Paths of Glory- Final Scene

[BenjaminAkiraTallamy]

This film is by far one of his best.

I must admit that I'm not a big fan of Kubrick, but this is without a doubt, a masterpiece.

[bugsbunnybuddy]

isin't it odd that war, race, and money tear us apart, but tragedy brings us all together? if we could only learn to work with each other before tragedy strikes.

[DashfordMedia]

"Well give the men a few minutes more, sergeant."

[deriter64]

Perhaps more than any army in history the French army of the first world war needed to know they were human beings, they were seldom treated as such.. The slaughter was grotesque the suffering indescribable.I can quite believe a group of battle hardened men being reminded of their humanity by a pretty young girl singing a song that speaks of life rather than death.

[LucifersArgument]

War is when the wealthy and powerful become so corrupted and debased that they see human lives as profit.

[Arcaneshadows]

Her song touched these men hardened so by war, and reminded them of an earlier time in their own lives, when there was nothing so outrageous, so inhuman, so dehumanizing, and so ungodly, as war.

[Raziul]

The frenchs know this song too in a other version (El valiente Husar) so they recognized the similaritys between them and their enemys.

[ljsmithwv]

Needless to say, they don't make movies like this anymore.

[TheSpassy]

At 0:59 to 1:15 , when Kirk says the Sadistic old man line and that he can go to hell... This gives me shrills up my spine every time I see it. That is some great direction and fantastic acting.

[OldEarthChaos]

One of the greatest Anti-War films ever made

[HumbleVillain93]

I think the men are remembering a time when the love of their mother's would protect them and these men are killers.

It's nice for me to see this because a few nights ago I met a lady beyond measure and when it was time for us to leave she sang a song enough for me to hear and I thought it was beautiful.

[jeapiat]

Kirk Douglas: a master of the art

[Rockguitarhero462]

39, 099 views? wow its nice to see that movie is somewhat well known. one of my faves.

[sanclementekid]

Ideology is the village idiocy.

[GregDad100]

It's amazing that this film, one of he great anti-war movies of all-time, was never even CONSIDERED for an Academy Award in 1957, the year that "Bridge On the River Kwai" won Best Picture.

[mrblonde831]

I think this is the first scene which made me cry

[primummovens]

The men cry because the song reminds them of their care-free boyhood. A time when their mothers' loving wings protected them against the very evil world they are now themselves responsible for creating. They have become the men their mothers feared most. But they do not want to be evil men, they want to be good men. So they cry.

[HumbleVillain93]

@primummovens

I like the way you put it.

[alexxxdamasta187]

This scene fully defines Kubrick's genius, and his undisputable talent.

[Nately22]

Kubrick is a genius,

[jrwjrw88]

It is scenes like this that are not part of the main plot but add so much richness to the movie, which by the way was banned in France for many years.

[wadehwallace]

I never EVER cry, but this scene has brought me to the verge of tears. not just because those soldier have suffered through so much, but also because they have been forgotten by so many....

[metafact]

This scene just KILLS me every time I see it.

[bolobill]

The woman singing in this scene was Kubrick's wife. Kubrick's first feature length film -- and maybe his best.

[Therealtaxidriver]

@bolobill Good comment bolobill! It's nice to see a purely truthful entry posted here among the bullshit most of these idiots who post here concoct out of ethnic solidarity, pompous pretense, envy over a man they know nothing about etc., etc. It's too bad that the poor innocent and unsuspecting German girl couldn't have escaped his lecherous grip. Now that the vicious old demon has returned to his master Beelzebub in Hell the poor woman can now enjoy some peace in the later stages of her life.

[skittlesareyum48]

I used to cry every time I saw this. Then I watched it a bunch of times and it lost it's impact on me... That is tragic.

[pang5]

Wherein have I done wrong?

Still so appropriate these days. Just following orders, just keeping our heads down and carrying on as we're told.

Thank you, Kubrick, for bringing this to film with such a blow.

[hanshotfirst1138]

"I may be many things, sir. But I am not your boy."

[flyforce16]

I like this final scene. Even amidst all of the corruption and back-stabbing that takes place in the film, the song is a reminder of a simple innocence that still exists despite the war.

[MrBEB123]

This film is unrealistic and the actors are over acting although I am sure they were directed to do so. The number of White American Soldiers who were on the side of the White race was much higher than Hollywood would ever care to admit but then Hollywood never could tell a story without lying about it. The Nationalist movement has been growing in response to the anti-White actions of the news and entertainment industries as well as all levels of Government. Is it time for a change?

[gabepizza]

@MrBEB123 huh? Anyway these are suppose to be French soldiers you ignorant NAZI

[MrBEB123]

@gabepizza Then they are even worse actors than I thought because they should be speaking french with onscreen written translation. Liberals are brainwashed which is why I avoid that type of thinking.

[gabepizza]

@MrBEB123 gimma a break. It was 1957, use your imagination. They represent any army. Yeah liberals are brainwashed because the other side is right so there is no brainwashing there.

[Jcolinsol]

@MrBEB123

Yeah, this country won't be saved until the government is filled with bodacious black women. The longer it's filled with dried up old white guys, the further down the toilets we'll sink.

[MrBEB123]

@Jcolinsol Black women are never bodacious but I do agree with your using lower case for Women when referring to blacks. Everyone gets old or dies trying to get there but not everyone is smart and unfortunately that includes you.

[Jcolinsol]

@MrBEB123

Oh, yer just insecure.

[SrRocknRoll]

Coronel Dax is my hero

[rockismygirldude]

10/10



[mark1092]

i go tmy criterion blu ray edition so its all good

[mrblisterfist]

Kubrick's wife  :)

[psuravens37]

What I got from this scene was that, yes, she was singing German and they couldn't understand her, but they could still sing along with a song.

Pretty much that despite their differences, they are in it together. They are facing the brutality of war together.

[Miasma]

"I didn't cry when me own father was hung for stealing a pig, but I'll cry now.."

[barackscat]

@Miasma is that what they called your parents elopment?

[ChristianPaul75]

Early and still underrated masterpiece by Kubrick. "...if you don´t know the answer to that question, I pity you." (Colonel Dax, 1:45)

[azatrox]

For those who didn't know, the young German woman in this scene was Kubrick's wife.

[henryhaven]

@azatrox i didn't know. she is not really german

[ilgeneralisimo]

From a time when this country still made good movies, and this one I believe is one of the greats from that time.

[TheManiManson]

3.17 HA!

[ivanovinajdrazividei]

the melody is the same everywhere. the language is the only thing that separates us. it shows the meaningless nature of war.

[zaikoh08]

it is a good thing that war is so terrible, otherwise man might grow to love it.

[bugsbunnybuddy]

@zaikoh08

i seem to remember that quote. was that from robert e. lee?

[ARKALER]

Agreed. First she is a hot chick from Germany and their thoughts are a little on the smutty side. Then when she sings the folk song 'Der Treue Hussar' the atmosphere in the room suddenly changes. Germany and France are close in many ways, especially in the Alsace and Lorraine region. There is a French version of this song and the tune is very familiar. Maybe something Mom sung to them when they were little. Soon she is not some German chick, but a sweetheart left behind or little sister maybe...

[jimbojamesIV]

I think they are crying because at first they think she is there for their amusement and then they realize they are there (on the front lines) to kill her or her loved one (the one whom she is singing about), which could be saying the same thing as others have said: war is inhuman and we are human.

[jimbojamesIV]

Orpheus?

[sharqi666]

if this scene tells you anything is that we are all human

[Curtis006]

Kubrick married the woman who sings in this scene.

[drlee2]

One of the very few PERFECT films!

[Hemulen40]

Aw, Kirk .. why did yer sorry son get all da acclaim owed to ye ???

[danifuenla89]

They cry because that song is a song dedicated to the soldier away from home. So they remember they´re not in a pub, they´re there for a war, that´s what they cry for

[coralarch]

This room is reminiscent of  the castle in "Barry Lyndon"

[rainhamendgill]

this film is in my top 5 favorite war films ever a true classic

[kaidaniev]

Unforgetable scene from an absolute masterpiece. I've seen that movie 30 times, perhaps, and still moved to tears watching this final scene !

[OnkelMickwald]

The real enemy is the need for someone to blame of all the problems in the world. Be it rich people, or different people.

[janet444]

I need to find out who plays the woman singing. Her performance is lovely and moving. Time for another trip to imdb.

[Karlsonas17]

@janet444

she was Stanley Kubrick's wife. well, became his wife after this film.

[OnkelMickwald]

Christiane Kubrick, born Harlan.

[BalmungSama0]

That isn't what he was trying to say. The real enemy is people who believe their power to be absolute, and veiw war as a battle of numbers, and the casualties as statistics. The General said he wanted to fight wars on the front lines instead of with papers, yet he treats the men the same way the men behinds those desks treat their finances. Those 3 men were argued down from 100. The entire time he thought of them as numbers. He constantly tried "arguing fractions" as if they weren't people.

[uglybadger1]

great scene

[GreatGrumbledook]

"I apologize for not being entirely honest with you. I apologize for not revealing my true feelings. I apologize for not telling you sooner that you're a degenerate, sadistic old man. And you can go to hell before I apologize to you now or ever again!" Whoever wrote this has created something immortal which can be used in nearly all situations in life. Someone should have said this to that silly Persian fanatic Khomeini as he styled himself the new Tyrant of Persia after deposing the last one.

[urntcookin045]

The soldiers began to cry, at least in my opinion, because they realized that this german woman wasn't the so called "enemy", she was a human being. Her song represented the innocence of humanity.

[dalvant]

@urntcookin045 That's my interpretation as well. They realize they're fighting people like themselves, that they are senselessly killing and being killed by the germans when they are humans exactly like the french people, and that both nations could easily live together as friends.

To me, one of the best endings in a movie in what's probably the best anti war film ever.

[kevinwalunas]

@urntcookin045 and how some of them lost that innocence 

[YACEDJE]

These men aren't soldiers anymore? They are human beigns once again. This scene reminds us all of our real human nature.

Great performance by Kirk Douglas and Adolphe Menjou.

[BalmungSama0]

Not "once again". They were always people, even when they were soldiers. They just forgot that the enemy were people, too.

[shaanfahey]

The men cry because her innocence reminds them of their own, which has been raped by war. In every man there is a boy as in every woman a girl, and deep down we know we need each other to be whole. War is when we think otherwise, and she sings it simply.

[ToneSpectra]

@shaanfahey "The men" surely cry for their own different and basic reasons, because the song is beautiful in contrast to the war and hatred, because the girl is innocent, because it and she remind them of their own innocence and youth and family.

[mehmetslih]

bolye bı sey olmaz

[gzk1111]

everytime i watch this it gets me. poignant, powerful and tragic. in league with scindlers list infact considering spielbergs respect for kubrick and his discussion of his work paths of glory must have had some influence on schinders list.

[14zerocero]

I´m not wondering about this movie was banned in France for a long time.

[humanvise]

when she first came out they where in the frame of mind to rape her. by the end of the song they fell in love. this is the story of war and peace it's everything in 3 min it's incredible

[atic01]

the woman who sings the song will be Kubrick's wife after the film

[freddage91]

I really don't understand the bit where the german woman sings and everybody cries

unless it's simply them realising that the "enemy" are just like them

somebody explain please?

however that woman is quite fit

[arad7613]

It's exactly that: she awakens the universally human part in them.

This is a sad song about a soldier, and it has a version in many languages. It speaks to all of them, and makes them aware of the madness of their condition.

[SecretTrollAccount1]

watch?v=nZJ1Tgf4JL8

Watch the anglo-americans squirm.

[upupaepops1988]

what are you trying to say?

[zemeckis1987]

some of the best acting ever perfomed on the screen

[Cam1020]

That moment where he says "...and you can go to hell before I apologize to you now or ever again!" is what really proves what a great actor Douglas could be. Seeing it on a bigger screen sends chills down my spine.

[tfellini]

Kubrick is God!

[Stigmatainmypants]

What a movie. What a fantastic movie. Kubrick never did anything better, if you ask me. (And all of his stuff was VERY Very good.)

[ultradumbass]

if i was one of the three guys going to the firing squad, i would take my rifle and shoot as many as those generals as possible before they kill me.

[GoblinGirl]

Douglas was/is such an intense actor.

[mvaughan007]

For me Kubrick is the best - and this is one of his best. (But really they're ALL good.)

[Metaldeth316]

I thought this movie was incredibly moving . The ending was beautiful

[thurin68]

I believe the young woman at the end of this married Kubrick and did most of the artwork on his subsequent films?

[ihatehorry]

yeah, they got married. she was his wife for the rest of his life.

[GoblinGirl]

Her name was Christianne Kubrick. She was an actress and has been a painter for many years. Much of her artwork was featured in his later films, most prominently in A Clockwork Orange and Eyes Wide Shut.

[aussiestormer]

this movie is excellent, every one whos into war movies should see it.

[ihatehorry]

it's really an anti-war movie. agreed though, everyone should watch it.

[jsXanatos]

its more anti-authority than anti-war

[ihatehorry]

That's true. Of course, the same could be said about most of his movies.

[cholling]

I don't see it as being an anti-war movie at all. It was really about the paths of glory, that is, the paths of these generals doing whatever was necessary - regardless of cost - in order obtain ultimate glory. You could say same thing about politicians or about high-profile businessmen behaving unscrupulously for self-gain, so it's really a film about the dark side of human nature.

[ihatehorry]

Well, Kubrick himself said it was an anti-war movie. I do agree with your ultimate assesment of the film however.

[cholling]

Hmmm. Well, regarding 2001, Kubrick was reluctant to divulge anything about the film's ultimate meaning, as he wanted the audience to do this for themselves. At least that's what I heard once, but who knows?

[starbucks3954]

The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave. Awaits alike th' inevitable hour:-The paths of glory lead but to the grave.

[ultradumbass]

it is anti in showing a darker side of the war. and this movie is from the 1950's but it was not until the 1960's that the commonwealth and french admit they had thousands shot at firing squads.