The Story Behind Kubrick’s ‘Paths of Glory’ Few realise that Stanley Kubrick’s 1957 war masterpiece Paths of Glory, starring Kirk Douglas, was inspired by the real ‘Souain Corporals Affair’ of 1915. During fierce fighting near Souain on the Western Front, repeated French assaults on German positions led to appalling losses. When the shattered survivors refused to leave their trenches for another suicidal attack, General Géraud Réveilhac demanded that his officers name those who had disobeyed. Tw