Cinematic Smackdown: DOUBLE FEATURE! Paths of Glory & A Day at the Races

Paths of Glory - 4.5/5
(dir. Stanley Kubrick)

What an amazing film. Great performances, top-notch filmmaking, a superb script - all the pieces are there, and they work with utmost precision. In fact, the only "bad" thing about the movie is that it's so short it leaves you wanting more.

The film is about war, but more than battles, brotherhood, or bloodshed, Paths of Glory is interested first and foremost in the politics of war. There is rousing, harrowing footage of futile troops and combat, men pressing on in the face of violence, but the film instead focuses more on the aftermath of the battle than on its viscera. The backdoor dealings of generals and politicians, powerful men who view soldiers as little more than dots on a map advancing toward an objective - this is the crux of the film.

There is a problem, however. In this particular case, the "dots" have disobeyed. Not out of a sense of purpose - there is no "I am Spartacus"-type rebellion - but out of practicality: troops were pinned down, vastly outgunned and outnumbered, so many chose to flee rather than fight. They are subsequently charged with cowardice. There is a brilliant, darkly comedic scene between the general and an artillery captain: the general demands artillery be dropped on his own troops to encourage them to move forward. The artillery captain replies that he will do no such thing without the proper paperwork; he does not refuse out of pity or pride, but because of duty and bureaucracy. Paths of Glory is filled with such moments - scenes which are brilliantly written, conceived, and assembled - which coalesce into greatness.

Where it goes from there speaks more to the ego of war, the sheer absurdity and tragic futility of men who base their lives and ambitions on the deaths of other men. It is surely no accident that the pivotal point each side wants to capture is nicknamed "The Anthill." Paths of Glory is a wondrous film, a perfect synthesis of talent as the great Stanley Kubrick finally showed what he was capable of.


A Day at the Races - 3.5/5
(dir. Sam Wood)

The Marx Brothers are a double-edged sword: truly inspired, brilliant comedians of the vaudeville tradition, relentless in their pursuit of humor. That's the good. The bad is: they were also never really required to write narratives, develop characters, or build any sort of story tension or intrigue. They were simply... The Marx Brothers. It didn't matter what the plot was or who their characters were - Groucho would still be Groucho, Harpo would be Harpo, Chico would be Chico, and Zeppo would be Zeppo. And you know, there's nothing wrong with that - it's just that in terms of "Great Movies," the Marx Brothers generally come up short in certain areas.

That said, however, A Day at the Races is a bit of an exception. I can't say for certain, but of what I've seen A Day at the Races is the only Marx Brothers movie which actually shows some concern for the plot and character motivation. Cursory concern, mind you, but still - you have to give credit to director Sam Wood for requiring a bit more of the Brothers than was generally expected... There are even a couple nice dramatic scenes with Groucho. The film as a whole is not a departure from the signature Marxian mayhem, just a nice little surprise.

Groucho plays a veterinarian posing as a physician. Not just any physician, but the world-famous Dr Hackenbush - the only man suitable to treat Mrs Upjohn, a wealthy hypochondriac convinced there must be absolutely something wrong with her, though neither she nor any self-respecting doctor has the slightest idea what it might be. Mrs Upjohn currently lives in the Standish Sanitarium, which faces financial ruin if Groucho cannot continuously diagnose faults in Mrs Upjohn's health. This affords some nice gags as Groucho fakes his way through various exams and prognoses, but the real comic insanity, of course, comes from the Brothers doing what they do best. One inspired scene features Groucho pretending to be at least seven or eight different people while on the phone with the villain, who tries to fight through the madness to expose the ruse.

As is the case with other Marx Brothers films, A Day at the Races is also somewhat of a musical. The romantic subplot involves a pair of real-life song-and-dance stars, as well as a few nice interludes showing off Chico's and Harpo's respective musical talents. The greatest musical bit comes near the end, however, and it's really something of a revelation in terms of cinematic joy. So good in fact, it would have been a wonderful ending. It wouldn't have made sense in terms of the story, mind you (tons of plot details would have been unresolved), but the musical number is just such a joy to watch, its puts you in such a great mood, that I partly wished it would have closed the film.

That's not to knock the rest of the movie. There are a number of great comedic scenes, as well as some sweet bits of romance with light touches of drama. A Day at the Races remains a Marx Brothers film through and through - carrying with it all the good and bad such a label denotes - but is actually a cut above the others in terms of story, if not quite as good as something like Duck Soup in terms of comedy.