Paths of Glory
A colonel defends three of his soldiers in a court-martial after they abandon a suicidal attack.
Directed by Stanley Kubrick · Drama · War · 88 min · 1957
Trailer
Director
Stanley Kubrick
Studio
{{Plain list / Bryna Productions / Harris-Kubrick Pictures Corporation{{Cite book / last1=Quigley Publishing Co. / url=http://archive.org/details/motionpictureher204quig / title=Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Sep 1956) / last2=Quigley Publishing Co. / date=1956 / publisher=New York, Quigley Publishing Co. / others=Media History Digital Library}}{{Cite book / last=Variety / url=http://archive.org/details/variety203-1956-08 / title=Variety (August 1956) / date=1956 / publisher=New York, NY: Variety Publishing Company / others=Media History Digital Library
Release
25 Dec 1957
Runtime
88 min
Genres
Drama, War
Full Plot
The futility and irony of the war in the trenches in WWI is shown as a unit commander in the French army must deal with the mutiny of his men and a glory-seeking general after part of his force falls back under fire in an impossible attack.
Cast & Characters
Colonel Dax, commanding officer, 701st Infantry Regiment
Kirk Douglas
Corporal Philippe Paris, 701st Infantry Regiment
Ralph Meeker
Major General Georges Broulard, corps commander
Adolphe Menjou
Brigadier General Paul Mireau, divisional commander
George Macready
Lieutenant Roget, company commander, 701st Infantry Regiment
Wayne Morris
Major Saint-Auban, Mireau's aide de camp
Richard Anderson
Private Pierre Arnaud, 701st Infantry Regiment (credited as Joseph Turkel)
Joe Turkel
German singer (credited as Susanne Christian)
Christiane Kubrick
café proprietor
Jerry Hausner
president of the court martial (and narrator)
Peter Capell
Father Duprée
Emile Meyer
Did You Know?
Made on an estimated budget of $935,000, Paths of Glory has grossed $1.2M worldwide — about 1.3x its budget.
Source: TMDb API · verified 2026-08-02
Stanley Kubrick has directed 7 films in our catalog, including The Shining, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.
Source: theIReview.com catalog · verified 2026-08-02
Assessments vary with regard to the film's ultimate success at the box office, with some sources citing it as a modest financial success and others noting that it only managed to recoup most, if not all, of its production costs.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-03
Critical Assessment
Paths of Glory holds 8.4/10 on IMDb (237,303 votes), 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, 90/100 on Metacritic.
Not enough independent critic/audience score breakdown available.
Ratings as of July 30, 2026
Where to Watch
United States
United Kingdom
India
Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDb. Availability changes often — confirm on the provider before watching.
AI Verdict
AI-generatedBased on aggregated scores (8.4/10 on IMDb (237,303 votes), 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, 90/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Paths of Glory's Rotten Tomatoes score?+
Paths of Glory holds a 96% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes.
What is Paths of Glory's IMDb rating?+
Paths of Glory has a 8.4/10 rating on IMDb from 237,303 votes.
What is Paths of Glory's Metacritic score?+
Paths of Glory has a Metascore of 90/100 on Metacritic.
Is Paths of Glory good? What are critics saying?+
Paths of Glory holds 8.4/10 on IMDb (237,303 votes), 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, 90/100 on Metacritic.
How long is Paths of Glory?+
Paths of Glory has a runtime of 88 min.
Who directed Paths of Glory?+
Paths of Glory was directed by Stanley Kubrick.
Where can I watch Paths of Glory?+
Paths of Glory is available to stream, rent, or buy on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, MGM Plus Amazon Channel, Rakuten TV, Sky Store.
Fan & Critic Buzz
The public reaction to "Paths of Glory" is overwhelmingly positive, with many praising its relevance and pertinence in today's world. Reviews suggest that Kubrick's film remains a classic and thought-provoking work, even if it may seem forgotten by some audiences. The response is also notable for the film's short length and clear message.
Viewer Reviews (TMDb)
Madness and Patsies Crash Together In Kubrick's Explosive Thunderbolt. Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory is holding up rather well these days, in fact it's as pertinent and relevant as ever. It's 1916 and the French and German armies are in opposing mud trenches, when the French a…
John Chard · 10/10"Col. Dax" (Kirk Dougas) is cajoled by "Gen. Broulard" (Adolphe Menjou) into taking his Great War weary regiment on one last mission in occupied France. Frankly, it's little better than a suicide one, but his operational commander "Gen. Mireau" (George Macready) is determined at…
CinemaSerf · 7/10**A short and objective film, with a clear and still relevant message, as well as a huge performance by Kirk Douglas.** There are several films about World War I, but it is far from being seen by the public as one of the best. In fact, it seems to me a little forgotten today. It…
Filipe Manuel Neto · 9/10
From the trailer's comments
Paths of Glory is timeless. I would watch it nonstop any day and highly recommend this!!
@ReverieLad · 6 likesLove the 1900s
@whm0z · 18 likesMy favourite film of all time
@ReverieLad · 2 likesNossa meu deus esse filme foi na época em que nasci faz 67 anos 🤤😏
@Geraldalucia-bv7wq · 3 likesMy Dad took me to see this at a double feature with Rodan! Something for everyone.
@danielsweet858 · 3 likesClose as I can determine, the unit was being sent out on a suicide mission a few days after they failed to take their objectives in a previous battle---and retreated. In many countries, if they sent an army out to take an objective, the army either took the objective or were anni…
@clarkgable2733 · 0 likesBring United Artists back
@raycampbell7944 · 2 likesI thought I was watching Animator vs Animation 4 news😭
@bomby-bfdi- · 1 likes
