Watch 'the greatest World War I film ever' before leaving Amazon Prime Video

5 November 2024

We recently undertook an informal 'online poll' of WFA members to see which was considered the best WW1 film ever made. Of these, the 1957 classic 'Paths of Glory' came out in 4th place (behind 'They Shall Not Grow Old' and the 1930 version of 'All Quiet on the Western Front')

Staring Kirk Douglas, the film did not receive any Oscar nominations, this was thought to be due to its anti-military slant, with the film being banned from being seen in American military establishments. Due to criticism from the French veterans and the French Army, Paths of Glory didn’t show in France until 1975, some eighteen years after it was released. 

Pog1

It is currently available on Amazon Prime, but only for another week, after which it will be deleted from that service. 

So, if you want to watch the film and have Amazon Prime, it's probably best to watch it very soon.

A number of brief clips of Paths of Glory can be seen on YouTube, one example 2'38" in length being here: Paths of Glory: A stroll through the trenches

The official (3 minute long) MGM 'trailer' for the film is here: Official MGM trailer

Paths of Glory (1957)

Directed By: Stanley Kubrick

Screenplay By: Stanley Kubrick, Calder Willingham, and Jim Thompson

Based on the Novel By: Humphrey Cobb

Cast: Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready, Wayne Morris, Richard Anderson

Latest news

Christmas Opening Hours
23 December 2025

Christmas opening hours for the WFA office

Read more
Website Launch V1
21 December 2025

Introducing Our New Website: A Quick Guide to Get You Started

Read more
Password Reset
16 December 2025

Members area: Password reset

Read more
Maxresdefault (5)
16 December 2025

Our YouTube channel hits a major milestone

Read more
The Western Front Association (WFA) logo
15 December 2025

Gary Sheffield stands down as President of the WFA

Read more
DSC 0201 Web
30 November 2025

WFA member chronicles grandfather's journey from Boer War to Palestine

Read more