The blind insanity of war can be summed up in 'Paths of Glory' by one statement made by Kirk Douglas: "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel". The result of extreme patriotism leads to the execution of three innocent men in the French army in 1916 during World War I.
A lawyer in civilian life, Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas) accepts orders to take an enemy position called The Anthill. The utterly unprincipled General Broulard (Adolphe Menjou) orders the incompetent, arrogant General Mireau (George Macready) to take The Anthill at all costs. The attack fails, after many of Colonel Dax's men are killed in a pointless frontal assault. Seeing that some soldiers never left the trenches, Mireau directs his own artillery to fire on them, but his orders are refused. To save face and "teach his men a lesson", the petulant Mireau demands that executions be carried out. The number of men to be shot is narrowed to just three, to be chosen by the trench officers. One victim is selected by lot and another is singled out because he's unpopular. The third has witnessed cowardice of his commander.
Colonel Dax defends the three in the court-martial, despite the fact that the outcome is a foregone conclusion. General Mireau has equated his personal pride with the honor of the army. General Broulard sees the entire issue in political terms, and coldly assumes that Dax's spirited defense is a maneuver for personal advancement. But Broulard also lays a trap for Mireau ... as Dax has documented the General's attempt to fire on his own troops.
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