Paths of Glory (Kubrick, 1957): Castle Cinema, 7.30pm
This is a 16mm presentation from the fabulous Cine-Real team. Enjoyment guaranteed.
Chicago Reader review:
The
1957 film that established Stanley Kubrick's reputation, adapted by
Kubrick, Calder Willingham, and Jim Thompson from Humphrey Cobb's novel
about French soldiers being tried for cowardice during World War I.
Corrosively antiwar in its treatment of the corruption and incompetence
of military commanders, it's far from pacifist in spirit, and Kirk
Douglas's strong and angry performance as the officer defending the
unjustly charged soldiers perfectly contains this contradiction. The
remaining cast is equally resourceful and interesting: Adolphe Menjou,
George Macready, Wayne Morris, Ralph Meeker, and the creepy Timothy
Carey, giving perhaps his best performance. Banned in France for 18
years, this masterpiece still packs a wallop, though nothing in it is as
simple as it may first appear; audiences are still arguing about the
final sequence, which has been characterized as everything from a
sentimental cop-out to the ultimate cynical twist.
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