Paths of Glory / YMMV

Adaptation Displacement: Humphrey Cobb's novel sold well in 1935, but now most people aren't even aware the story was originally a book.
Americans Hate Tingle: The film wasn't even released in France until 1970, for a number of reasons. One of them is the movie's stereotype that all World War I officers partied in their chateaus while their men died on the field, which is in direct contrast to the historical record that officers were statistically more likely to become casualties than their own enlisted men. But the biggest reason the film caused so much outrage in France was Values Dissonance regarding World War I itself. Essentially, while World War I in the Anglosphere's popular conscious is often viewed as futile and pointless (although this view has been challenged and scrutinized in recent decades), in France it's usually seen as a war of national defense against an aggressive and militaristic invader. To give a rough analogy, imagine if the same general plot and message was transplanted to the Pacific Theatre of World War II, only with American soldiers and generals.
Award Snub: Failed to even get nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Ditto Stanley Kubrick for Best Director and Kirk Douglas for Best Actor.
Complete Monster: General Paul Mireau is the opportunistic commander of the 701st regiment in World War I. Taking his men on a dangerous mission to secure a promotion by capturing Anthill, Mireau threatens and beats even his shell-shocked soldiers, and eventually sends thousands to their deaths while only concerning himself with the speed of his forces' advance. When a group of his own soldiers refuse to participate in the fruitless conflict, Mireau orders them bombarded with artillery. After losing the battle, an enraged Mireau tries to execute 100 of his own soldiers, forced to amend the order to three but enjoying their wrongful killings all the same.
Fridge Horror: All French enlisted men and junior officers are conscripts - they are forced to fight against their will.
It Was His Sled: You know what will happen to the soldiers on trial for cowardice, but that doesn't make the whole affair any less cathartic.
Moral Event Horizon: Mireau crosses it when he orders his artillery to fire on B company in order to force them out of the trenches.
Signature Scene: Colonel Dax reviewing his men shortly before the doomed assault on the Anthill. It's the scene shown on most modern covers of the film.
Tear Jerker: The ending. A young German woman is forced to sing for the soldiers in a tavern. They are cat-calling, hooting, and laughing at her. Then she starts to sing a simple, well-known ballad about love in war, "The Faithful Soldier". The audience quiets down, and they start to hum the song along with her, as they recall their youth, their homes, and their loves in a world they may never see again.
- Also doubles as a heartwarming moment. When she first starts singing, she's terrified and crying in the face of a crowd of raucous men who are her country's enemies. But as she continues to sing, they stop whistling and cat-calling and start humming with her in unspoken companionship, and she becomes more at ease among them, and even seems to enjoy singing to them.
- Hell, much of the movie is this, especially in the second half. The biggest example would probably be the actual execution of the soldiers, in particular Private Ferol's reaction to his impending death. The poor guy can't stop crying and simply says he wishes he could see his wife again. Even the Smug Snake prosecutor looks deeply uncomfortable reading the sentence of the condemned men.
Values Resonance: Sociopathic officers and government officials who treat war like a business can still be seen in modern warfare. The film's view of patriotism and "raising morale" continues to ring true with a lot of people over half a century after its release.
Vindicated by History: The film failed on its first release, yet it's now considered one of the most poignant stories of war ever told. It wasn't released in France until 1970 for its criticism of the French army.
The Woobie: The shell shocked soldier in the beginning who Mireau slaps for "cowardice", as well as the condemned soldiers.

YMMV / Paths of Glory

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