In Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory, the army depicted during the First World War is the French Army.
The film follows French soldiers and officers during trench warfare on the Western Front. After an attack fails, three soldiers are selected for a court-martial and accused of cowardice, creating the film’s central conflict between ordinary troops and senior commanders.
Kirk Douglas plays Colonel Dax, a lawyer who defends the accused soldiers. The story was adapted from Humphrey Cobb’s 1935 novel, which was itself inspired by real incidents involving French soldiers executed during the war.
Paths of Glory was released in 1957 and was filmed in Germany, including locations near Munich. Although the film is set in France, it was not filmed there. Its antiwar perspective and criticism of military authority caused controversy, and the film was banned in France for many years.