Paths of Glory (Cobb novel)
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Humphrey Cobb |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | War novel |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
Publication date | June 1935 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 265 pp |
| OCLC | 952577067 |
Paths of Glory is a 1935 war novel by Humphrey Cobb. Set during the World War I, the story tells of the French 181st company, which is sent by the general's order to carry out a reckless attack in no man's land with the purpose to take the strategically important "Pimple", and how the failure is covered up by court martialing "war criminals" for cowardice.[1]
The book was based on the Souain corporals affair, an actual event in WWI when the French Army shot four men for cowardice as an example to others.[2][3][4]
Background
[edit]Cobb had served for three years during the World War I, including duty on the front lines at the Battle of Amiens in France in 1918.[3][5][6] Based on his experiences, Cobb wrote Paths of Glory while working at the Young & Rubicam advertising agency in New York.[7]
Adaptations
[edit]In 1935, Sidney Howard wrote the Broadway stage adaptation of Cobb's novel of the same year. With its unsparing depictions of battlefield brutality, the play failed at the box office. As a World War I veteran, however, Howard believed it necessary to show the horrors of armed conflict. Convinced that the novel should be filmed one day, Howard wrote, "It seems to me that our motion picture industry must feel something of a sacred obligation to make the picture."[8]
The film version of the novel, directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Kirk Douglas, was released in 1957.[3][4] Fulfilling Howard's "sacred obligation", Kubrick decided to adapt it to the screen after he remembered reading the book when he was younger.[4][9] Kubrick and his partners purchased the film rights from Cobb's widow for $10,000.[4][10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Bosley Crowther (December 26, 1957). "Screen: Shameful Incident of War; 'Paths of Glory' Has Premiere at Victoria". The New York Times.
- ^ Offenstadt, Nicolas (1999). Les Fusillés de la Grande Guerre et la mémoire collective. Odile Jacob. p. 61.
- ^ a b c Neikirk, Todd (14 October 2022). "Stanley Kubrick's 'Paths of Glory' Was Loosely Based on a Real-Life Tragedy". War History Online. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d Anderson, Richard. "Stanley Kubrick and Paths of Glory". American Legends. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ Gilmore, Hugh (22 March 2019). "One 'Path' leads to another in the trenches of the Western Front". Chestnut Hill Local. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ Diamond, Andrew (5 January 2024). "Paths of Glory". adiamond.me. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ "Wanted: The Real Jim Thompson". The Los Angeles Times. May 5, 1991.
- ^ Phil McArdle. "Sidney Howard: From Berkeley to Broadway and Hollywood", The Berkeley Daily Planet, December 18, 2007
- ^ Naremore, James (23 October 2010). "Paths of Glory: "We Have Met the Enemy..."". Criterion. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ "'Paths of Glory': Stanley Kubrick's First Step Towards Cinema Immortality". cinephiliabeyond. Archived from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
Further reading
[edit]- Blotner, Joseph (1974). Faulkner: A Biography. Random House. p. 587. ISBN 1-57806-732-4.
- Iftakhar, Shampa (2015). "Paths of Glory: Injustice and Crime against Humanity". International Journal of Languages, Literature and Linguistics. 1 (3): 208–211.
External links
[edit]- Introduction: Paths of Glory by Humphrey Cobb – The Audacity of Despair (Davidsimon.com)
- Jesse Bier: Cobb and Kubrick: Author and Auteur: (Paths of Glory as Novel and Film) – Scraps from the Loft, 26 January 2017.
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