Patton (film)

2022-12-06T03:59:26Z

112.206.4.86:

{{short description|1970 film by Franklin J. Schaffner}}
{{use mdy dates |date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Patton
| image = 70 patton.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[Franklin J. Schaffner]]
| producer = [[Frank McCarthy (producer)|Frank McCarthy]]
| screenplay = {{Plainlist|
* [[Francis Ford Coppola]]
* [[Edmund H. North]]
}}
| story = {{Plainlist|
* Francis Ford Coppola
* Edmund H. North
}}
| based_on = {{Plainlist|
* {{Based on|''Patton: Ordeal and Triumph''|[[Ladislas Farago]]}}
* {{Based on|''A Soldier's Story''|[[Omar Bradley|Omar N. Bradley]]}}
}}
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[George C. Scott]]
* [[Karl Malden]]
}}
| music = [[Jerry Goldsmith]]
| cinematography = [[Fred J. Koenekamp]]
| editing = [[Hugh S. Fowler|Hugh Fowler]]
| color_process = [[DeLuxe Color|Color by Deluxe]]
| distributor = [[20th Century Fox]]
| released = {{Film date|1970|2|5|New York City-Premiere|1970|4|2|USA}}
| runtime = 172 minutes
| country = United States
| language = {{ubl|English|German|French|Russian}}
| budget = $12.6 million<ref>{{cite book |last=Solomon |first=Aubrey |title=Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History |year=1989 |series=Scarecrow Filmmakers Series |volume=20 |location=Lanham, Maryland |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |isbn=978-0-8108-4244-1 |page=256}}</ref>
| gross = $45 million <small>([[theatrical rental|rentals]])</small><ref name=Solomon/>
}}
'''''Patton''''' is a 1970 American [[epic film|epic]] [[Biographical film|biographical]] [[war film]] about U.S. General [[George S. Patton]] during [[World War II]]. It stars [[George C. Scott]] as Patton and [[Karl Malden]] as General [[Omar Bradley]], and was directed by [[Franklin J. Schaffner]] from a script by [[Francis Ford Coppola]] and [[Edmund H. North]], who based their screenplay on ''Patton: Ordeal and Triumph'' by [[Ladislas Farago]] and Bradley's memoir, ''A Soldier's Story''.

''Patton'' won seven [[Academy Awards]], including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] and [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]]. Scott also won the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] for his portrayal of General Patton, but declined to accept the award.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/dvd/patton |title=Review of Patton |author=TotalFilm |access-date=2006-04-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110705124124/http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/dvd/patton |archive-date=July 5, 2011 }}</ref> The opening monologue, delivered by Scott as General Patton with an enormous American flag behind him, remains an iconic and often quoted image in film. In 2003, ''Patton'' was selected for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". The [[Academy Film Archive]] also preserved ''Patton'' in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|title=Preserved Projects|url=http://www.oscars.org/academy-film-archive/preserved-projects?title=patton&filmmaker=&category=All&collection=All|website=Academy Film Archive|access-date=August 4, 2016|archive-date=August 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813130130/http://www.oscars.org/academy-film-archive/preserved-projects?title=patton&filmmaker=&category=All&collection=All|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Plot==
General [[George S. Patton]] [[George S. Patton's speech to the Third Army|addresses an unseen audience of American troops]], emphasizing the importance Americans place upon victorious role models as well as his own demands that his men defeat the enemy by working and fighting as a team.

In its first encounter with the [[Nazi Germany|German]] [[Afrika Korps]] at [[Battle of Kasserine Pass|Kasserine]], the [[II Corps (United States)|II Corps]] is humiliatingly defeated by General [[Erwin Rommel]], whom Patton places in high regard as a well respected rival. As a consequence, Patton is placed in command of II Corps and immediately begins instilling discipline amongst his untested troops. Alongside the poor condition of American soldiers in the II Corps, Patton also identifies the stubbornness of his British counterpart; General [[Bernard Montgomery]] constantly undermines American forces in order to monopolize the war glory. Patton's chance to prove his worth comes at the subsequent [[Battle of El Guettar]] where Patton defeats the advancing German forces.

The eventual Allied victory in [[North African campaign|North Africa]] prompts both Patton and Montgomery to come up with competing plans for the [[Allied invasion of Sicily|Sicily invasion]]. Patton's plan, drawn from reference to the [[Peloponnesian War]] highlights the strategic importance of [[Syracuse, Sicily|Syracuse]]; if it fell to an occupying force, the [[Fascist Italy (1922–1943)|Italians]] would surely withdraw. Patton proposes that Montgomery captures Syracuse, whereas he will land near [[Palermo]] then capture [[Messina]] to cut off the withdrawal. Though the plan initially impresses General [[Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis|Alexander]], to whom Patton and Montgomery report, [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|General Eisenhower]] turns it down in favor of Montgomery's more cautious plan that the two armies land side-by-side in the south-east, essentially relegating Patton to guarding the left flank of the British advance. Angered by the lack of progress being made, Patton thrusts west and captures Palermo, before beating Montgomery to Messina. Patton's blunt aggression sits poorly with his subordinates [[Omar Bradley]] and [[Lucian Truscott]]. During a visit to a [[field hospital]], Patton notices a soldier, crying out of [[shell shock]]. Surmising that the soldier isn't actually physically injured, Patton [[George S. Patton slapping incidents|slaps the soldier]] and threatens to shoot him for his cowardice and demands he return to the frontline. Eisenhower demands Patton apologize to his entire command for the altercation. Though Patton obliges, he is stunned to find out that Bradley, not he, has been given command of American forces preparing for the invasion of France.

With the [[Operation Overlord|Invasion of Normandy]] due to start, Patton is placed in charge of the fictional [[First United States Army Group]] as a decoy in [[London, England|London]], the Allied consensus believing that his presence in England will tell the Germans that he will lead the invasion of Europe. At a war drive in [[Knutsford]], Patton openly remarks that the [[Post-war|post-war world]] will be dominated by British and American influence, seen as a slight to the [[Soviet Union]]. Though Patton objects to having done anything wrong, the situation has already spiraled from his control. The decision to send him home or keep him in England rests upon General [[George C. Marshall|George Marshall]]. Though he is not present during the [[Normandy landings|D-Day landings]], Patton is given command of the [[United States Army Central|Third Army]] by General Bradley, now his superior. Under Patton's leadership, the [[Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine|Third Army sweeps brilliantly across France]] but is unexpectedly brought to a halt when the supplies are diverted to Montgomery's ambitious [[Operation Market Garden]].

During the [[Battle of the Bulge]] Patton devises a plan to relieve the trapped [[101st Airborne Division]] in [[Siege of Bastogne|Bastogne]], which he does before smashing through the [[Siegfried Line]] and [[Western Allied invasion of Germany|into Germany]].

[[End of World War II in Europe|Germany eventually capitulates]], though Patton's outspokenness lands him in trouble once again when he compares [[Politics of the United States|American politics]] to [[Nazism]]. Though he loses his command once again, Patton is kept on to see the [[Allied-occupied Germany|rebuilding of Germany]] in the post war period. In a final scene Patton is seen walking Willie, his [[Bull Terrier|bull terrier]]. Patton's voice is heard:

''"For over a thousand years, [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of a [[Roman triumph|triumph]] - a tumultuous parade. In the procession came trumpeters and musicians and strange animals from the conquered territories, together with carts laden with treasure and captured armaments. The conqueror rode in a triumphal chariot, the dazed prisoners walking in chains before him. Sometimes his children, robed in white, stood with him in the chariot, or rode the trace horses. A [[Slavery in ancient Rome|slave]] stood behind the conqueror, holding a golden crown, and whispering in his ear a warning: that all glory ... is fleeting."''

==Cast==
{{div col}}
* [[George C. Scott]] as Lieutenant General [[George S. Patton]]
* [[Karl Malden]] as Lieutenant General [[Omar Bradley|Omar N. Bradley]]
* [[David Bauer (actor)|David Bauer]] as Lieutenant General Harry Buford
* [[Edward Binns]] as Lieutenant General [[Walter Bedell Smith]]
* [[John Doucette]] as Major General [[Lucian Truscott]]
* [[Michael Strong]] as Brigadier General [[Hobart R. Gay|Hobart Carver]]
* [[Peter Barkworth]] as Colonel John Welkin
* [[Lawrence Dobkin]] as Colonel Gaston Bell
* [[Paul Stevens (actor)|Paul Stevens]] as Lieutenant Colonel [[Charles R. Codman]]
* [[Morgan Paull]] as Captain Richard N. Jenson
* [[Stephen Young (actor)|Stephen Young]] as Captain Chester B. Hansen
* [[James Edwards (actor)|James Edwards]] as Sergeant William George Meeks
* [[Tim Considine]] as a shell-shocked soldier
* [[Michael Bates (actor)|Michael Bates]] as [[General (British Army)|General]] [[Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein|Bernard Montgomery]]
* [[Jack Gwillim]] as General [[Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis|Sir Harold Alexander]]
* [[Gerald Flood]] as Air Chief Marshal [[Arthur Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder|Sir Arthur Tedder]]
* [[John Barrie (actor)|John Barrie]] as [[Air Vice-Marshal]] [[Arthur Coningham (RAF officer)|Sir Arthur Coningham]]
* [[Frank Latimore]] as Lieutenant Colonel Henry Davenport
* [[Karl Michael Vogler]] as Field Marshal [[Erwin Rommel]]
* [[Richard Münch (actor)|Richard Münch]] as [[Colonel General]] [[Alfred Jodl]]
* [[Siegfried Rauch]] as Captain Oskar Steiger
{{div col end}}

==Production==

[[Lee Marvin]], [[Burt Lancaster]], [[John Wayne]], [[Robert Mitchum]] and [[Rod Steiger]] all turned down the role of Patton;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/18647/patton/#trivia|title = Patton}}</ref><ref name="nytimes.com">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/04/21/archives/patton-campaign-it-took-19-years.html|title='Patton' Campaign: It Took 19 Years|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 21, 1971|last1=Gussow|first1=Mel}}</ref> Steiger later said it was his greatest mistake.<ref>{{cite news |first=Rupert |last=Cornwell |title=Rod Steiger, 'brooding and volatile' Hollywood tough guy for more than 50 years, dies aged 77 |date=2002-07-10 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/rod-steiger-brooding-and-volatile-hollywood-tough-guy-for-more-than-50-years-dies-aged-77-647871.html |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |access-date=2009-05-21 |archive-date=September 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110913203708/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/rod-steiger-brooding-and-volatile-hollywood-tough-guy-for-more-than-50-years-dies-aged-77-647871.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Charlton Heston]] was considered for the role of Omar N. Bradley before [[Karl Malden]] was cast.<ref name="nytimes.com"/>

===Development===
Attempts to make a film about the life of Patton had been ongoing since he died in 1945, but his widow, Beatrice, resisted.<ref name=AFI>{{AFI film|id=23463}}</ref> After her death in 1953, producer [[Frank McCarthy (producer)|Frank McCarthy]] began the project and, the day after Beatrice was buried, the producers contacted the family for help in making the film, requesting access to Patton's diaries, as well as input from family members, but the family refused to provide any assistance to the film's producers.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Duke, the Longhorns, and Chairman Mao: John Wayne's Political Odyssey |first=Steven |last=Travers |year=2014 |publisher=Taylor Trade Publishing |oclc=857277430}}</ref> McCarthy also sought co-operation from [[The Pentagon]]; they also initially refused, as Patton's son, [[George Patton IV]], was in the Army, and Patton's second daughter, Ruth, was married to an officer. By 1959, McCarthy had convinced the Army to co-operate.<ref name=photoplay>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Photoplay]]|date=July 1970|page=24|title=Why I Wanted To Portray Patton}}</ref><ref name=AFI/>

[[20th Century Fox]] bought ''A Soldier's Story,'' the 1951 autobiography of [[General of the Army (United States)|General of the Army]] [[Omar Bradley]] (who features prominently in the film, played by Karl Malden). [[Francis Ford Coppola]] wrote the film script in 1963 based largely on [[Ladislas Farago]]'s 1963 biography ''Patton: Ordeal and Triumph,'' and on ''A Soldier's Story''.<ref name=AFI/><ref name=photoplay/> [[Edmund H. North]] was later brought in to help work on the script.<ref name=photoplay/> The film was originally to be called ''Blood & Guts'' and [[William Wyler]] was originally scheduled to direct. However, Wyler quit before the planned starting date of January 1969.<ref name="AFI" />

Bradley, the only surviving [[five-star rank|five-star]] [[general officer]] in the United States after the death of [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] in 1969, served as a consultant for the film though the extent of his influence and input into the final script is largely unknown. While Bradley knew Patton personally, it was also well known that the two men were polar opposites in personality, and there is evidence to conclude that Bradley despised Patton, both personally and professionally.<ref>{{cite book |last=D'Este |first=Carlo |title=Patton: A Genius For War |location=New York |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=0-06-016455-7 |date=1995 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/pattongeniusforw00dest/page/466 466]–467 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/pattongeniusforw00dest }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=D'Este |first=Carlo |title=Eisenhower: A Soldier's Life |url=https://archive.org/details/eisenhowersoldie00dest |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=Henry Holt & Co. |date=2002 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/eisenhowersoldie00dest/page/403 403–404]|isbn=978-0-8050-5686-0 }}</ref> As the film was made without access to General Patton's diaries, it largely relied upon observations by Bradley and other military contemporaries when they attempted to reconstruct Patton's thoughts and motives.<ref name="Marshall">{{cite journal | last=Marshall | first=S.L.A. | date=March 21, 1970 | title=Great Georgie Redone | journal=The Charleston Gazette | volume=4 | page=4}}</ref> In a review of the film, [[Brigadier General (United States)|Brigadier General]] [[S.L.A. Marshall]], who knew both Patton and Bradley, stated, "The Bradley name gets heavy billing on a picture of [a] comrade that, while not caricature, is the likeness of a victorious, glory-seeking buffoon.... Patton in the flesh was an enigma. He so stays in the film.... Napoleon once said that the art of the general is not strategy but knowing how to mold human nature.... Maybe that is all producer Frank McCarthy and Gen. Bradley, his chief advisor, are trying to say."<ref name="Marshall" />

===Filming===
[[File:Volubilis(js)4.jpg|thumb|The Triumphal Arch of Volubilis|alt=The ruin of a stone arch on grass. A tourist poses by the arch.]]
The film started shooting February 3, 1969 and was shot at seventy-one locations in six countries, mostly in [[Francoist Spain|Spain]], which had a lot of the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]]'s World War II [[Military surplus|surplus equipment]].<ref name=photoplay/><ref name=AFI/>
[[Francoist Spain]] had sustained a [[currency control]] for decades and filming in the country was the only way to indirectly recover the profits of the box office from American films.
Cheap labor also encouraged [[runaway production]]s.<ref name="Torres">{{cite book |last1=Torres |first1=Augusto M. |title=El cine norteamericano en 120 películas |date=1992 |publisher=Alianza Editorial |location=Madrid |isbn=84-206-0575-1 |pages=328–331 |language=es-ES |chapter=Patton}}</ref>

One scene, which depicts Patton driving up to an ancient city that is implied to be [[Carthage]], was shot in the ancient [[Mauretania Tingitana|Roman Mauretanian]] city of [[Volubilis]], [[Morocco]]. The early scene, where Patton and [[Mohammed V of Morocco|Muhammed V]] are reviewing [[Royal Moroccan Armed Forces|Moroccan troops]] including the [[Moroccan Goumier|Goumiers]], was shot at the [[Dar al-Makhzen (Rabat)|Royal Palace]] in [[Rabat]]. One unannounced battle scene was shot the night before, which raised fears in the Royal Palace neighborhood of a ''[[coup d'état]]''. One paratrooper was electrocuted in power lines, but none of this battle footage appears in the film. The scene at the dedication of the welcome centre in [[Knutsford]], [[Cheshire]], England, was filmed at the actual site. The scenes set in Tunisia and Sicily were shot in [[Almeria]] in the south of Spain; [[Pamplona]] in the north was used for France and Germany; while the winter scenes in [[Belgium]], including for the [[Battle of the Bulge]] sequence, were shot near [[Segovia]] (to which the production crew rushed when they were informed that snow had fallen).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.in70mm.com/news/2003/patton/index.htm|title=The Photography of "Patton"|first=George J.|last=Mitchell|website=in70mm.com|access-date=December 29, 2011|archive-date=January 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120105050701/http://www.in70mm.com/news/2003/patton/index.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=photoplay/><ref name=AFI/> Interior shots were filmed in [[Seville]].<ref name="AFI" />

The film was shot by cinematographer [[Fred J. Koenekamp]] in 65 mm [[Todd-AO#Curved screen vs. flat|Dimension 150]], only the second film to be shot in that format after ''[[The Bible: In the Beginning...]]'' (1966).<ref name=AFI/>

A sizeable amount of battle scene footage was left out of the final cut of ''Patton'', but a use was soon found for it. Outtakes from ''Patton'' were used to provide battle scenes in the made-for-TV film ''[[Fireball Forward]]'', which was first broadcast in 1972. The film was produced by ''Patton'' producer Frank McCarthy and Edmund North wrote the screenplay. One of the cast members of ''Patton'', Morgan Paull, appeared in this production.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fireball Forward - Rotten Tomatoes|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fireball_forward/|publisher=Flixster, Inc.|access-date=12 November 2012|archive-date=September 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925074424/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fireball_forward|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Opening===
[[Image:Patton1.jpg|right|thumb|200px|The opening scene of the movie.]]
The film opens with Scott's rendering of [[George S. Patton's speech to the Third Army|Patton's speech to the Third Army]], set against a huge [[Flag of the United States|American flag]].<ref>≠°Travers, Steven. The Duke, the Longhorns, and Chairman Mao: John Wayne's Political Odyssey."</ref> Coppola and North had to tone down Patton's actual words and statements in the scene, as well as throughout the rest of the film, to avoid an [[Motion Picture Association of America film rating system|R rating]]; in the opening monologue, the word ''fornicating'' replaced ''fucking'' when he was criticizing ''[[The Saturday Evening Post]]''. Also, Scott's gravelly and scratchy voice is the opposite of Patton's high-pitched, nasal and somewhat squeaky voice, a point noted by historian [[S.L.A. Marshall]].<ref name="Marshall" /> However, Marshall also points out that the film contains "too much cursing and obscenity [by Patton]. Patton was not habitually foul-mouthed. He used dirty words when he thought they were needed to impress."<ref name="Marshall" />

When Scott learned that the speech would open the film, he refused to do it, as he believed that it would overshadow the rest of his performance. Director Schaffner assured him that it would be shown at the end. The scene was shot in one afternoon at Sevilla Studios in Madrid, with the flag having been painted on the back of the stage wall.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mitchell |first1=George J. |title=The Photography of Patton |journal=After the Battle |date=1975 |issue=7 |pages=38–43 |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/38610171/Patton-HQ-Magazines |access-date=September 7, 2017 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305120651/https://www.scribd.com/doc/38610171/Patton-HQ-Magazines |url-status=live }}</ref>

All the medals and decorations shown on Patton's uniform in the monologue are replicas of those actually awarded to Patton. However, the general never wore all of them in public and was in any case not a [[Four-star rank|four-star general]] at the time he made the famous speeches on which the opening is based. He wore them all on only one occasion, in his backyard in [[Virginia]] at the request of his wife, who wanted a picture of him with all his medals. The producers used a copy of this photo to help recreate this "look" for the opening scene.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

===Music===
The critically acclaimed score for ''Patton'' was composed and conducted by the prolific composer [[Jerry Goldsmith]]. Goldsmith used a number of innovative methods to tie the music to the film, such as having an [[echoplex]] loop recorded sounds of "call to war" [[Tuplet#Triplets|triplets]] played on the trumpet to musically represent General Patton's belief in reincarnation. The main theme also consisted of a symphonic march accompanied by a [[pipe organ]] to represent the militaristic yet deeply religious nature of the protagonist.<ref name="Filmtracks" >Clemmensen, Christian. [http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/patton.html ''Patton''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711002300/http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/patton.html |date=July 11, 2011 }} soundtrack review at [[Filmtracks.com]]. Retrieved 2011-04-22.</ref> The music to ''Patton'' subsequently earned Goldsmith an [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]] and was one of the [[American Film Institute]]'s 250 nominees for the [[AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores|top twenty-five American film scores]].<ref>[http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/scores250.pdf?docID=221 ''AFI's 100 Years Of Film Scores''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716071543/http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/scores250.pdf?docID=221 |date=2011-07-16 }} from the [[American Film Institute]]. Retrieved 2011-04-22.</ref> The original soundtrack has been released three times on disc and once on LP: through [[20th Century Fox Records|Twentieth-Century Fox Records]] in 1970, Tsunami Records in 1992, [[Film Score Monthly]] in 1999, and a two-disc extended version through [[Intrada Records]] in 2010.<ref name="Filmtracks" /><ref>{{cite web | url = http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.6806/.f | title = ''Patton'' | publisher = [[Intrada Records]] | access-date = October 21, 2012 | archive-date = October 21, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121021161602/http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.6806/.f | url-status = live }}</ref>

====2010 Intrada Records album====
=====Disc One=====
{{Tracklist
| collapsed = yes
| headline = ''Original Motion Picture Soundtrack''
| title1 = Patton Salute (Solo Bugle)
| length1 = 0:44
| title2 = Main Title
| length2 = 3:08
| title3 = The Battleground
| length3 = 2:14
| title4 = The Cemetery
| length4 = 2:42
| title5 = The First Battle
| length5 = 2:50
| title6 = The Funeral
| length6 = 1:54
| title7 = The Hospital
| length7 = 3:36
| title8 = The Prayer
| length8 = 1:11
| title9 = No Assignment
| length9 = 2:23
| title10 = Patton March
| length10 = 1:53
| title11 = Attack
| length11 = 3:15
| title12 = German Advance
| length12 = 2:32
| title13 = An Eloquent Man
| length13 = 1:43
| title14 = The Payoff
| length14 = 2:26
| title15 = A Change Of Weather
| length15 = 1:23
| title16 = Pensive Patton
| length16 = 0:16
| title17 = End Title
| length17 = 2:20
| title18 = Echoplex Session (bonus)
| length18 = 5:29
| all_writing =
| total_length = 41:11
}}

=====Disc Two=====
{{Tracklist
| collapsed = yes
| headline = ''Original 1970 Score Album''
| title1 = Patton Speech (spoken by George C. Scott)
| length1 = 4:54
| title2 = Main Title
| length2 = 2:17
| title3 = The Battleground
| length3 = 2:19
| title4 = The First Battle
| length4 = 2:48
| title5 = Attack
| length5 = 3:14
| title6 = The Funeral
| length6 = 1:53
| title7 = Winter March
| length7 = 1:55
| title8 = Patton March
| length8 = 2:04
| title9 = No Assignment
| length9 = 1:59
| title10 = German Advance
| length10 = 2:31
| title11 = The Hospital
| length11 = 3:18
| title12 = The Payoff
| length12 = 2:22
| title13 = End Title & Speech (spoken by George C. Scott)
| length13 = 1:01
| title14 = End Title (sans dialogue) (bonus)
| length14 = 1:11
| all_writing =
| total_length = 33:46
}}

==Release==
The film had its premiere on Wednesday, February 4, 1970 at the [[Criterion Theatre (New York)|Criterion Theatre]] in New York before its [[Roadshow theatrical release|roadshow release]] starting the following day.<ref name=AFI/><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Daily Variety]]|date=February 6, 1970|page=3|title='Patton' Opens Near-Capacity On B'w'y, 'Kremlin Letter' Lively, 'Glass' Glossy}}</ref>

===First telecast===
''Patton'' was first telecast by [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] as a three hours-plus color film special on Sunday, November 19, 1972, only two years after its theatrical release.<ref name=ratings/> That was highly unusual at the time, especially for a roadshow release which had played in theatres for many months. Most theatrical films at that time had to wait at least five years for their first telecast. Another unusual element of the telecast was that almost none of Patton's profanity-laced dialogue was cut (only two sentences, one of which contained no profanity, were cut from the famous opening speech in front of the giant US flag). The film was the fourth highest-rated film broadcast on television in the United States at the time, with a [[Nielsen rating]] of 38.5 and an audience share of 65%.<ref name=ratings>{{cite magazine|title=Hit Movies on U.S. TV Since 1961|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=24 January 1990|page=160}}</ref>

===Home media===
In 1977, ''Patton'' was among the first 50 [[VHS]] and [[Betamax]] releases from [[Magnetic Video]]. The film would be released on [[LaserDisc|Laserdisc]] in 1981, also by Magnetic Video. A widescreen version was released in 1989, which includes four newsreels about the real Patton. A [[THX]]-certified Laserdisc would be released on July 9, 1997, trading the newsreels for many new features. A THX-certified widescreen VHS was also released in 1998 by the same distributor, [[20th Century Studios Home Entertainment|20th Century Fox Home Entertainment]].

''Patton'' was first released on [[DVD]] in 1999, featuring an audio commentary by '''Charles M. Province''', the founder of '''The George S. Patton, Jr. Historical Society''', and again in 2006, with a commentary by screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola and extra bonus features.

The film made its [[DVD region code|Region A]] (locked) [[Blu-ray]] debut in 2008 to much criticism, for its excessive use of [[digital noise reduction]] on the picture quality. In 2012, a remaster was released with much improved picture quality.<ref>{{cite web |title=Patton (Remastered) |url=http://www.thedigitalbits.com/item/patton-remastered-brd |first=Barrie |last=Maxwell |date=November 8, 2012 |work=The Digital Bits |access-date=October 29, 2017 |archive-date=September 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916081852/http://thedigitalbits.com/item/patton-remastered-brd |url-status=live }}</ref> In June 2013, Fox UK released the film on Region B Blu-ray but reverted to the 2008 transfer.

==Reception==
===Box office===
The film grossed an estimated $51,000 in its first week.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Strength at Some N.Y. Situations; 'Patton' Spanky 51G; 'Zabriskie' OK Kickoff; 'Looking Glass,' In 2, Big|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=February 11, 1970|page=9}}</ref> According to Fox records the film required $22,525,000 in [[theatrical rental]]s to break even and by 11 December 1970 had made $27,650,000 so made a profit to the studio.<ref>{{cite book|page=[https://archive.org/details/foxthatgotawayt00silv/page/329 329]|title=The Fox that got away : the last days of the Zanuck dynasty at Twentieth Century-Fox|url=https://archive.org/details/foxthatgotawayt00silv|url-access=registration|last=Silverman|first=Stephen M|year=1988|publisher=L. Stuart|isbn=978-0-8184-0485-6}}</ref> Eventually, it returned worldwide rentals of $45 million,<ref name=Solomon>{{cite book |last=Solomon |first=Aubrey |title=Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History |year=2002 |series=Scarecrow Filmmakers Series |volume=20 |location=Lanham, Maryland |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |isbn=978-0-8108-4244-1 |page=165}}</ref> including $28.1 million from the United States and Canada from a gross of $61.8 million.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=All-Time Film Rental Champs|date=October 15, 1990|page=M178|first=Lawrence|last=Cohn}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=patton.htm|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|title=Patton, Box Office Information|access-date=January 29, 2012|archive-date=January 29, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120129020210/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=patton.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Critical response===
[[Roger Ebert]] said of George C. Scott, "It is one of those sublime performances in which the personalities of the actor and the character are fulfilled in one another."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-patton-1970 |title=Patton (1970) |author=Roger Ebert |publisher=rogerebert.com |date=March 17, 2002 |access-date=December 1, 2022}}</ref> [[Gene Siskel]] gave the film three stars out of four and wrote that George C. Scott "has created an acting tour de force," but found it "repetitive – the second half doesn't tell us anything more than the first."<ref>[[Gene Siskel|Siskel, Gene]] (March 5, 1970). "Patton". ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. Section 2, p. 11.</ref> [[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote, "The most refreshing thing about 'Patton' is that here—I think for the first time—the subject matter and the style of the epic war movie are perfectly matched ... Although the cast is large, the only performance of note is that of Scott, who is continuously entertaining and, occasionally, very appealing."<ref>[[Vincent Canby|Canby, Vincent]] (February 5, 1970). "The Screen: 'Patton: Salute to Rebel'". ''[[The New York Times]]''. 33.</ref> [[Charles Champlin]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote, "'Patton' has, like [[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|''Lawrence of Arabia'']], done the near-impossible by creating a finely detailed portrait despite all the tuggings toward simplification which are inevitable in the big budget, long, loud roadshow production desperate to attract mass audiences. As Patton, George Scott gives one of the great and unforgettable screen characterizations."<ref>[[Charles Champlin|Champlin, Charles]] (February 15, 1970). "'Patton' Features George C. Scott as 'Old Blood and Guts'". ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. Calendar, p. 13.</ref> Gary Arnold of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' wrote that the film "eventually shares the dramatic limitations, as well as the visual triumphs, of ''Lawrence of Arabia'': yet another fascinating but inconclusive portrait of a mercurial military leader. The camera focus is sharp, but the dramatic focus is blurred. We never quite understand Patton in historical context, in relation to the other generals of the period, and to the entire Allied war effort."<ref>Arnold, Gary (March 1, 1970). "Take Your Pick of War Heroes: General Patton". ''[[The Washington Post]]''. F1-F2.</ref> [[Pauline Kael]] of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' wrote that "technically the movie is awesomely impressive," but went on to state that "I'm sure it will be said that the picture is 'true' to Patton and to history, but I think it strings us along and holds out on us. If we don't just want to have our prejudices greased, we'll find it confusing and unsatisfying, because we aren't given enough information to evaluate Patton's actions."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Kael |first=Pauline |author-link=Pauline Kael |date=January 31, 1970 |title=The Current Cinema |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |page=73 }}</ref> [[John Gillett]] of ''[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]]'' wrote, "While communicating a relish for the man with all his warts, [Schaffner] also pinpoints the monstrous prejudices which lay beneath the surface. And, of course, he chose the right actor. Karl Malden's Bradley is neatly observed and the German players are good, but Scott's performance rightly dwarfs all the rest."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Gillett |first=John |author-link=John Gillett |date=June 1970 |title=Patton: Lust For Glory |journal=[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]] |volume=37 |issue=437 |page=123 }}</ref>

Online film critic [[James Berardinelli]] has called ''Patton'' his favorite film of all time<ref>{{cite web |url=http://preview.reelviews.net/top100/1.html |title=#1: Patton |publisher=reelviews.net |access-date=July 1, 2017 |archive-date=December 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201093438/http://preview.reelviews.net/top100/1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and "to this day one of Hollywood's most compelling biographical war pictures."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/p/patton.html |title=Patton |author=James Berardinelli |publisher=reelviews.net |access-date=December 1, 2009 |archive-date=December 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205203724/https://preview.reelviews.net/movies/p/patton.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to [[Bob Woodward]] and [[Carl Bernstein]]'s book ''[[The Final Days]]'', it was also [[Richard Nixon]]'s favorite film. Nixon first viewed ''Patton'' with his family at a private screening in the [[White House Family Theater]] on April 5, 1970. Nixon became obsessed with the film, repeatedly watching it with [[Henry Kissinger]] over the next month. He screened it several times at the [[White House]] and during a cruise on the presidential yacht [[USS Sequoia (presidential yacht)|USS ''Sequoia'']] in the [[Potomac River]]. Kissinger sarcastically wrote of Nixon's insistence that he see the film on the cruise: "It was the second time he had so honored me. Inspiring as the film no doubt was, I managed to escape for an hour in the middle of it to prepare for the next day’s [[National Security Agency|NSC]] meeting."<ref>Robenalt, James D. (2015). ''January 1973: Watergate, Roe v. Wade, Vietnam, and the Month that Changed America Forever''. Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Review Press. {{ISBN|978-1-61374-967-8}}. {{OCLC|906705247}}.</ref> Before the [[1972 Nixon visit to China]], Chinese Premier [[Zhou Enlai]] watched this film in preparation for his meeting with Nixon.

Review aggregate website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reported that 90% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 52 reviews, with an average score of 8.4/10. Rotten Tomatoes summarizes the critical consensus as, "George C. Scott's sympathetic, unflinching portrayal of the titular general in this sprawling epic is as definitive as any performance in the history of American biopics."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/patton/ |title=Patton |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |access-date=July 29, 2022 |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112013723/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/patton |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Accolades===
In 1971, the film was nominated for 10 [[Academy Awards]] at [[43rd Academy Awards|1971 ceremony]], winning seven awards (including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]). [[George C. Scott]] also won the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] for his performance, but he famously refused to accept it, citing a dislike of the voting process and the concept of acting competitions. (The film's producer, [[Frank McCarthy (producer)|Frank McCarthy]], accepted the award on Scott's behalf.) He was the first actor to do so.<ref name="Oscars1971">{{Cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1971 |title=The 43rd Academy Awards (1971) Nominees and Winners |access-date=2011-08-27 |work=oscars.org |archive-date=July 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702005544/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1971 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,306200,00.html|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|title=1971: George C. Patton said no to Oscar|first=Tim|last=Purtell|date=April 16, 1993|access-date=April 28, 2020|archive-date=August 10, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810055237/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,306200,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NY Times">{{cite web |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/37460/Patton/awards |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413134249/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/37460/Patton/awards |url-status=dead |archive-date=2009-04-13 |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2009 |title=NY Times: Patton |access-date=2008-12-28}}</ref>

The Best Picture statuette is on display at the George C. Marshall Museum at the [[Virginia Military Institute]], courtesy of [[Frank McCarthy (producer)|Frank McCarthy]].

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
|-
| rowspan="10"| [[43rd Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]
| [[Frank McCarthy (producer)|Frank McCarthy]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| [[Franklin J. Schaffner]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| [[George C. Scott]] <small>'''(declined award)'''</small>
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]]
| [[Francis Ford Coppola]] and [[Edmund H. North]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Art Direction]]
| [[Urie McCleary]], [[Gil Parrondo]], [[Antonio Mateos]] and [[Pierre-Louis Thévenet]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
| [[Fred J. Koenekamp]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]]
| [[Hugh S. Fowler]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]]
| [[Jerry Goldsmith]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Sound|Best Sound]]
| [[Douglas Williams (sound engineer)|Douglas Williams]] and [[Don Bassman]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Special Visual Effects]]
| [[Alex Weldon]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[American Cinema Editors|American Cinema Editors Awards]]
| [[American Cinema Editors Award for Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic|Best Edited Feature Film]]
| Hugh S. Fowler
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[24th British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|Best Actor in a Leading Role]]
| George C. Scott
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Sound|Best Sound]]
| Don Hall, Douglas O. Williams and Don J. Bassman
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[23rd Directors Guild of America Awards|Directors Guild of America Awards]]
| [[Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film|Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures]]
| Franklin J. Schaffner
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[28th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Motion Picture – Drama]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama|Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama]]
| George C. Scott
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director – Motion Picture]]
| Franklin J. Schaffner
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Motion Picture Sound Editors|Golden Reel Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[Golden Reel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Sound Effects and Foley for Feature Film|Best Sound Editing – Feature Film]]
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| Kansas City Film Circle Critics Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Film
| {{won}}{{efn|Tied with ''[[Five Easy Pieces]]''.}}
|-
| Best Actor
| George C. Scott
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="5"| [[Laurel Awards]]
| colspan="2"| Best Picture
| {{won}}
|-
| Top Male Dramatic Performance
| George C. Scott
| {{won}}
|-
| Top Male Supporting Performance
| [[Karl Malden]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| Top Cinematographer
| Fred J. Koenekamp
| {{won}}
|-
| Top Composer
| Jerry Goldsmith
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[National Board of Review Awards 1970|National Board of Review Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[National Board of Review Award for Best Film|Best Film]]
| {{won}}
|-
| colspan="2"| [[National Board of Review: Top Ten Films|Top Ten Films]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[National Board of Review Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| George C. Scott
| {{won}}
|-
| [[National Film Preservation Board]]
| colspan="2"| [[National Film Registry]]
| {{won|Inducted}}
|-
| [[1970 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|New York Film Critics Circle Awards]]
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| George C. Scott
| {{won}}
|-
| Online Film & Television Association Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Motion Picture
| {{won}}
|-
| [[23rd Writers Guild of America Awards|Writers Guild of America Awards]]
| [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Drama Written Directly for the Screenplay]]
| Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North
| {{won}}
|}

In 2006, the [[Writers Guild of America]] selected [[Francis Ford Coppola]] and [[Edmund H. North]]'s adapted screenplay as the 94th best screenplay of all time.

'''[[American Film Institute]] Lists'''
* [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies]] – #89
* [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains]]:
** [[George S. Patton]] – #29 Hero

==Sequel==
A [[television movie|made-for-television]] sequel, ''[[The Last Days of Patton]]'', was produced in 1986. Scott reprised his title role. The film was based on Patton's final weeks after being mortally injured in a car accident, with flashbacks of Patton's life.

==See also==
{{Portal|Film|War}}
* [[List of American films of 1970]]
* [[1970s in film]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|30em}}
{{notelist}}

==Further reading==
* In 2005, Patton's wife's "Button Box" manuscript was finally released by his family, with the posthumous release of Ruth Ellen Patton Totten's book, ''The Button Box: A Daughter's Loving Memoir of Mrs. George S. Patton.''{{cite news |first1=John M. |last1=Taylor |first2=Priscilla S. |last2=Taylor |url=http://www.washtimes.com/books/20050723-092118-1294r.htm |work=The Washington Times |title=Gen. Patton's wife, a New York citizen |date=July 23, 2022}}
* {{cite book |title=Guts & Glory: The Making of the American Military Image in Film |first=Lawrence H. |last=Suid |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-8131-9018-1 |pages=260–278 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zB8J2ho-0k8C&pg=PA260}} Suid's book contains an extended discussion of the production of ''Patton'' and of public and critical response to the film; the discussion occupies most of the chapter, "13. John Wayne, ''The Green Berets'', and Other Heroes".

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0066206|Patton}}
* {{amg movie|37460}}
* {{tcmdb title|id=18647}}
* {{AFI film|id=23463|title=Patton}}
* {{mojo title|patton|Patton}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|patton|Patton}}
* {{Metacritic film|title=Patton}}

{{Franklin Schaffner}}
{{Francis Ford Coppola}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for ''Patton''
|list =
{{AcademyAwardBestPicture 1961-1980}}
{{National Board of Review Award for Best Film}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patton}}
[[Category:1970 films]]
[[Category:1970 war films]]
[[Category:1970s biographical drama films]]
[[Category:American biographical drama films]]
[[Category:American epic films]]
[[Category:American historical films]]
[[Category:American war drama films]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of George S. Patton]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Erwin Rommel]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Bernard Montgomery]]
[[Category:War epic films]]
[[Category:American World War II films]]
[[Category:World War II films based on actual events]]
[[Category:North African campaign films]]
[[Category:Best Picture Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Biographical films about military leaders]]
[[Category:Films about armoured warfare]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1940s]]
[[Category:Films set in Morocco]]
[[Category:Films set in Tunisia]]
[[Category:Films set in Sicily]]
[[Category:Films set in France]]
[[Category:Films set in Belgium]]
[[Category:Films set in Germany]]
[[Category:Films shot in Algeria]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Actor Academy Award-winning performance]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Drama Actor Golden Globe winning performance]]
[[Category:Films that won the Best Sound Mixing Academy Award]]
[[Category:Films whose art director won the Best Art Direction Academy Award]]
[[Category:Films whose director won the Best Directing Academy Award]]
[[Category:Films whose editor won the Best Film Editing Academy Award]]
[[Category:Films whose writer won the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award]]
[[Category:20th Century Fox films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Franklin J. Schaffner]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Francis Ford Coppola]]
[[Category:Films scored by Jerry Goldsmith]]
[[Category:Films about the United States Army]]
[[Category:United States National Film Registry films]]
[[Category:Films shot in Almería]]
[[Category:Films shot in Crete]]
[[Category:1970 drama films]]
[[Category:Films set in Cheshire]]
[[Category:1970s English-language films]]
[[Category:1960s English-language films]]
[[Category:1960s American films]]
[[Category:1970s American films]]
[[Category:Films shot in Navarre]]

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Patton (film)