Patton

There's probably not a lot of neutral ground for comments on "Patton". You either loath the man as portrayed or see him as a brilliant true warrior perfectly fit in the right place at the right time. In an included intro to the movie, screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola talks about the balancing act he did in trying to appease a mostly anti-war audience of the time immersed in Vietnam yet still honor the positive aspects of this fighting general to the more traditional members of the movie audience. I believe it was a very well-done proposition and resulted in one of the finest war biopic movies ever made. You basically get General George Patton warts and all. The iconic beginning scene's image of General Patton standing in front of the screen filling American flag delivering his famous speech to the 3rd Army is burned into our cultural collective memories. George C Scott strides the entire movie like a colossus. You're mesmerized by his portrayal whether acting out the full narcissism and megalomania of Patton or showing the brilliant, heroic leadership that caused real fear in the German generals. Karl Malden is also excellent in counterpoint portraying General Omar Bradley as both close confidant and friend as well as stern, brutal critic. The movie's 3 hour run time flies by. Even if the viewer is not a big war movie fan the character study of this famous and highly controversial general is very well worth a watch.There is no question that Fox got this 2nd go around at a Blu-ray release dead on near perfect. The remastered image here is beautifully filmic with light, tight grain showing excellent detail and resolution. Colors pop when needed but are not over hyped. There is no dreaded DNR or edge enhancement present here. Just a wonderful theatrical looking image that at times has a more modern movie appearance to it rather than showing its 50+ year old age.The DTS HD Master audio sound is actually quite good with gunfire, explosions and military aircraft roaring with lots of good LFE effects. Dialog is well delineated, and the fantastic Jerry Goldsmith score comes through loud and clear with great fidelity. There are some great feature length documentaries as extras. This is a must own for war movie fans as well as anyone that would appreciate the acting clinic put on by the late great George C Scott.

"Patton" is one of the best and most honored war films of all time. (8 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, 1970.) I first saw this magnificent movie in the summer of 1970, and have since then viewed it countless numbers of time on videocassette. It remains to this day one of my one of my all-time favorite films of any genre! It faithfully tells the story of General George S. Patton, one of the most colorful and controversial military leaders in American history. Patton is imbued with superb acting, an excellent screenplay, reasonably good historical accuracy, and some of the most authentic and stirring battle scenes I've ever seen in a movie.Based upon General of the Army Omar N. Bradley's memoirs "A Soldier's Story," and the book "Patton: Ordeal and Triumph" by Ladislas Farago, this film chronicles Patton's military career from early 1943, when he assumed command of the U.S. Army II Corps, to his relief from command of the Third Army in late 1945. Many of the most important events in Patton's checkered career are covered in some detail: his resurrection of II Corps after its disastrous defeat by the Germans at Kasserine Pass in the North African desert; II Corps' subsequent victory, under his leadership, over units of Rommel's Afrika Corps at El Qatar; Patton's command of the U.S. Seventh Army during the Sicily campaign, and his slapping of an army private suffering from battle fatigue; his relief from command, and his attempts to extricate himself from possibly being sent home in disgrace; and, his leadership of the Third Army, where he led the Allied drive across France and into Germany in one of the most successful campaigns in U.S. military history.Patton's penchant for "putting his foot in his mouth" proved his ultimate undoing. As World War II ended, and the victorious allies began to reward their successful generals with promotions and honors, Patton was relieved - yet again - from a military command for his ill advised remarks, and for his failure to adhere to U.S. government de-Nazification policies.The acting in Patton is superb throughout. George C. Scott certainly deserved the Best Actor Academy Award he won (but refused) for his portrayal of Patton. He dominates nearly every scene with his brilliant portrayal of "Old Blood and Guts." Scott's "Patton" is a man of masks. For example, in the opening scenes, we see Patton the stone-faced, profane, passionate warrior, a man bent on intimidating nearly everyone around him to his implacable will for victory. During his exile from command, Patton dons the mask of contrite penitent; and during his drive through France, Patton becomes a buddy to the common soldiers who made up Third Army.Karl Malden portrays General Omar Bradley, and gives probably his best performance of any film in which I've seen him. He imbues Bradley's character with the great intellectual ability, down-to-earth "common soldier" demeanor, and no-nonsense approach in dealing with Patton (both as subordinate and superior) for which Bradley is noted by historians. Other performances of note include: Michael Bates as the vain, priggish Montgomery; Paul Stevens as Patton's sycophantic aide Charles Codman; and Edward Binns as the gruff, testy General Walter Bedell Smith.Because of the gorgeous photography throughout the film, I highly recommend viewing Patton in widescreen format. The difference between widescreen and TV formatting, either on DVD or VHS, is astounding.Patton is a movie which will hold the viewer spellbound start to finish, mainly due to the dramatic intensity of Scott's and Malden's performances, and the realistic battle scenes. This outstanding film is one to be savored by anyone who loves a sumptuously produced and well acted war movie.