"Patton" is an intelligently written and
well-plotted movie that deserved its Academy
Awards for "Best Picture" and "Best Actor." It is
an outstanding war movie that has its focus not
on the soldiers in the trenches, but the generals
who control their destinies.
The film follows the career of George Patton
(George C. Scott) from early battles against the
Germans in North Africa, and later in Italy and
in Europe. Patton's biggest battles are not
always against the Germans, however. He must
compete against generals Montgomery and Bradley
for resources and key assignments, and never
comprehends that a four-star general must also be
a success as a politician.
Movies are inherently fictional, even when based
on actual events or personalities. I don't know
and don't care how historically accurate this
movie is. When discussing Patton, I am referring
to his film character. From the little I know
about Patton or WWII, the film is authentic
enough for me. One minor quibble: Omar Bradley's
autobiography was used as a source, and he served
as a technical advisor, leading to the Bradley
character (Karl Malden) being perhaps too saintly.
Patton is as broad a character a film could hope
to have, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for
an actor. Scott had a supporting role in "Dr.
Strangelove", but he will be forever remembered as
Patton, as Patton will be forever identified with
the actor Scott. Patton is obsessed with military
history and achieving battlefield glory. He
believes he is reincarnated, with each life
participating in the era's greatest battles. He
stubbornly refuses to see the growing
international obsolescence of the military
relative to political and economic alliances.
Perhaps too much is made of Patton's abilities as
a general. The audience is led to believe that
Patton could have won the European war in a few
months if it wasn't for pesky Montgomery trying
to steal his glory and supplies. A rare comic
relief moment involving Patton's cowardly
pedigreed hound doesn't quite work either.
But it is rare that a film character can have so
much depth that it can be explored for over two
hours with such effectiveness. Also, the tank
battles, ancient ruins, and general's housings
(they lived well, with a full staff of toadies)
have excellent cinematography. (89/100)
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
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.