"Paths of Glory" Stanley Kubrick's emotional anti-war film

Kubrick's extraordinary perfectionism

Kubrick succeeded in recruiting Hollywood star Kirk Douglas to play the lead role, and began full-scale production of ``The Paths of Glory''. The production cost was modest, less than $1 million, but one-third of that, or $300,000, went to Kirk Douglas' salary. Kubrick ended up working for no pay, following his previous work, ` `PUT YOUR BODY IN CASH ''.

Still, Kubrick's passion for filmmaking was extraordinary. No, it might be more accurate to say that it was "out of line." There are many stories of Kubrick being a perfectionist on set, such as ``long filming periods'' and ``doing dozens or even hundreds of takes,'' but he was already showing his true potential around this time.

For example, the ``Last Supper'' scene of French soldiers about to be executed required 68 takes. The actors ended up eating the actual meals multiple times, and a new roast duck had to be prepared for each take. The scene where they discuss their fate in the confinement room took 74 takes. Moreover, the shooting was on a Saturday, which meant working overtime. Even when producer James B. Harris told him that the film was in violation of regulations, Kubrick refused to accept it and continued to take multiple takes to get the image he wanted. Veteran actor Adolphe Menjou, who played the role of General Bourlard of the French army, was also required to undergo 17 reshoots. He makes Man-joo act over and over again, repeating "one more take," which infuriates Man-joo.

“Paths of Glory” © 1957 Harris Kubrick Pictures Corp. All Rights Reserved. © 2019 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

There are scenes in the trenches in the movie, but the conditions here were also poor. Richard Anderson, who played Major Saint-Aubin, said: "The trenches were gloomy. They smelled bad and the weather was very bad... it was freezing cold and the sky was cloudy and gray. We were all sick. "Yo," he said with a grudge. However, he added, ``It definitely added to the movie.''

Things didn't go well with Kirk Douglas either. Kubrick is known for making major changes to the original work (a clear example is Stephen King in `` The Shining '' (1980), which led to constant fights with the original author), but this time too. They tried to change the scenario, which was faithful to the original ``Pathway to Glory,'' to something even more original. Douglas invoked his producer privileges and ordered the film to be filmed according to the original script. A subtle rift had developed between the director and the lead actor.

Emotional touch that is not typical of Kubrick