Paths of Glory/Trivia

• Banned in France: Sort of. While not actually banned, the extremely unflattering portrait of the World War One French Army led to pressure on the film's distributor not to release it in France. As a result, it was never screened for French censors and not released there until 1975. In order to maintain good relations with its neighbor, Germany also kept the film from being released for two years after its premiere.
• Fake Nationality: The important French characters are played by American actors. For added irony points, the extras who play other French soldiers are mostly Germans, as the film was shot in Bavaria.
• Mean Character, Nice Actor: Or, in this case, Cowardly Character, Heroic Actor. Wayne Morris, who played the pusillanimous Lt. Roget, was a true war hero in Real Life. He was a naval aviator - an Ace Pilot with nine aerial victories - in WWII, garnering four Distinguished Flying Crosses and two Air Medals while flying a fighter off the USS Essex.
• Throw It In: Private Ferol's undignified breakdown as he's lead before the firing squad was improvised. According to Timothy Carey, the actor portraying him, he was warned to make it good, because Kirk Douglas wasn't liking it at all.