The Wende Museum’s new Cinema Under Pressure series opens with Stanley Kubrick’s 1957 antiwar classic.

Across continents and decades, filmmakers have faced censorship, intimidation, and exile for telling uncomfortable truths. Some films were banned outright. Others were attacked, suppressed, or quietly buried. Paths of Glory is a perfect example of the tension between creative expression and institutional control.

Set during World War I, the film follows French soldiers court-martialed after refusing a suicidal attack ordered by their superiors. What unfolds is a stark indictment of military hierarchy, institutional power, and the machinery of injustice.

Banned in France for nearly two decades and restricted elsewhere, the film remains one of the most forceful cinematic critiques of authority ever made.

Cinema Under Pressure presents landmark works that challenged power, questioned authority, and exposed the consequences faced by those who dared to speak up. This new screening and conversation series examines films that confronted political systems and provoked censorship, suppression, or backlash in response. Each program pairs a major film with a discussion featuring invited guest experts in film, history, and related fields.

Guest speakers for this program will be announced soon. The program will be followed by a compimentary reception.