“Paths of Glory” is a 1957 American anti-war film directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, and George Macready. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Humphrey Cobb, which was inspired by the real-life events of the French army’s mutiny in 1917 during World War I.

The story follows Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas), a French army officer who is ordered to lead his men on a suicide mission to capture a heavily fortified German position called the “Anthill.” Despite objections from his superiors, Dax leads the charge, but the attack is a disastrous failure, resulting in the deaths of many of his men.

In the aftermath of the failed mission, three soldiers are randomly selected to be court-martialed for cowardice and desertion. Dax, who is a lawyer in civilian life, is appointed to defend them in court, but he soon discovers that the trial is a sham and that the verdict has already been decided.

“Paths of Glory” is a powerful and moving film that explores the horrors of war and the corrupt nature of military bureaucracy. It is considered one of Kubrick’s greatest films and a classic of the anti-war genre.