Patton [DVD]

Patton was the real deal. As a man, his belief in re-incarnation played a role in victory. Whether that is physically true is unseen, but as a scholar he knew the land and the historical spirit of the land intimately. He knew the enemy as well as himself; a self-taught psychologist in a way. A true warrior always on the offensive, Patton was not fatuous in his abilities; victory is not and cannot be political; it is the total and complete annihilation of the enemy. Patton was a bulldozer. His temperament had ramifications, but it is completely irrelevant as I can't imagine one with a thirst for blood is at all normative in behavior. He was never insubordinate. (I think some of comments was simply misunderstood humor). Eisenhower ranked generals in order of greatness/ importance, placing Patton third. Spatz and Smith took one and two as strategists. Eisenhower said Patton was a a brilliant executor. In this thinking, there should be two categories: strategy and implementation. Patton was an authentic general. Overall, the greatest generation worked as a united, complete whole. Patton summed it up best - Every man is vital. Even the soldier who boils water so you don't get the shits is essential. As for the film, I'm a critic in no way. I enjoyed the movie. The focus is not guts and gore such as in Saving Private Ryan, et al, which is purposeful because it doesn't detract from the film's focus. There needs to be more films on Patton offering more perspectives. I'd like one that focuses on his childhood and education. Given his belief in re-incarnatiinon, we need a more intimate portrait. into the man. The ending is perfect. Rather than focusing on the car accident, it was symbolized by heading off into the sunset.

“All real Americans love the sting of battle…” “We’re going to cut out their living guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks…” “We are not holding… we are advancing…”I first saw this movie in Atlanta shortly after its release in 1970. It was not my idea – it was my girlfriend’s at the time – she thought it would be a teaching lesson on what the “military mind” was like (admittedly, I felt no need to go, having just had an in-depth almost two-year tutorial in what that mind was like). No question, George C. Scott is a great actor. I’ve admired his performance as General Buck Turgidson in “Dr. Strangelove.” (“Come on, Mr. President, you’re not going to fault an entire program because of one little mistake”?) “Patton” commences with Scott, standing in front of an enormous American flag, with his swagger, riding boots and baton, making the above quoted statements during a time when I knew we had lost our first war, though it would take another five years to make it official.After a brief time in Morocco, the scene shifts to “policing up” the battlefield at the Kasserine Pass in Tunisia. It had been a significant defeat for the Americans, who were poorly led, riding in tanks called “purple heart boxes” because one piece of shrapnel, and the gasoline explodes (shortly thereafter, the Americans shifted to tanks powered by diesel, a considerably less volatile means of propulsion). Karl Malden seemed typecast to play Omar Bradley, “the G.I.’s general,” as Ernie Pyle dubbed him. Bradley and Patton would have an odd couple relationship throughout the war: Patton’s swagger and bravado to Bradley’s self-effacing humility; each seemed to need the other. At the Kasserine battlefield both were 2-star generals.In numerous ways Patton was an anachronism. He hated the 20th century, wrote poetry, believed in reincarnation. A VMI grad. He knows his history, at one point stopping the jeep from going to the present-day battlefield to look at the terrain where three Roman legions attacked and defeated the Carthaginians. “I was there,” he proclaimed. Preparing for battle, he read Rommel’s book. And there was the stupidity of standing in the middle of the street firing his 45 at a German dive bomber.After victory in North Africa over the Axis forces, the movie follows the rest of Patton’s on again, off again career during the Second World War. There is the invasion of Sicily, and the rivalry with British Field Marshall Montgomery on who would take Messina first. Patton did, and at the cost of GI lives. Ike relieved him of his command and forced him to publicly apologize to his troops for having slapped a GI in the hospital who was suffering from shell shock. Patton had loudly proclaimed he was a yellow bas… Patton was used as a “decoy” for the D-Day invasion, assigned so that Hitler would think the American main thrust would be at Calais. Later he would play a vital role leading very real American troops with armor when they broke out of the St. Lo salient and quickly liberated Paris. He would also play the essential role in relieving the 101st Airborne when they were trapped at Bastogne, in Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge, when the Germans counterattacked during the winter of 1944. After the war, he hated the Russians, even causing scene at diplomatic functions. Much like General Turgidson did in Dr. Strangelove. The movie did not cover his death, during the occupation of Germany, in December 1945, caused by a car wreck, but provided that slight hint, which has helped fuel conspiracy theories, that he had “served his purpose.”Like a ball of yarn, the threads of my life have been entangled with Patton’s, even though he died the year before I was born. For an entire year, the tank that was named in his honor, the M 48A-3, was my home. Diesel-powered, for sure. The condition that so upset Patton, a soldier being “shell shocked,” now has a new name, familiar to many by its initials, PTSD. Dr. Robert J. Lifton, a Psychiatrist, was the driving force behind establishing PTSD as a recognized medical diagnosis. In his book, “Home from the War,” Dr. Lifton said that his work with Sp5 Dwight H. Johnson was instrumental in establishing that diagnosis. Sp5 Johnson was in my unit, the 1/69th Armor, and was the only crew member of five tanks that were caught in an ambush on the road to Dak To, in January 1968, who was neither killed nor wounded. For his actions that day, Sp5 Johnson was awarded the Medal of Honor.Race relations again (appropriately) are featured in the news. As for Patton’s views, Wikipedia provides the following quote, from a letter that Patton had written home to his wife: “Individually they were good soldiers, but I expressed my belief at the time, and have never found the necessity of changing it, that a colored soldier cannot think fast enough to fight in armor.”Sp5 Johnson, who died in 1971, in a robbery of a convenience store, was, as is the current expression, a person of color. As his mother said: “Sometimes I think Skip just grew tired of life and needed someone else to pull the trigger.”In the entire movie, the only person of color was Patton’s orderly. 4-stars for the movie.

Most of the reviews here seem to be centered around the story of the movie itself and the history of "the man". But for those of us of a certain age, we are already quite familiar with the story and the history. My review centers around the Blu-Ray quality - which is by far the best "old movie made new" through Blu-Ray transfer technology that I've ever seen. Not an expert in that area, but the movie playback quality is fantastic. The sharpness and clarity are without equal. I've seen the original DVD a hundred times, and this one is like watching it again for the first time. There is even a perceptible "depth of field" in the playback that makes it seem as though you are there in the room. Sound track has been preserved - a great buy. Looks awesome on my 4K. Finally, make sure it's the 2012 version. The earlier 2008(?) version does not compare.

Didn't know much about Patton before. However watching this movie gave me a better understanding of him. Long but great movie. George c Scott is outstanding. Can see why he won awards. Patton as a man was a genius in war. Lo had a big ego which at times got him in to trouble. Recomend this movie

An amazing film and debut of Francis Ford Coppola, who would later write the screenplay for The Godfather. An amazing performance by George C. Scott who plays the American general, George S. Patton, who (no pun intended) commands the scene he's in. Accompanied by excellent practical effects and a soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith. I would go more in depth, but that would require a video on its own right. Overall, a great movie and a worthwhile watch.

Arrived as stated. Haven’t watched it yet but saw it when it was released at cinema so am aware of content. Used his famous ‘6 Ps’ quote throughout my working life - ‘Proper Planning Prevents P*ss-Poor Performance’ ...

This is a tour de force by George C Scott, his characterisation is incredible. I also enjoyed his dislike of Montgomery, who I regard as only being a successful General off the back of Ultra Intelligence.It is a long film but the action and dialogue does not diminish. An incredible film.

What a movie .... looks great on Blu-Ray and it's one of those films that you can enjoy more than once. George C Scott was amazing in the part and at the end you have some serious questions to ask. A WW2 movie classic that has passed the test of time.