It is easy enough to call this an anti-war film, as it portrays the horrors of battle as succinctly as any movie before or after. The soldiers who man the trenches are bone-tired and malnourished, their emotions dulled by the relentless horror they face day after day. The generals, meanwhile, are foppish aristocrats who worry more about their careers than the lives of their soldiers. But World War I is just the backdrop Kubrick uses for his searing indictment of the rich and powerful. Something of a forgotten classic, especially when placed against Kubrick's later works, this beautifully rendered film should be seen by students of history or anyone who cares about equality and justice.

Tom Nord