In the 1957 film "Paths of Glory" which is set during World War I, commanding officer General Broulard (Adolphe Menjou) orders his subordinate, General Mireau (George Macready), to attack a German trench position. Broulard is offering a promotion as an incentive. Though the mission is foolhardy to the point of suicide, Mireau commands his own subordinate, Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas), to plan an impractical attack. When the attack ends in disaster, General Mireau demands the court-martial of three random soldiers in order to save face for his own failure. Colonel Dax makes several horrendous attempts to defend the soldiers in their court-martial against the charges of cowardice.

"Paths of Glory" is based loosely on the novel with the same name by Humphrey Cobb. It is the true story of four French soldiers who were executed in 1915. This movie was directed by Stanley Kubrick and produced by James B. Harris. The screenplay was written by Stanley Kubrick, Calder Willingham, and Jim Thompson. Film critics called the film a modest box office success, and it earned Kubrick a little critical acclaim.

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