Path of Glory: Kirk Douglas
 

Watched Paths of Glory last night on Turner Classic Movies. I have seen this movie many times over the decades. It is in my opinion Kubrick's best. Shot in black and white with great camera work.
It is a World War 1 movie but is a war movie for all seasons, one that can fit in any age, era, time.
:thmbsp::thmbsp::thmbsp:

Kirk made some great movies - Spartacus somes to mind!

Also try the original 'Manchurian Candidate' what great acting.

I'd finally watched that movie the first time about a year ago. Very entertaining and well acted. Really enjoy Kubrick's work.

One of Kubrik's best. We all had a pretty good discussion of this and other Kubrik greats in this thread;
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/sho...=115226&page=3

One of my all-time favorites. My wife is a cinematographer working in L.A. and she was excited about the many innovative camera shots that were used. ( The Anthill attack scene comes to mind) Of course being the ignoramus that I am I was content to just enjoy the film!

I am certainly no expert, but I think it is Kubrick's first use of his trademark "Mobile Cam". The part just before the attack commences and Douglas is moving through the trench and it feels like you are moving with him. Replicated in nearly all his subsequent films. Think of Keir Dullea moving through the spaceship in 2001 or Jack Nicholson stalking the hedge maze in the Shining. Kubrick started out as a photographer for Look magazine.

Also from the "Shining", following the boy through the hotel riding his big wheel, I'd always thought that was neater than hell.

Yea that's a good one as well.

Say Jack, we are on the same page. I was really captured by that scene; very effective. It was like I was living the movie;great camera work.
The use of black and white aided the sense of futility of the whole enterprise. Certain movies were "made" for black and white;e.g. "Spy who came in from the cold" reinforced the drabness of East Berlin and its wall.

My father was asked to play a part in Paths of Glory, but was not able to at the time the film was made. He did act in two other Kubrick projects - The Killing, 1956, playing Johnny Clay and Dr. Strangelove , 1963, playing General Ripper.

Kubrick was an amazing director, a self tought visionary who knew exactly what he wanted and did not want in terms of film making.

The two Kubrick movies my father acted in were among the finest he did, and he was in over 60 of them ! The other quality film was John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle, 1950. Most of the rest are forgetable and are of little importance.

Your father was Sterling Hayden? Capt McCluskey from the Godfather?

Wow! I am a fan. Tell us more.

"Paths" is fantastic.

I love "Asphalt Jungle," too. Great noir classic with some fantastic acting.

Don't forget about Sterling Hayden's work as "Jack D. Ripper" in "Dr. Strangelove." It is so damn funny because he plays it so straight.

Ken

My dad did not care much for acting, he thought it was not much of a way to make a living. He was more of a guy who believed in doing real living in the real World....He was also a ships captain, a writer, and marched to his own drummer seeing many places of the World - some good, some not so good. As a Marine attached to the OSS during the second World war, he was forever changed by what he endured in Nazi held Yugoslavia. his best acting, his heavy roles...The Killing, Strrangelove, ect. came from his War experience. If you want to read a great book, find a copy of his autobiography 'Wanderer' first published in 1963.

To Jack Lord - I see you like KLH, my father loved KLH, as I do. We had a model Twenty growing up. Today I have a pretty nice KLH collection -models 6, 8,13, 14, 14B, 19, 20, 21,23. Great audio !

I have read that about your father. Nonetheless, he was pretty good at it.

Yea KLH is one of my interests.:thmbsp:

Watched Paths of Glory last night for the first time. I was surprised at how strongly antiwar the film was. The abrupt ending really threw me. I was expecting something more conventional. I have to say I liked it quite a bit and would like to watch it again someday. Hopefully the film will be restored to a better picture quality by then.