In a voiceover at the end of Patton actor George C. Scott relates the tale of the ancient conquering Roman hero who tempers his victory with a slave who whispers in his ear the warning that all glory is fleeting.
That could well be the theme of director Franklin J. Schaffner’s 1970 epic Oscar winning film about the controversial general. Even the film itself ended up being controversial at the time, and may have inspired Richard M. Nixon to escalate the Viet Nam war by bombing Cambodia after viewing the film numerous times. Oliver Stone tried to obtain permission to use film clips from Patton for this incident in Nixon, but could not obtain permission from leading actor George C. Scott.
On principle Scott was opposed to the idea of war, so it’s possible that he felt embarrassed that this film was so widely regarded as a pro war film when all he had done was to bury himself into the old general’s character for a supreme acting performance. The film certainly is thoroughly researched, and used General Omar Bradley himself as a technical advisor.
During my team teaching years working with a history teacher for American Studies, I ended up doing some research on Patton myself through some of his writings and a couple of documentaries, and was amazed to find how accurate the film is for the most part. The only major difference I could find between the real Patton and the film version is the film’s indication that the general believed in re-incarnation. Such was not the case -– the general was a thorough military historian, who was obsessed with ancient battles but never believed that he actually took part in them in some Shirley MacLaine like past life.
Patton remains a film I would recommend for secondary teachers of history or American Studies, or even regular English teachers who want to tie in a good biographical film with written material and documentaries. Of course the film can be enjoyed by general audiences who are interested in the character of the complex man or want to learn something about the European front during WWII.
Synopsis
“The troops I have commanded have always been well dressed, been smart saluters, been prompt and bold in action because I have personally set the example in these qualities. The influence one man can have on thousands is a never-ending source of wonder to me. You are always on parade.”
George S. Patton
The opening of the film is classic. We see the magnificently uniformed Patton standing at attention with a huge American flag backdrop, as the camera pans over the general’s medals, ivory handled pistol, and stern expression. Patton then delivers a rousing kick them in the butt speech, extolling the men that “no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country,” and emphasizing his basic philosophy that they will continue to press forward to overrun the “Hun.”
If this sounds like some halftime locker room pep talk, so be it. I wouldn’t be surprised if certain coaches like Bob Knight studied Patton for their coaching strategy. After all, despite any personal conflicts Patton may have possessed, he operated during wartime with supreme confidence and pushed his men to their limits, hoping that they would fear him more than they would the enemy.
The film follows a chronological sequence of events, so we see Patton get honored at Morocco, see him shape up the Allied tank forces against Rommel in North Africa, successfully invade Sicily, get in trouble for slapping a soldier, get used as a decoy during the D-Day invasion, and follow him during his crowning glory during the crucial Battle of the Bulge. All this follows the well-known history. What is less known is the human side of the general. At least it was less known until this film was released.
It’s about Character
“War is simple, direct, and ruthless. It requires a simple, direct, and ruthless man to wage it.”
George S. Patton
While Patton was focussed and simple during war, as exemplified in the scene where he shoots two stubborn mules that block a bridge, internally the man was extremely complex. The film may not go into the depth that you will find in the literature, but it gives us a few cinematic moments that cue us in to the man’s psyche.
For one thing, in real life Patton was extremely fearful of failure and overcompensated for this in athletics and in the military by outworking everyone. In the film we see Patton admit only one fear openly – the one about a bullet coming straight for his nose. However, we can sense other internal conflicts when Patton forces troops to sacrifice themselves while he gains the glory. Note that his slapping incident occurs just after this, and immediately after praying over a severely injured man to whom he has just presented the Purple Heart. Patton’s words berating the coward may actually be more self-directed than he lets on.
When Patton tells General Omar Bradley (Karl Malden) that he is a simple old soldier, it is with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Nothing could be further from the truth, and the film does portray the general as an egotistical prima donna and politician, who is much better suited for war than he is for peace. The contrast between the highly religious general better know for his cursing and temper is personified with a great one liner answer to the clergyman who asks Patton if he finds time to read his Bible: “Every Goddamn day!”
George C. Scott does far more than merely personify George S. Patton in this film. If ever an actor ever crawled into someone else’s skin and morphed into him, this is such a case. Nowhere can I discern that Scott is acting here. He seems so natural in the role, yet I know that he researched the role thoroughly and that he didn’t believe personally in warfare. Whether Scott refused his Best Actor Oscar over conflicts with the film industry or because he was disturbed at the film’s reception during the height of the Viet Nam War may one day be revealed by a biographer. Patton is the role for which Scott will forever be associated.
Other supporting characters are largely stereotypical and underdeveloped, outside of Bradley. Karl Malden turns in his usual outstanding performance as the soldier’s general here, and is the only character to ever stand up to Patton during the movie.
Source material for the film comes from Ladislas Farago’s Patton: Ordeal and Triumph and Omar Bradley’s A Soldier’s Story. Originally scripted by Francis Ford Coppola, the producer and director felt that his script was too flashy and didn’t cover the entire spectrum that they wished to cover, so Edmund H. North revised the script to translate a more artistic work into a more epic one. And that is how this film feels and works – a war movie designed for Oscar awards but with some good character development along the way.
Finale
"There's only one proper way for a professional soldier to die: the last bullet of the last battle of the last war."
Patton doesn’t die the hero’s death as envisioned here with a quote from the film. The movie doesn’t show his actual death, but hints at its actual irony with a scene that shows the general narrowly escaping getting crushed by a runaway cart.
The film does an excellent job showing some of the complexities of this controversial general, as we see him as an anachronism who just doesn’t fit in with modern warfare or into peacetime. He is described as the perfect warrior – a true eccentric.
When Patton was first released, a storm of controversy erupted around it. People were confused during the turbulent times whether it was a movie for “hawks” or “doves” because it could be seen either way. Nixon chose to see Patton as a great hero, and may well have decided to use the “kick butt” side of the general on the Cambodians in 1970.
Others saw the film as a character study that clearly demonstrated that Patton was out of touch with the modern world, and therefore was a film that level headed peaceful types could appreciate.
Thirty years later, we can examine Patton again and discover that the film stands up as historical drama, giving us an overall picture of an important aspect of the European campaign of WWII, and giving us an intimate character portrait of a most enigmatic general.
A critically acclaimed film that won a total of eight 1970 Academy Awards (Including Best Picture), Patton is a riveting portrait of one of the 20th c...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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