Patton
Academy Award × 7·National Film Registry
Rent/Purchase
"Patton" tells the tale of General George S. Patton, famous tank commander of World War II. The film begins with Patton's career in North Africa and progresses through the invasion of Germany and the fall of the Third Reich. Side plots also speak of Patton's numerous faults such his temper and habit towards insubordination.
What critics thought
George C. Scott's performance as Patton is the undisputed center of gravity — virtually every critic, even skeptical ones, called it a landmark characterization. The larger film earned more debate: admirers found it a rare epic that matched subject to scale, while dissenters argued it delivers visual grandeur at the cost of historical and dramatic clarity, leaving the man himself ultimately unexplained.
“It is one of those sublime performances in which the personalities of the actor and the character are fulfilled in one another.”
Roger Ebert·rogerebert.com
“Patton' has, like 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.”
Charles Champlin·Los Angeles Times
“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.”
Gary Arnold·The Washington Post
“technically the movie is awesomely impressive”
The New Yorker
“repetitive – the second half doesn't tell us anything more than the first”
Gene Siskel·Chicago Tribune
Genres
Biography, Drama, War
Cast & Crew
DirectorFranklin J. Schaffner
StarringGeorge C. Scott, Karl Malden, Stephen Young, Michael Strong, Carey Loftin
ComposerJerry Goldsmith
Patton
Academy Award × 7·National Film Registry
"Patton" tells the tale of General George S. Patton, famous tank commander of World War II. The film begins with Patton's career in North Africa and progresses through the invasion of Germany and the fall of the Third Reich. Side plots also speak of Patton's numerous faults such his temper and habit towards insubordination.
What critics thought
George C. Scott's performance as Patton is the undisputed center of gravity — virtually every critic, even skeptical ones, called it a landmark characterization. The larger film earned more debate: admirers found it a rare epic that matched subject to scale, while dissenters argued it delivers visual grandeur at the cost of historical and dramatic clarity, leaving the man himself ultimately unexplained.
“It is one of those sublime performances in which the personalities of the actor and the character are fulfilled in one another.”
Roger Ebert·rogerebert.com
“Patton' has, like 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.”
Charles Champlin·Los Angeles Times
“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.”
Gary Arnold·The Washington Post
“technically the movie is awesomely impressive”
The New Yorker
“repetitive – the second half doesn't tell us anything more than the first”
Gene Siskel·Chicago Tribune
Genres
Biography, Drama, War
Cast & Crew
DirectorFranklin J. Schaffner
StarringGeorge C. Scott, Karl Malden, Stephen Young, Michael Strong, Carey Loftin
ComposerJerry Goldsmith
Rent/Purchase