MovieChat Forums > Paths of Glory (1957) Discussion > Do the French still hate this film?

Do the French still hate this film?

posted 10 years ago by pc-privconfounder
18 replies | jump to latest

As the trivia section points out, this film didn't receive general release in France until 1975. Let me go on to say that French critics who saw PATHS OF GLORY in foreign countries usually gave it hateful reviews. (Francois Truffaut, anything but a lover of the establishment, was among the French critics who hated it.) And there very few user reviews from France on this site--I had to scroll through 100 reviews to find just one from France. Can it be that even today, after it has long been established that real French generals ordered their soldiers into unwinnable battles and shot those who retreated for mutiny, the French find PATHS OF GLORY a film with an unacceptable storyline? Ladies and gentlemen, you are open to offer your comments.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] franzkabuki 10 years ago

I didn't know the French speakers in Switzerland and Belgium were so loyal to France. Belgians seem to have got their sh-t mixed up bad though - firstly, Paths Of Glory ain't taking any swipes at the supposed "gallantry" of the French troops and secondly, it is precisely the point that the sociopathic machinations of the high level leadership are not "isolated" cases, but systematic and have always been so. Wars are fought for the pride and glory of the chosen few, at the expence of millions of poor bastards who ain't got no choice.

Btw about the "anti-establishment" sentiments the OP claims Francois Truffaut harbored... I seem to recall I read somewhere that he walked out of the screening of Battle Of Algiers cuz it was too anti-France or something. Don't quote me on this though; I may remember wrong.

"facts are stupid things" Ronald Reagan

[–] pc-privconfounder 10 years ago

GM quotes an entirely different Truffaut review than the one I read. I read a review in a translated collection of Truffaut's essays on film. It was, I believe, written right after Truffaut saw PATHS OF GLORY for the first time; it was far less laudatory than the review GM cites.

PS. I just looked at the stats for the latest Sight & Sound poll. Of the 10 directors and critics who voted for PATHS OF GLORY, not a single one had a French family name.

[–] GrandeMarguerite 10 years ago

To pc-privconfounder:

People like you are tiring. Why can't you simply admit that you were wrong (and/or biased)?
So OK, you've asked for it.

If you follow this link: http://www.cinematheque.fr/fr/dans-salles/hommages-retrospectives/revues-presse/kubrick/kub-sentiers1.html, you'll find a whole page on how "Paths of glory" was received in France. Yes, it's all in French -- but then, why is Google Translate made for? It's very fine to search on a British Web site for French critiques, however I doubt it is the best place to do so. Since I don't see many Swedish or Romanian names on that Web site, should I jump to the conclusion that the Swedes and the Romanians have a problem with American cinema too?...
To begin with, if there is any serious French-speaking Web site on cinema, then it must be this one. FYI, La Cinémathèque française is a well-respected institution, which holds one of the largest archives of films, movie documents and film-related objects in the world. Now, what's on this page? The title says "Critical reception of Paths of Glory in France". Interesting, right? Then comes a long development on the censorship problems and how French media in general have reacted to the film. Then there is a very broad overview of the press critiques in the "Extraits" (="excerpts") section (there are all in all 24 reviews listed here -- would that be enough for you???). This is where there are some juicy bits for you. First of all, to get the gist of these many reviews, they are all positive but three. The first negative review comes from the French newspaper "Minute". "Minute" is a weekly newspaper, initially right-wing but now far-right (and very much on the far right, if you ask me!). As for me, I never give much concern to what fascists say, especially when it comes to culture (or the French army). The second bad review comes from "Le Figaro". This newspaper is much more serious, it is a daily newspaper with a center-right editorial, but often viewed as a very conservative newspaper, especially when it comes to morals and society. Well, would you expect conservatives (in any country of the world) to enjoy "Paths of Glory"? I don't think that this negative review has something to do with the "Frenchness" of its author but rather with the (conservative) political views it expresses (what do you think?). And finally, the third negative critique comes from a Belgian magazine ("Revue Générale Belge"). Let's rule this one out if you don't mind; after all, the OP was about the French attitude and not the Belgian point of view. So -- we are left with 21 positive reviews from famous French magazines and newspapers. The first one listed on the page comes from some guy named François Truffaut, who wrote on 12 March 1958 (it looks to me like a pretty early opinion on the film, right?) in "Arts" magazine: "De toute manière, en dépit de sa simplification psychologique, Les Sentiers de la gloire est un film important qui confirme le talent et le courage d’un nouveau réalisateur américain, Stanley Kubrick" ("Anyway, in spite of its psychological simplification, Paths of Glory is an important film that confirms the talent and courage of a new American director, Stanley Kubrick"). Voilà.
I doubt there is any earlier F. Truffaut's view on the film. It seems that the guy has been consistent all his life on "Paths of Glory". And as long as you will come up with assumptions like "I read something somewhere some time ago" without proving anything, I will tend not to put any trust in what you write.

Finally, I wrote the other day that you were probably prejudiced against the French. Why did I write this? Because you used a word which is anything but neutral: "hate". Well of course, everybody (who, actually?) knows that the French hate anything which is American!!! Sure thing!!! Isn't this a bit stereotypical or a little bit, pardon my French, clichéd?
Then again, censorship is a totally different matter, when a couple of guys decide for the rest of the country what people should see or not. When Scorsese's "Last temptation of the Christ" was banned in some American cities, does that mean that Americans started to hate M. Scorcese? Nonsense.

[–] hovercraftfullofeels 8 years ago

You wrote a perfect response. Kudos.

[–] GrandeMarguerite 10 years ago

To Franzkabuki :
I completely agree with you, I think that "Paths of Glory" doesn't deal with the gallantry or bravery of the French during WWI or I don't know what of the same type, but is much more a harsh criticism of any given bad leadership in warfare (and is an anti-war film in general). This is at least how the film is generally seen here in France.
Remember however that there are not just French speakers in Belgium and Switzerland (they are even a minority in both countries). Why did Switzerland and Belgium take the decision to ban the film? I have no idea (except perhaps a stupid sort of loyalty).

[–] marktayloruk (2590) 3 years ago

It showed gallant and brave soldiers let down by their commanders.

[–] Beau_Buffet 9 years ago

For what it's worth, it was the favorite movie of Serge Gainsbourg (one of the most famous French singer/songwriter of all-time).

[–] spookyrat1 9 years ago

I'm not interested in the statistics. I'm sure the majority of French critics have the wherewithitall to see the film is not critical of France or the rank and file French soldier, rather than a pair of inept generals who had managed to seal their influential positions through any means, not involving actual merit. I'm sure many armies world- wide have had to suffer similar shameful incidents at different times throughout history.🐭

[–] snepts (11123) 5 years ago

Generals send Men into War, they do not not send Themselves into War.

[–] jl201 9 years ago

The French hate everything; they're French!

[–] GrandeMarguerite 9 years ago

Oh, clever. Very.

[–] snepts (11123) 5 years ago

weak sauce here mate.

[–] r-hudson13 9 years ago

The French are incredibly bloodthirsty people. They love and worship human sacrifice. Catholics! What do expect. They just don't ike being reminded of the fact that with all their culture at heart they're all still apes. Same as the Americans and the British.

She has a kind of psychiatric cabaret. Very good. There was something about Suez.

[–] berzelmayr 8 years ago

nobody cares for your inferiority complexes.

[–] Lava-Rocks 8 years ago

Kubrick chose the French army to work with, probably to avoid the negative reaction of British and American audiences. When I watch this movie, I believe the same conditions applied to the British army too. I never saw this movie as a critique of the French, more like a comment on their desperate situation in WWI.

[–] Bernnard_Black 8 years ago

Kubrick didn't "choose" the French army as the subject of the film. He used the French army because that's what the book the film is based on did.

Whores will have their trinkets.

[–] Hellbent (1) 7 years ago

I joined this site to respond on this topic. Some of what I've read is perceptive, some not so much. But all of you must feel that this is an important film as I do. I spent 7 years making a documentary about POG. My research, which included interviews with Kirk Douglas, Jim Harris (producer of the film), Richard Anderson (supporting actor) and Kubrick's widow (the singing girl in the final scene) as well as various reviews and other documents lead me to the conclusion that the French, who are no better or worse than other peoples, are kind of sensitive about their "honor" which is tarnished by their bloodthirsty revolution, the Dreyfus affair and nazi capitulation. I will only say that Kubrick's work did not illuminate French nature or British nature or American nature but human nature which is what gives it universal significance. By the way, in the Kubrick archive in London I came across a letter that Truffaut wrote to SK, complimenting him on the film. Thank you all for your interest in this masterwork of cinema.