Stanley Kubrick entre la France et la Suisse : le film Les Sentiers de la gloire interdit

Abstract

The ban on Paths of Glory imposed in 1958 by the Swiss Government illustrates the ideological fractures linked to the Cold War and to the Algerian War. This antimilitarist film directed by Stanley Kubrick tells the story of French soldiers who were court-martialled and unfairly executed during the First World War. The decision of the Swiss authorities was an attempt to prevent the spread of an antimilitarist movement, at a time when “armed neutrality” was deemed essential in the face of threats from the East. This ban also brought into question the cultural influence of France on its neighbouring states, all the more so since Switzerland was playing an important diplomatic role in the context of the Algerian War.