Firstly, a massive thank you to our Patreon supporters. Your generosity touches me deeply. These supporters have become the single biggest contributing factor to the survival of DVDBeaver. Your assistance has become essential.
What do Patrons receive, that you don't?
1)
Our
weekly
Newsletter
sent to your Inbox every
Monday morning!
Please consider keeping us in existence with a couple of dollars or more each month (your pocket change!) so we can continue to do our best in giving you timely, thorough reviews, calendar updates and detailed comparisons. Thank you very much. |
Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
A 4K UHD of Paths of Glory is reviewed /compared HERE
Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory is among the most powerful antiwar films ever made. A fiery Kirk Douglas stars as a World War I French colonel who goes head-to-head with the army’s ruthless top brass when his men are accused of cowardice after being unable to carry out an impossible mission. This haunting, exquisitely photographed dissection of the military machine in all its absurdity and capacity for dehumanization (a theme Kubrick would continue to explore throughout his career) is assembled with its legendary director’s customary precision, from its tense trench warfare sequences to its gripping courtroom climax to its ravaging final scene. ***
This was Stanley Kubrick’s fourth movie, and he was still
under thirty years old. It’s amazing that they let him shoot a film which so
clearly stuck a knife into the absurdity of war, the grim realism of trench
warfare, the horror of combat. Even at this early age we see his penchant
for long tracking shots, dialogue which circles back and forth in gratingly
absurd and meaningless phrases which would be comical in a cynical way were
they not so grim. |
Posters
Theatrical Release: December 25, 1957
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Incidental Reading on Stanley Kubrick (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
Kubrick: Inside A Film Artist's Maze by Thomas Allen Nelson | Stanley Kubrick, Director: A Visual Analysis by Alexander Walker |
Stanley Kubrick: Interviews (Conversations
With Filmmakers Series) by Stanley Kubrick, Gene D. Phillips |
Stanley Kubrick The Complete Films by Paul Duncan |
The Complete Kubrick by David Hughes |
Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures by Christiane Kubrick |
Narrative And Stylistic Patterns In The Films Of Stanley Kubrick by Luis Garcia Mainar | The Stanley Kubrick Archives by Alison Castle | Stanley Kubrick Companion by James Howard |
Comparison:
MGM - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray vs. Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Box Covers |
|
|
|
Distribution |
MGM Region 1 - NTSC |
Criterion Collection - Spine # 538 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray | Masters of Cinema - Spine # 155 - Region 'B' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 1:28:15 | 1:28:21.337 | 1:27:37.835 |
Video |
1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio |
1080P / 23.976 fps Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 42,980,611,166 bytes Feature: 26,078,023,680 bytesVideo Bitrate: 35.00 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
1080P / 23.976 fps Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 36,523,398,439 bytesFeature: 29,713,652,160 bytesVideo Bitrate: 36.14 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
|||
Bitrate DVD |
|
||
Bitrate: Criterion Blu-ray |
|
||
Bitrate: Masters of Cinema Blu-ray |
|
||
Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0), French (Dolby Digital 2.0) |
LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz /
1152 kbps / 24-bit Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps |
LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz /
2304 kbps / 24-bit
LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit |
Subtitles | English, French, none | English, none | English (SDH), none |
Features |
Release Information:
Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 32 |
Release Information: Studio: Criterion
1080P / 23.976 fps Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 42,980,611,166 bytes Feature: 26,078,023,680 bytesVideo Bitrate: 35.00 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
• Excerpt from a 1966 audio interview with director Stanley Kubrick (2:17) • Television interview from 1979 with star Kirk Douglas (29:27 in HD!)
• New video
interviews with Kubrick’s longtime executive producer Jan Harlan
(9:08 in HD!), Paths
of Glory producer James B. Harris (21:09 in HD!), and actress Christiane Kubrick
(6:58 in HD!) Chapters 27 |
Release Information: Studio: Masters of Cinema
1080P / 23.976 fps Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 36,523,398,439 bytesFeature: 29,713,652,160 bytesVideo Bitrate: 36.14 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
• New video interview with filmmaker Richard Ayoade (23:34)
• Richard Combs (9:58) Chapters 9 |
Comments |
A 4K UHD of Paths of Glory is reviewed /compared HERE NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. ADDITION: Masters of Cinema Region 'B' - Blu-ray - September 2016: I see no difference at all in the video transfer from the Criterion to the Masters of Cinema's 1080P. It is likewise excellent - dual-layered - max'ed out bitrate. MoC's audio is more robust and may export a shade more depth - but you would have to have discerning ears. They include the ability to access the isolated music & effects track - also in uncompressed. It also offers, optional English subtitles but is region 'B'-locked.Masters of Cinema add some excellent new extras starting with a wonderful new audio commentary by film scholar Adrian Martin going into great depth on the film, Kubrick and details, themes etc. There are also three new video interviews - all recorded by Masters of Cinema in 2016; we get 1/4 hour with Kubrick scholar Peter Kramer, a 23-minutes interview with filmmaker Richard Ayoade and 10 minutes with critic and author Richard Combs - all three expanding my knowledge and appreciation of Kubrick's fourth feature film. There is also an original theatrical trailer and the package contains a booklet featuring the words of Kubrick.
This is an exceptional
Blu-ray
release by Masters of Cinema - besting or, at least, equaling the
Criterion in every way. Region 'B' cinephiles should be extremely
pleased and we strongly endorse.
***
Criterion remain true with the mono soundtrack which is presented via a
lossless liner PCM rendering remastered from Gitt's 35mm print's
monaural magnetic track. It sound clean and the hollow dialogue effects
of the large room of the trial hold up very well - sounding especially
authentic.
There are optional English subtitles and my
Momitsu
has identified
it as being a region 'A'-locked.
Supplements cover so much ground starting with a new audio commentary
featuring Gary Giddins - long-time columnist for the Village Voice. He's
a pleasure to listen to relating facts about the production. There is a
brief excerpt from a 1966 audio interview with director Stanley Kubrick
and a 1/2 hour Television interview from 1979 with star Kirk Douglas,
plus video interviews with Kubrick’s longtime executive producer Jan
Harlan (9:08 in HD!), Paths of Glory producer James B. Harris (21:09 in
HD!), and actress Christiane Kubrick (6:58 in HD!). There is a 3-minute
French television piece about a real-life World War I execution that
partly inspired the film and a theatrical trailer. All video extras are
in HD. Criterion include a 20-page liner notes booklet featuring an
essay by film scholar James Naremore.
Visually this film has always been very impressive and now with a
'widescreen' 1080P transfer it was akin to seeing the Kubrick
masterpiece all over again. Paths of Glory is one of those film
that you simply need to view to recall it's greatness. Criterion's
Blu-ray is doing
justice to the film's impact and importance and we give it our highest
recommendation. ***
ON THE MGM DVD: This older release from MGM sports a very nice transfer. It has very good sharpness and contrast. Some fine film grain is also visible but luckily does not become excessive. This transfer appears slightly better than the other two budget MGM Kubirck titles. Audio is fine but its obviously not wildly dynamic. I'm sure these Kubrick titles will be re-issued at some point, but for now they offer very good audio/video presentations at a reasonable price. out of |
Kubrick on DVD (NTSC) - CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information
Stanley Kubrick Boxset | Eyes Wide Shut | Full Metal Jacket | The Shining | Barry Lyndon | A Clockwork Orange | 2001: A Space Odyssey |
Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned To Stop Worry and Love the Bomb |
Menus
MGM
- Region 1 - NTSC LEFT vs.
Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray
RIGHT
|
|
|
|
Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
|
|
|
|
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
MGM - Region 1 - NTSC TOP Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray MIDDLE Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
|
MGM - Region 1 - NTSC TOP Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray MIDDLE Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
|
MGM - Region 1 - NTSC TOP Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray MIDDLE Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
|
MGM - Region 1 - NTSC TOP vs. Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
|
MGM - Region 1 - NTSC TOP vs. Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
|
More Blu-ray Captures