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Patton (1970) - Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
"We're going to kick the hell out of him all the time and we're going to go through him like crap through a goose!"
In recent time I realized I had to remedy a situation no moviegoer like myself should make: having seen so little movies from a year that my current number one is a questionable choice. In this case, the year was 1970 and the movie was The Aristocats. Desiring to change that, I had a hard time finding classics like the heist film Le Cercle Rouge and the Italian film The Conformist in ENglish, I stuck with the war film Patton. I wasn't sure it would be the "perfect movie of the year 1970" I was looking for, but now I can safely say I am sure.
Patton is a biopic chronicling the command of General George S. Patton as his often infuriating behavior and strict guidelines eventually lead his armies into victories of World War II, and land him in trouble with his peers and international allies. But will he change for his fellow man, or restrain himself long enough to get back to doing just what he believes is right: kicking Nazi ass?
Patton is phenomenal. The first and most notable strength of the film is George C. Scott's performance as George S. Patton, the titular subject matter. Scott was born for a role like this the same way Patton himself was built for wartime command. Throughout the movie, Scott's Patton emanates order and desire for manhood and dominance the exact same way a man from his time would hold his American standards true. He also made a convincing racist at times as his beliefs had occasionally been seen to be against the Russian army. But the rest of the cast as able to keep up with him even though their roles were considerably smaller. The entire cast felt so real! These parts when compared to Patton were like specks in his milk and they could even perform entirely convincingly. Wonderful.
Since the movie is a biopic, I'll forgive the lack of character development on other parties. But the development of Patton as part war-hero part flawed old man is a treasure to behold, not only proving that no man is perfect but that it takes something special to be a real man and not just a war hero. Patton's comments get him into trouble several times throughout the film, and throughout the movie I felt as though I just had to keep watching as I was holding onto a rope on a cliff. When I started the movie I was half-paying attention for 25 minutes, but when I started I wanted to restart... but Patton's charisma and the way the movie played out kept me from that until 20 minutes later.
The war direction was phenomenal. War direction is something I demand from these kinds of movies unless they're special like the tearjerker Schindler's List, and the whole movie has incredible uses of lighting pairing wonderfully with the camera's positions. Instead of focusing on fancy movements, the cameraman is exactly where he needs to be for every second of the movie. And the war scenes were quite epic, not relying on blood and guts or the screams of soldiers but relying on that fact that war violence is a terror in its own and the camera's strict behavior proves it with its content.
Finally, I'm going to comment on how the German scenes did not have subtitles. Didn't need them. Every so often an English word would be heard in their speech like a couple of names and you would be left to wonder what their plans are and how they affect Patton. The music and the scenery in these scenes are what drive them to be just as necessary as every other scene in the movie.
Patton is a must-see for any war fan. I understand some people say the second half is where the film gets slower, but the second half is actually where the more personal and action-driven moments take place. Every scene in the last fifteen minutes was worth it. I love Patton and I would be quick to watch it again.
"We're going to kick the hell out of him all the time and we're going to go through him like crap through a goose!"
In recent time I realized I had to remedy a situation no moviegoer like myself should make: having seen so little movies from a year that my current number one is a questionable choice. In this case, the year was 1970 and the movie was The Aristocats. Desiring to change that, I had a hard time finding classics like the heist film Le Cercle Rouge and the Italian film The Conformist in ENglish, I stuck with the war film Patton. I wasn't sure it would be the "perfect movie of the year 1970" I was looking for, but now I can safely say I am sure.
Patton is a biopic chronicling the command of General George S. Patton as his often infuriating behavior and strict guidelines eventually lead his armies into victories of World War II, and land him in trouble with his peers and international allies. But will he change for his fellow man, or restrain himself long enough to get back to doing just what he believes is right: kicking Nazi ass?
Patton is phenomenal. The first and most notable strength of the film is George C. Scott's performance as George S. Patton, the titular subject matter. Scott was born for a role like this the same way Patton himself was built for wartime command. Throughout the movie, Scott's Patton emanates order and desire for manhood and dominance the exact same way a man from his time would hold his American standards true. He also made a convincing racist at times as his beliefs had occasionally been seen to be against the Russian army. But the rest of the cast as able to keep up with him even though their roles were considerably smaller. The entire cast felt so real! These parts when compared to Patton were like specks in his milk and they could even perform entirely convincingly. Wonderful.
Since the movie is a biopic, I'll forgive the lack of character development on other parties. But the development of Patton as part war-hero part flawed old man is a treasure to behold, not only proving that no man is perfect but that it takes something special to be a real man and not just a war hero. Patton's comments get him into trouble several times throughout the film, and throughout the movie I felt as though I just had to keep watching as I was holding onto a rope on a cliff. When I started the movie I was half-paying attention for 25 minutes, but when I started I wanted to restart... but Patton's charisma and the way the movie played out kept me from that until 20 minutes later.
The war direction was phenomenal. War direction is something I demand from these kinds of movies unless they're special like the tearjerker Schindler's List, and the whole movie has incredible uses of lighting pairing wonderfully with the camera's positions. Instead of focusing on fancy movements, the cameraman is exactly where he needs to be for every second of the movie. And the war scenes were quite epic, not relying on blood and guts or the screams of soldiers but relying on that fact that war violence is a terror in its own and the camera's strict behavior proves it with its content.
Finally, I'm going to comment on how the German scenes did not have subtitles. Didn't need them. Every so often an English word would be heard in their speech like a couple of names and you would be left to wonder what their plans are and how they affect Patton. The music and the scenery in these scenes are what drive them to be just as necessary as every other scene in the movie.
Patton is a must-see for any war fan. I understand some people say the second half is where the film gets slower, but the second half is actually where the more personal and action-driven moments take place. Every scene in the last fifteen minutes was worth it. I love Patton and I would be quick to watch it again.