Paths of Glory Review

In Paths of Glory their are several factors which contribute to the theme of the film. The theme being having to face the realities of war and unlike how the title portrays, war is not always a path to glory.

At the beginning General Mireau is asked to lead an attack to take "the ant hill" of which he advises against. Thought when the thought when the idea of a promotion is thrown around he is convinced that the once impossible mission is now seemingly possible. This first part of the movie works as a foreshadowing for the rest of the movie because as I later explain General Mireau's worst fears will soon materialize.

When the day of the attack arrives the men under heavy fire are ordered to advance to "attempt" to overtake the ant hill. Many advance, several stay behind unable to advance under the heavy enemy fire. Angered by his soldiers unwillingness to take (a seemingly impossible advancement) orders, he orders the artillery commander to fire on French coordinates. The artillery commander denies the General Mireau's request. This represents the greed that comes with war because the General was willing to lose thousands of lives for his own advancement even going so far as to order hundreds of his own men be killed on the spot by the artillery commander. Which was to me done so that a reason could be supplied to the the higher ups as to explain why the men did not advance on the anthill and pose as a rebuttal to the soldiers refusal to follow orders.

Mireau, obviously unsatisfied decides that as punishment, one man from each company will face trial. The chosen men are Corporal Paris, Privates Ferol and Arnoud. The trial though is a going throught the motions act to adhere to military protocol and the defendants are volintarily defended by Colonel Dax, a former lawyer. Though defended well General Mireau gets his wish and the men are sentanced to death by firing squad to be an example to the rest of the soldiers. Corruption continues to bleed throught to this part of the story. Very similar to the movie/book "To Kill a Mockingbird", no matter how effective the defence, a vertict was reached before the trail ever began. As well the fact that French law states that you are guilty untill proven innocent didnt help the defendants either.

Dax tries to help the soldiers by approaching General Broulard , the superior to Mireau, at his party that evening to tell him of Mireau's original plan to fire on his own troops. General Broulard is baffled and surprised at this announcement but decides to go through with the sentance anyway. Lt. Roget is then assigned by Dax to be head of the firing squad because he chose one of the men to be sentanced out of his own greed as well. This sequence of events not only shows Dax's determination but it also shows how far somone will go to have faith in one person over another and also how Dax assigns Lt. Roget to head the firing squad is Dax's way of making Lt. Roget see the reality of his decision and a way for him to take revenge on one of the men who reveled in the idea of putting three men in front of a firing squad.

During the post meeting when Dax, Mireau and Broulard meet Mireau shows no remose and Broulard procedes to bring up the fact that he is going to open an inquiry about the fact that Mireau ordered his own men be fired at and procedes to offer the promotion Mireau as supposed to recieve to Dax who rejects because of the corruption. Here is the example of goodness occurign too little to late because had Broulard acted sooner than the men could have been saved, Dax's wish, and yet Dax's good will disables him from accepting a promotion on account of Mireaus misfortune, even though he disliked him for his wrong doings. He acted upon the do on to others cliche and how disrespectful it would have been if he had benefited from the demise of three innnocent soldiers.

When Dax finds the 701st they are in a bar and the men beginb are blessed by the presence of a German woman who is pushed to entertain and she beings to sing The Faithful Hassar. The men begin to hum along and even tear becasue they realize that everyone the German woman, the French, and the German troops are all in the same boat Prisoners of the same war.