Paths of Glory - Plot

Plot

The film begins with a voiceover describing the trench warfare situation of World War I up to 1916; immediately following this is a scene in which General George Broulard (Adolphe Menjou), a member of the French General Staff, asks his subordinate, the ambitious General Mireau (George Macready), to send his division on a suicide mission to take a well-defended German position called the "Anthill". Mireau initially refuses the commission, citing the impossibility of success and the danger to his beloved soldiers, but when Broulard mentions a potential promotion, Mireau quickly convinces himself the attack will succeed.

Mireau proceeds to walk through the trenches, addressing his men. He asks several soldiers, "Ready to kill more Germans?" He throws one soldier out of the regiment for showing signs of shell shock, which Mireau denies exists, blaming the soldier's behavior on cowardice. Mireau leaves the detailed planning of the attack to the 701's Régiment Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas), despite Dax's protests that the only result of the attack will be to weaken the French Army with heavy losses for no benefit. Mireau does not relent.

During a nighttime scouting mission prior to the attack, a drunken lieutenant named Roget (Wayne Morris) sends one of his two men ahead as a scout. Overcome by fear while waiting for the scout's return, he lobs a grenade and retreats. The other soldier—Corporal Paris (Ralph Meeker)—finds the body of the scout, killed by the grenade. Having safely returned, he confronts Roget, but Roget denies any wrongdoing, and falsifies his report to Colonel Dax.

The next morning, the attack on the German position proceeds, beginning with a first wave of soldiers, and with Dax leading, but ends in disaster; none of the men reach the German trenches, and one-third of the soldiers (B Company) refuse to leave the trench because of heavy enemy fire. Mireau, enraged, orders his own artillery to open fire on them to force them onto the battlefield. The artillery commander refuses to fire on his own men without written confirmation of the orders. Meanwhile, Dax returns to the trenches, and tries to rally B Company to join the battle, but as he climbs out of the trench, the body of a retreating French soldier knocks him down; it becomes obvious that the attack has failed.

To deflect blame for the failure, Mireau decides to court martial 100 of the soldiers for cowardice. Broulard convinces him to reduce the number to three, one from each company. Corporal Paris is chosen because his commanding officer, Lt. Roget, wishes to keep him from testifying about his actions in the scouting mission. Private Ferol (Timothy Carey) is picked by his commanding officer because he is a "social undesirable." The last man, Private Arnaud (Joe Turkel), is chosen randomly by lot, despite having been cited for bravery twice previously.

Dax, who was a criminal defense lawyer in civilian life, volunteers to defend the men at their court-martial. Unfortunately, the entire trial is a farce and can accurately be described as a "kangaroo court" i.e. the rights of the accused are repeatedly violated. For example, there is no specific and formal statement of the charges against them at the commencement of the trial, no verbatim stenographic record of the trial proceedings is being created, and compelling evidence which would support acquittal of the defendants is not permitted to be heard. In his closing statement, Dax challenges the court's authenticity, and requests mercy, saying, "Gentlemen of the court, to find these men guilty would be a crime to haunt each of you till the day you die." The three men are sentenced to death, nonetheless.

Later, Dax, aware of the reason Roget picked Paris to be executed, appoints Roget to have charge of the executions. Horrified, Roget protests, but Dax dismisses him curtly from his quarters.

Captain Rousseau (John Stein), the artillery commander who had earlier refused Mireau's order to fire on his own men, arrives to tell Dax about the order. Dax then crashes a formal ball where he privately informs Broulard of Mireau's treachery, providing sworn statements by witnesses, but is brusquely dismissed.

The next morning, the three condemned men are led out into a courtyard, among soldiers from all three companies and senior officers. Arnaud, injured during a desperate outburst in prison, is carried out on a stretcher and tied to the execution post. A sobbing Ferol is blindfolded. Paris is offered a blindfold by Roget, but refuses. Roget meekly apologizes to Paris for what he has done, eliciting an ambiguous response. All three men are then shot and killed by the firing squad.

Following the execution, Broulard has breakfast with the gloating Mireau. Dax enters, invited by Broulard. Broulard then reveals that Mireau will be investigated for the order to fire on his own men. Mireau denies having made such an order and leaves angrily, declaring that he has been made a scapegoat. Broulard then offers Dax Mireau's command, claiming that Dax had been angling for the promotion all along. Dax turns down the promotion and responds angrily. Broulard ridicules Dax for being an idealist, saying he pities him as he would the village idiot; Broulard adds that he's done no wrong. Dax replies that he pities the general for his inability to see the wrongs he has done.

After the execution, some of Dax's soldiers are loudly enjoying an entertainer, when the performer brings a young German woman on stage and makes her sing the German folk song "The Faithful Hussar". The hardened troops begin by howling and whistling, but, touched by her song, they end up humming along, some openly weeping. Dax overhears this scene from outside. A sergeant appears with word that the regiment has been ordered to return to the front line trenches immediately, but Dax tells him to give the men a few minutes more. His face hardens as he returns to his quarters.