Essentials: Patton

Year: 1970 (USA)
Genre: Drama/Biography/War Film
Directed: Franklin J. Schaffner
Stars: George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Stephen Young, Michael Strong, Karl Michael Vogler, Edward Binns, Jack Gwillim
Production: 20th Century Fox


“All victory is fleeting,” says a war wary George S. Patton (George C. Scott) in the last reel of the infamous 1970 film Patton. He had successfully led the invasion of Africa during WWII and commanded the U.S. Seventh army during the invasion of Sicily. After the invasion of Normandy, he led and commanded the U.S. Third army in a rapid armored drive to relieve allied soldiers experiencing the Battle of the Bulge. Throughout the war he was admired by his troops, the allied command and even his adversaries in Germany.

Rommel you magnificent bastard!

Yet Patton’s hard-driving personality and aggressive eagerness towards battle made him a bit of a pariah at times. His showmanship, controversial statements towards the Russians and vulgar morale speeches to his men ultimately overshadowed his accomplishments. Eisenhower stated that his lack of tact was a flaw which limited his leadership potential, in spite of his many accomplishments.

Patton remains a controversial figure even to this day though his profile was likely raised by the release of the Academy Award winning movie bearing his name. In it director Franklin J. Schaffner doesn't paint the man in hagiographic tones, nor does he make him a dilettante. He and screenwriters Edmund H. North and Francis Ford “I made Godfather (1972)” Coppola wisely checks under the hood to see what drives a man of such particular talents. As the various war campaigns unfold, we see a considerable intelligence at play; along with a tremendous ego. Patton, as George C. Scott plays him, finds comfort and honor in the savagery of war. He imagines past lives where he had seen battle and is insulted by soldiers suffering from shell-shock. “You, know George, you’d have made a great field Marshal for Napoleon, if you’d lived in the 18^th Century.” Says a British General to the esteemed Patton; “Oh, but I did, Sir Alex, I did,” retorts Patton.

Patton’s most melancholic scenes, such as his spat with General Bradley (Karl Malden) and forced relief of the Seventh army are interiors while his largest triumphs take place outdoors.  To take advantage of a wider canvas than his successful blockbuster The Planet of the Apes (1968), Schaffner made most of the action and drama to take place in vast and awe-inspiring settings. All the interiors are comparatively short scenes, often taking place in tents, just out of reach of rugged terrain. Even then the viewing audience can see open flaps, windows and corridors glimpsing at natural surroundings within the peripheries.

The film was shot on 70mm film and was meant to accommodate a large curved Dimension 150 screen. Think a Samsung 4K HDTV only three stories tall. Only two films were released though the cinematographic process: Patton and The Bible (1966). While technology of this magnitude and excess has been done before in films like How the West Was Won (1962), Patton brought in a new age of pan-screen presentation that would pave the way for films like Star Wars (1977), shot for a Panavision cinematographic process and ultimately Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) filmed for 2K Digital Intermediate. In other words, Patton was among one of the first films to perfect the large screen IMAX-type experience that we all love and are used to. As a result, the action is larger than life featuring some of the best faux-battle scenes ever captured on film. As for the infamous speech at the beginning of the film; the larger canvas makes the tableau truly breathtaking.

Who's this Patton guy and how is he better than me?

Patton was not a man before his time nor was he a man immersed in the past. He was the right man, at the right time, there for the right reasons. Was he as brilliant as General Ulysses S. Grant or as foolhardy as Captain George A. Custer? The real life of such a distinguished and complicated man can never be surmised asking such questions. What I can conclude is based on the performance of George C. Scott Patton is an accomplished film. With the inclusion of new technology and sympathetic characterization provided by the confident writing and directing of Franklin J. Schaffner, Edmund H. North and Francis Ford “I made Apocalypse Now (1979) too” Coppola, Patton is an incredible and unforgettable cinematic experience.

Final Grade: A