Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory reached cinemas in 1957.
The film premiered in Munich on November 1, 1957, and was released in the United States in December of that year. It is based on Humphrey Cobb’s 1935 antiwar novel and dramatizes a French Army attack during World War I.
Kirk Douglas stars as Colonel Dax, a lawyer who defends soldiers accused of cowardice after a failed assault. Adolphe Menjou plays General Mireau, while George Macready plays General Broulard.
The film’s courtroom and military scenes contrast institutional authority with the individual soldiers’ vulnerability. Its criticism of military injustice led to controversy in France, where the film was not publicly released until 1975, despite being made in 1957.