One of the most shocking war films ever was banned for 29 years and 6 countries were afraid to show it

earthpressnews
One of the most shocking war films ever was banned

Stanley Kubrick made more than just a masterpiece with The Shining and 2001: A Space Odyssey. One of his best films is often overlooked: the harrowing anti-war film Paths to Glory with the legendary performance of Kirk Douglas (Spartacus) as Colonel Dax. You can do it Rent in HD from Amazon.

On Amazon: The war film Paths to Glory was banned in Spain for 29 years and was kicked out of the Berlinale in Germany

When Roads to Glory came out in 1957, the political situation in Europe looked somewhat different than it does now. Several governments were trembling about making the message available to a broad audience. Because Stanley Kubrick’s war film has one strongly anti-military stance.

This is what Paths to Glory is all about: An ambitious French general wants to make a career in the First World War. He commands the hopeless storming of a German fortress, but the soldiers refuse. The general is looking for scapegoats and wants to have three of the soldiers killed for “cowardice in front of the enemy”. Your regimental commander, Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas), wants to bring the actual culprits to justice at the court martial: the generals.

United Artists

Kirk Douglas in Paths of Glory

France and Spain in particular were outraged – and the Spanish Franco regime was given paths to glory the longest ban. The audience had to wait 29 years for the first performance, according to Screenrant.

All bans and restrictions on Roads to Glory in each country:

  • In Belgium A disclaimer had to be shown before the film that the story was an isolated case.
  • In Germany The film was rejected by the Berlinale and only shown two years after its release – for good relations with France.
  • The USA banned all military installations from showing the film.
  • In the Switzerland Paths to Fame was not allowed to be shown for 13 years because he “undeniably offensive” towards France, quoted the New York Times in 1975.
  • In France The government put so much pressure on the distributor that he withheld paths to fame for 18 years.
  • In Spain The anti-war film was banned for 29 years and was shown for the first time in 1986.

    • Today, Stanley Kubrick’s Road to Fame is considered one of the best anti-war films ever. The IMDb even ranked it as the 62nd best film of all time.

    You can stream Paths to Fame on Amazon for 3.69 euros

    You can rent and stream Stanley Kubrick’s legendary anti-war film on Amazon in HD for 3.69 euros * or alternatively buy the elegant Blu-ray of Paths of Glory * in the Masters of Cinema version. On it you will find, among other things, new interviews with popular Kubrick experts about the masterpiece.

    There are even more streaming tips in the podcast: The 15 best series starts in September

    Have you already seen paths to fame? In the monthly preview, we’ll bring you closer to the most exciting September series, which you can stream on Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+, among others:

    Recommended editorial content

    At this point you will find external content that complements the article. You can display it and hide it again with one click.

    We have checked the long starting lists of the streaming services and are introducing you to the 15 big highlights of the month in the Moviepilot podcast Streamgesucht. Included is Netflix’s farewell to Sex Education and the return of the acclaimed Apple series The Morning Show. Amazon also has a John Wick series ready for us and is sending the great fantasy series The Wheel of Time into its second season.

    *. If you purchase through these links or take out a subscription, we receive a commission. .

    mpd-movie