Image Courtesy of Amazon.com
Director:
Franklin J Schaffner
Cast:
George C. Scott……….Gen. George S. Patton Jr.
Karl Malden……….Gen. Omar N. Bradley
Stephen Young……….Capt. Chester B. Hansen
Michael Strong……….Brig. Gen. Hobart Carver
Carey Loftin……….Gen. Bradley’s driver
Albert Dumortier……….Moroccan Minister
Frank Latimore……….Lt. Col. Henry Davenport
Morgan Paull……….Capt. Richard N. Jenson
Karl Michael Vogler ……….Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
Bill Hickman……….Gen. Patton’s driver
Pat Zurica……….1st Lt. Alexander Stiller
James Edwards……….Sgt. William George Meeks
Lawrence Dobkin……….Col. Gaston Bell
David Bauer……….Lt. Gen. Harry Buford
John Barrie……….Air Vice-Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham
The Movie
There are only two men who are manly enough to be able to go by one name. The first was Moses. The other is Patton. General George S Patton, that is. He was a man famously quoted as saying “Lead me, follow me, or get the hell out of my way” and for crushing the Nazis in World War II. He designed the M1913 Cavalry Saber and famously remarked about war that “Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best; it removes all that is base. All men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. Duty is the essence of manhood.”
While colorful quotations might be what is most remembered by people about the man most people consider to be the greatest General who ever lived, there is one amazing reminder to the world about the man: Patton, the movie. Patton is a biopic about the general as George C Scott steps into the shoes of one of military history’s greatest heroes. And to say he pulls off a great performance is perhaps the understatement of the last 20 years. There are only a handful of performances considered amongst the best ever, and Scott’s is on that short list that includes Brando in On the Waterfront and De Niro in Raging Bull. Scott’s Patton is enthralling and engaging.
This is also a very smartly written movie as well. Patton the man has been made into a myth over the years since his death in the days after World War II, mainly in part due to Scott’s performance, but the film shows Patton’s bad side as well. Patton is a well-drawn, three dimensional character. The crux of the story is Patton as a rebel defying authority while simultaneously being representative of it. His life was about running against the grain, his unpredictable nature and work ethic bringing him to the status he occupies as one of World War II’s elite military leaders. Coppola would win his first Oscar for the writing of this film, later winning writing Oscars for The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II as well as nominations for Apocalypse Now and The Conversation, and it might be his best script in his legendary career. This isn’t an anti-war film, nor does it glorify combat; it’s a film about a warrior. The script shows us this portrait of a man at the peak of his career in the same way Ray would show Ray Charles at his peak. This is about the man, not his job, and the film’s script brings this out well.
Patton is also a well directed film. Franklin Schaffner would win an Academy Award for his direction in one of the seven Oscars won by the film (including Best Picture and Best Actor in a Leading role for Scott), and it’s easy to see why. This is a big epic story that is told as such; Schaffner brings us Patton as a larger than life figure while not glancing over his flaws. It’s a complete portrait of a man. His film is also trimmed down and focused like a razor; over three hours of film it might be easy to go and lose focus but Schaffner never does. With an effective use of music as well, the key to this film is in just how well it has held up.
It has been nearly four decades since the film was in theatres and it’s still as good today as it was then. This isn’t a film neither for nor against the concept of war; it’s about the man who fought one of the most important ones in history. War films would forever change after Patton, as they become less about the war and more about the soldier fighting it. Films like Saving Private Ryan, Platoon and Full Metal Jacket all would borrow from in terms of story-telling. If films like The Longest Day and Tora! Tora! Tora! would be symbolic of the older brand of war movies, then Patton is the point where modern war movie-making begins.
Score : 10 / 10
The Video
Presented in a widescreen format with a 2.20:1 aspect ratio, this version of Patton looks about the same as the bare bones release does. It has been cleaned up a little bit for a slightly better picture, of course, but it’s not any significant upgrade.
The Audio
Presented in a Dolby 5.0 Surround, the film has the same great audio track as the prior release. The sound is powerful and still tests the limits of a sound system, as the film’s big booming action sequences and Patton’s big powerful speeches come through loud and clear.
The Extras
History Through the Lens: “Patton: A Rebel Revisited” is a History Channel documentary about the production of the film. There are all sorts of fascinating tidbits about the film as well. The original script was written by Francis Ford Coppola and eventually reworked into the basis of the shooting script, for one, as well as Patton’s closest friend Omar Bradley was brought on as an advisor. The film took a long path through preproduction as filmmakers tried to get it made over several decades. Originally developed as an epic war film, the film’s release coincided with the unrest stateside during the Vietnam War thus necessitating the film’s envisioning him as a flawed man who rebelled against authority to fit in with the era. Going to lengths to talk about how parts of the film were fictionalized, it’s interesting to hear how certain parts of the film had to be created to help convey the man’s larger than life persona. The piece is also fascinating in part because it goes through his life and uses the film to help show parts of his personality and his psyche; always a snappy dresser, Patton’s sharp dress in the film helped contribute to what he called a person’s “visible personality.”
These were Patton’s code words for being able to evaluate someone’s command style. It’s also a reference to one of the things he thought every person should be able to do: curse for three minutes without repeating a word. The film looks at how the filmmakers went full force to create a Patton who was both a great character as well as a great historical figure. Plenty of people from Patton’s life are in this documentary and talk about how true to life Scott’s performance was. One of the things that’s unique about the documentary is how they talk about how Patton interacted with other great military leaders of that era like Bradley, German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (Patton’s nemesis in World War II) and British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. There’s a respect for history in how the documentary looks at these legendary men, and it’s an authentic look at the legendary general. It’s also a fascinating look at Patton, as they talk about the man who is more mythologized than he is reality nowadays. Running around 90 minutes, it’s fascinating to see Patton through the eyes of historians as well as his grandson Robert Patton as both the flawed man few knew well and the military man of renown. This is a definitive look at the man, warts and all, as is easily worth the price of the DVD in and of itself.
Patton’s Ghost Corps is a 45 minute look at the final German campaign with 63 surviving members of Patton’s 3rd Army speaking about what it was like during it. Silent for many years, this is a story about a group of men who joined the Army’s ASTP program only to be put on the front lines. Merged into the 94th Infantry Division, these men came into the service thinking they were going to college on a scholarship program to become engineers and doctors. The program was aborted when brawn was needed over brains and this group was activated into action as Patton his tanks up to the Battle of the Bulge. This corps of men was to be part of the invasion of Germany and they went in guns blazing; this is a documentary featuring the men behind the attacks talking about their experiences. Like the film this isn’t glorifying what they did, nor is it some clichéd group of veterans talking about “the war” as if it was some sort of abstract painting. These are a number of men from one of the greatest generation of Americans talking about what it was like to be there in an honest and frank manner. This is also a thrilling documentary about military history as well, discussing the battles fought and the tactics used. This is an emotional documentary, as the way some of the men describe what happened is emotional and gut-wrenching.
“The Making of Patton” is a behind the scenes look at the film itself. With a running time of approximately 50 minutes, this featurette focuses on Schaffner and how his vision for the film helped redefine what war films were about. There are a lot of ideas and notions about the film that could’ve gone into the EPK route and just become flattery but those chosen have a certain sense of historical perspective to the proceedings and steer away from that route. It’s interesting to hear how most of the film was shot in Spain because of two reasons: Spain’s army was for rent for motion pictures as well as World War II era weaponry was in the Spanish Army’s possession as a result of an exchange by the U.S government for U.S air bases on Spanish soil. The featurette’s main focus is on how Schaffner handled everything thrown at him. Toss in Oliver Stone and a couple ridiculously funny conspiracy theories about the film, as well as some interesting tidbits about the film, and it’s most definitely a unique viewing experience.
Audio Commentary by Francis Ford Coppola is brand new to this edition as the film’s writer has three hours of comments to make. The DVD also includes an all-new introduction by the legendary writer/director as well.
Still Galleries
Original Theatrical Trailer
Score : 10 / 10
