Editing Paths of Glory (section)

====Kubrick's use of visual imagery and mise-en-scene====

''Paths of Glory'' employs both camera-work and audio cues to create a sense of realism, thus making it easier for the audience to sympathize with the plight of the accused soldiers. In the beginning of the film a snare drum plays, and the music is reminiscent of war era newsreels. During the battle sequences, the camera keeps pace with the soldiers but in other ways, the shots look like old trench warfare footage from World War I. The film's choice of black and white further emphasizes its similarity to the actual newsreels of the conflict.

Richard Anderson, who played the acerbic prosecutor, recalled of Kubrick: "As soon as we started shooting, I knew immediately what Stanley was interested in: The shot. Always the shot. He worked with George Krause, the German cinematographer, to make sure that everything looked like a newsreel of World War I. Kubrick had studied many photographs of the war in the library. The film was low keyed and had a grainy look to it. That's what Stanley was interested in."<ref>{{Cite web |title=American Legends - Paths of Glory |url=https://americanlegends.com/Interviews/paths_of_glory.html#:~:text=This%20anti-war%20theme%20was,(who%20remained%20safely%20behind). |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=americanlegends.com}}</ref>

Kubrick's vision of war was far bleaker than that of some other films of the era, which also influenced the director's choice to shoot the picture in black and white. The visuals also allow the audience to see the difference between "life in the trenches" and "life in the command". From the opulent mansion of the high-ranking officers, the audience notices wide shots from the exterior and the interior. The viewer misses nothing; every decadent piece of furniture, jewelry or bauble that the senior officers have, in sharp contrast to the trenches where the shots are much tighter. Close ups and point-of-view shots (e.g. from Colonel Dax's perspective) are cramped and tight, suffocating for the audience. Switching to a shot in front of Dax's person, e.g. a walking shot, the audience becomes much like the other soldiers accompanying him in the trenches, feeling stuck and trapped in the confined and dangerous space.<ref>{{Citation|last=Indie Film Hustle|title=Stanley Kubrick: Paths of Glory & Kirk Douglas Years (The Directors Series) – Indie Film Hustle|date=2018-01-16|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XohngVy9cho| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109023545/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XohngVy9cho| archive-date=2020-11-09 | url-status=dead|access-date=2019-02-17}}</ref>