Top 250 Challenge: 156

Paths of Glory (1957)
Number 39 on IMDb's Top 250

A French general seeking a promotion during World War I orders a regiment on a suicidal mission to take a hill. The mission is a failure, with half the soldiers refusing to leave the trench. The general orders his artillery to open fire on his own troops.

Kirk Douglas portrays Colonel Dax, who leads the soldiers in the attack and defends three soldiers to be court-martialed on charges of cowardice. The trial is a farce, and although Dax does reveal the general's treachery to his higher-ups, he ends up disillusioned with the army's leadership. Hilarity ensues.

Trivia: The French authorities considered the film an offense to the honor of their army and prohibited its exhibition in France until 1975. In Germany the film wasn't allowed to be shown for a couple of years after its release to avoid any strain in relations with France.

This movie is not a very glowing endorsement of war. All the officers in the upper military command structure seem to be out for themselves (i.e. how to get promoted the fastest) while the soldiers in the trenches (literally) do all the dying. After the failed mission, the commanders are told to pick three men 'at random' to stand trial for cowardice. Of the three men, one was pick by drawing straws, one was picked because he was not very social, and one was picked because his commanding officer had killed a subordinate because he didn't like the guy and this man knew about it. The three were executed because "There are few things more fundamentally encouraging and stimulating than seeing someone else die" and that would boost moral.