesirable"; and Private Arnaud (Joe Turkel, who appeared in The Killing and The Shining, as Lloyd the ghostly bartender), chosen randomly, even though he is an excellent soldier.

Dax defends the "cowardly" men at their court-martial, but loses the case, because he is prevented from presenting evidence that would have proven the attack on the hill was a foolish gesture, and that each man performed admirably under enemy fire. The men are found guilty, and sentenced to die.

**SPOILERS**

Paris, Ferol and Arnaud are marched out in a large, public ceremony complete with press. The three are executed by firing squad. Broulard tells Mireau he will be investigated for wanting to have the men in the trench killed by their artillery commander. Broulard offers Dax Mireau's position, but Dax, disgusted and haunted by the deaths of the three men, angrily refuses the promotion. Broulard snidely calls Dax an idealist, and says he gives him as much pity as he would the village idiot. As far as Broulard can see, he has done no wrong. War is war. Men die. End of story. Dax tells Broulard he pities him for his inability to recognize the wrongs he has done.

The film ends with the now-famous scene in which the weary French soldiers, in a bar, are entertained by a captured, frightened German woman (Susanne Christian, who later would become Mrs. Kubrick). After the woman is leered at by the soldiers, she breaks into a German folk song, the lyrics of which describe the loss of a loved one. Some of the soldiers, who know the song, sing the verses in French. Others weep. Outside, Dax is given orders that he and his men are to return to the front. Dax decides to let his men enjoy themselves in the bar before they return to combat.

Paths of Glory was based on the novel by Humphrey Cobb, published in the mid-1930s. There had been several attempts to film it before Kubrick acquired the rights. After the success of The Killing (1956), Kubrick was able to get the film off the ground, thanks in part to Kirk Douglas and Bryna Productions, the actor's production company. Kubrick adapted the novel with hard-boiled writer Jim Thompson (The Grifters, The Getaway), with whom he had collaborated on in The Killing. Originally, the Hollywood suits wanted a happy ending, with the three condemned soldiers getting a last minute reprieve. Kirk Douglas stood up for Kubrick, and refused to shoot an alternate ending, demanding the finale be shot as scripted. It was, and the film has gone on to become a classic anti-war drama, or, more specifically, a film depicting anti-authoritarian ignorance, to use Kubrick's words. Kirk Douglas has said this was one of the best and most important films he ever worked on, and it's often cited as one of the director's top 5 most important and influential works.

 

[D'Snowth]

*Yawn*

So, does anybody like The Little Rascals?

 

[Teheheman]

2 words..........SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION!

Daniel

 

[Winslow Leach]

2 words..........SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION!

Daniel

3 words.....................THE GREEN MILE!

(another Frank Darabont/Stephen King collaboration )

 

[D'Snowth]

The Little Rascals anyone?

 

[MGov]

Please excuse me for being a film school geek. Favorite film discussions often end up being long lists, so here is my very long list. It is in alphabetical order. There are several French Films, quite few silents, probably more black & white than color and it is woefully short of recent films (From the last two years. I've got a two year old boy. Coincidence?). I'm sure I've left a few off. I haven't used this list in a while.

When I am really pressed for one "Best Movie Ever", I will often go with SCHINDLER'S LIST. Though I would highly recommend anything on my list.

8 1/2
12 ANGRY MEN
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
A HARD DAY'S NIGHT
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE
ACCIDENTAL TOURIST
AFRICAN QUEEN
AIRPLANE
ALIENS
ALL ABOUT EVE
ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN
ALMOST FAMOUS
AMADEUS
AMELIE (Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain)
AMERICAN BEAUTY
ANIMAL CRACKERS
ANIMAL HOUSE
ANNIE HALL
APOLLO 13
AVALON
BACK TO THE FUTURE
THE BANK DICK
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
BEING THERE
BEST IN SHOW
THE BICYCLE THIEF
BIG NIGHT
THE BIG SLEEP
BLAZING SADDLES
BLUES BROTHERS
BONNIE AND CLYDE
BRAZIL
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S
THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN
THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI
BRIDGET JONES’ DIARY
BROADCAST NEWS
BROADWAY DANNY ROSE
BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID
CABERET
CADDYSHACK
THE CAMERAMAN
CAPRICORN ONE
CASABLANCA
CHICAGO
CHINATOWN
CITIZEN KANE
CITY LIGHTS
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND
THE CONVERSATION
DANGEROUS LIASONS
DAVE
DAY FOR NIGHT
DEAD POETS SOCIETY
THE DIRTY DOZEN
DOUBLE INDEMNITY
DR. STRANGELOVE
DUCK SOUP
E.T -- THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
ED WOOD
EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
FARGO
FIELD OF DREAMS
THE FISHER KING
FOREST GUMP
FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL
FRENCH CONNECTION
THE GENERAL (Buster Keaton)
GHOSTBUSTERS
GLENGARY GLENROSS
GLENN MILLER STORY
THE GODFATHER
GOING MY WAY
GONE WITH THE WIND
GOOD WILL HUNTING
GOODFELLAS
THE GRADUATE
GRAND ILLUSION
GREAT ESCAPE
GROUNDHOG DAY
HANNAH AND HER SISTERS
HAROLD AND MAUDE
HEAVEN CAN WAIT
HIS GIRL FRIDAY
HOLIDAY INN
HOOP DREAMS
THE HUSTLER
IL POSTINO
THE INCREDIBLES
IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT
IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
JAWS
KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS
KRAMER VS. KRAMER
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL
LA DOLCE VITA
THE LADY EVE
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
LEAVING LAS VEGAS
M
THE MALTESE FALCON
MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE
MANHATTAN
MASH
MEET JOHN DOE
MEMENTO
METROPOLIS
MIDNIGHT COWBOY
MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET
MISTER ROBERTS
MONKEY BUSINESS
MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL
MOONSTRUCK
MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON
THE MUPPET MOVIE
THE MUSIC MAN
MY DARLING CLEMENTINE
MY DINNER WITH ANDRE
MY FAIR LADY
MY FAVORITE YEAR
THE NATURAL
NETWORK
NOSFERATU
OF MICE AND MEN
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST
PAPER MOON
PATTON
PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED
PERSONA
PHILADELPHIA STORY
PINOCCHIO
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES
PRIDE OF THE YANKEES
THE PRODUCERS
PSYCHO
PULP FICTION
THE QUIET MAN
RAGING BULL
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
RAISING ARIZONA
REAR WINDOW
THE RIGHT STUFF
ROCKY
RUN LOLA RUN
RUNAWAY TRAIN
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER
SCHINDLER'S LIST
SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISHER
SEVEN CHANCES
THE SEVEN SAMURAI
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
SIXTH SENSE
SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS
SOME LIKE IT HOT
SOUND OF MUSIC
STALAG 17
STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KAHN
STAR WARS
STARDUST MEMORIES
STARMAN
THE STING
STRIPES
SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS
SUNSET BOULEVARD
SWING TIME
TAXI DRIVER
TERMS OF ENDEARMENT
THE THIN MAN
THE THIRD MAN
THREE COLORS TRILOGY
THIS IS SPINAL TAP
TIME BANDITS
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
TOOTSIE
TOP HAT
TOUCH OF EVIL
TOY STORY
TOY STORY 2
TRAINSPOTTING
UNFORGIVEN
UNTOUCHABLES
USUAL SUSPECTS
VERTIGO
VICTOR/VICTORIA
WAIT UNTIL DARK
WEST SIDE STORY
WHEN HARRY MET SALLY
WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT?
THE WIZARD OF OZ
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP
YANKEE DOODLE DANDY

 

[Winslow Leach]

4 words! The Green Mile Xclamation. . . point.
Okay 5 words then. But still!
I can't enough of that one!

Yes, it's a GREAT movie, extremely faithful to the book. But very, very sad. I mist up every time I watch it.

 

[Winslow Leach]

Thanks for your help Winslow Leach.

No problemo!

Paths of Glory is a must-see if you're a Kubrick fan. And even if you're not!