Editing Paths of Glory (section)

===Later reactions and references to the film===
More than three decades after the release of ''Paths of Glory'', American director [[Robert Zemeckis]] paid homage to the film with the 1991 ''[[Tales from the Crypt (TV series)|Tales from the Crypt]]'' episode "Yellow".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rhodes|first1=Joe|title=Tales From the Douglas' 'Crypt'|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-08-25-tv-1672-story.html|access-date=3 July 2017|work=Los Angeles Times|date=25 August 1991|quote=Kirk Douglas is 75 years old and "Yellow" marks the first time he's shared a stage with either of his acting sons... . .."There are really only two movies I wanted to make--one with Michael and one with Eric. I just didn't think I'd be working with Eric first." He might not have gotten the chance if Robert Zemeckis, best known for directing the "Back to the Future" films, hadn't come across "Yellow" in the 1950s E.C. Comics from which all "Tales From the Crypt" stories are drawn. Zemeckis immediately saw the story--with its World War I setting and a plot line involving cowardice, betrayal and firing squads--as a chance to pay homage to Stanley Kubrick's "Paths of Glory," the 1957 anti-war film that featured one of Kirk Douglas' most compelling performances.|archive-date=October 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151021081231/http://articles.latimes.com/1991-08-25/news/tv-1672_1_kirk-douglas|url-status=live}}</ref> The episode was an adaptation of the 1952 ''[[Shock SuspenStories]]'' story, "Yellow!", about a U.S. Army colonel whose son, a lieutenant, exhibits cowardice and is sentenced to face the firing squad. The father makes the son falsely believe that the firing squad will be firing blanks, so that the son will not exhibit cowardice before his execution.<ref>{{cite web|title=Shock SuspenStories #1 (February-March 1952)|url=https://www.comics.org/issue/9421/|website=[[Grand Comics Database]]|access-date=3 July 2017|archive-date=August 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801085731/https://www.comics.org/issue/9421/|url-status=live}}</ref> Zemeckis cast Kirk Douglas and his son [[Eric Douglas]] in the father and son roles.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Science Fiction Film Directors, 1895-1998|last=Fischer|first=David|publisher=McFarland|year=2011|isbn=9780786485055|location=Jefferson|pages=670}}</ref>

[[David Simon]], creator of the critically acclaimed television series ''[[The Wire]]'' (2002{{emdash}}2008), has said that ''Paths of Glory'' was a key influence on the [[HBO]] crime drama. The influence of the film comes in its depiction of the tribulations of "middle management", in the form of Dax's unsuccessful attempt to protect his troops against the inhumane ambitions of his superiors, which in turn influenced ''The Wire''{{hsp}}'s depiction of various institutions acting against individuals.<ref name="blog.nj.com">{{cite web |url=http://blog.nj.com/alltv/2008/03/the_wire_david_simon_q_a.html |title=The Wire: David Simon Q & A, NJ |website=[[NJ.com|Blog.nj.com]] |date=March 9, 2008 |access-date=2013-09-25 |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716031827/http://blog.nj.com/alltv/2008/03/the_wire_david_simon_q_a.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' critic [[Roger Ebert]] added the film to his "Great Movies" list on February 25, 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-paths-of-glory-1957|title=Paths of Glory|last=Ebert|first=Roger|date=25 February 2005|website=RogerEbert.com|access-date=15 February 2019|archive-date=February 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035209/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-paths-of-glory-1957|url-status=live}}</ref> Years earlier, on a 1987 episode of the televised film review series ''[[At the Movies (1982 TV program)|At the Movies]]'', critic [[Gene Siskel]] of the ''Chicago Tribune'' debated with co-host Ebert about the respective merits of several Kubrick productions. Siskel in their discussions declared ''Paths of Glory'' to be "a near perfect film," one that in his opinion was surpassed in overall quality only by Kubrick's [[Black comedy|dark comedy]] ''[[Dr. Strangelove]].''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePAuxrQaoMs "Siskel & Ebert review Dr Strangelove and Paths of Glory and part 2 of their Full Metal Jacket debate"], segment from 1987 televised episode of ''At the Movies'' co-hosted by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert; video uploaded by "Kubrick's Tube" onto [[YouTube]] and freely available on that streaming service. Retrieved July 29, 2022.</ref>

An indication of the film's enduring popularity can be found on the American [[review aggregator|review-aggregation]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]]. As of March 2025, the film holds a 96% rating based on 77 reviews with an average rating of 9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "''Paths of Glory'' is a transcendentally humane war movie from Stanley Kubrick, with impressive, protracted battle sequences and a knock-out ending."<ref name="RT2022">{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paths_of_glory/|title=Paths of Glory|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=23 July 2022|archive-date=November 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171127040530/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paths_of_glory/|url-status=live}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a score of 90 out of 100 based on reviews from 18 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/paths-of-glory|title=Paths of Glory Reviews|website=[[Metacritic]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|access-date=July 29, 2022|archive-date=April 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415221218/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/paths-of-glory|url-status=live}}</ref>