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Movie Review: Paths of Glory (Kubrick)

This was a fantastic movie. I was a little unsure of it going in - I am not used to watching movies from the 50s, and I'm still not fully recovered from the disappointment over A.I.. But this was fantastic - an interesting and challenging story, believable performances, and a solid ending. It raised questions about the morality of war, the ability to stay true to morals while fighting a war, the use of death as a punishment, and all sorts of other interesting topics. And it did it without getting too preachy - none of the characters are Evil, they are simply human, with greed and self-righteousness and all those other qualities that lead us to do evil things. And the entire movie is very watchable - reasonably paced, well acted, full of tension. It makes me think I should investigate more of the "classic films" that I've never seen. It also makes me very, very glad I have never been in a war.

This has a lengthy discussion of the actual story of the movie. Don't read it if you think you'll watch it - they explain everything that happens.