Patton [Blu-ray]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

In 1943 North Africa, George Patton (George C. Scott) assumes command of (and instills some much-needed discipline in) the American forces. Engaged in battle against Germany's Field Marshal Rommel (Karl Michael Vogler), Patton drives back "The Desert Fox" by using the German's own tactics. Promoted to Lieutenant General, Patton is sent to Sicily, where he engages in a personal war of egos with British Field Marshal Montgomery (Michael Bates). Performing brilliantly in Italy, Patton seriously jeopardizes his future with a single slap. While touring an Army hospital, the General comes across a GI (Tim Considine) suffering from nervous fatigue. Incensed by what he considers a slacker, Patton smacks the poor soldier and orders him to get well in a hurry. This incident results in his losing his command-and, by extension, missing out on D-Day. In his final campaign, Patton leads the US 3rd Army through Europe. Unabashedly flamboyant, Patton remains a valuable resource, but ultimately proves too much of a "loose cannon" in comparison to the more level-headed tactics of his old friend Omar Bradley (Karl Malden). Patton won 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Scott, an award that he refused. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: A
• Number of Discs: 2
• Subtitle: Eng/Mandarin/Cantonese
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Features:
  • cc
  • Disc 1: Introduction by Francis Ford Coppola
  • Commentary by Francis Ford Coppola
  • Disc Two: History Throught the Lens: Patton - a rebel revisited documentary
  • Patton's Ghost Corps documentary
  • The Making of Patton documentary
  • Production still gallery accompanied by Jerry Goldsmith's complete musical score
  • Behind-the-scenes still gallery accompanied by an audio essay on the historical Patton
  • Origianal theatrical trailer

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Actor - 1970 (George C. Scott)
•     Won Best Director - 1970 (Franklin J. Schaffner)
•     Won Best Editing - 1970 (Hugh S. Fowler)
•     Won Best Original Screenplay - 1970 (Edmund H. North, Francis Ford Coppola)
•     Won Best Picture - 1970 (Frank McCarthy)
•     Won Best Sound - 1970 (Don Bassman, Douglas Williams)
•     Nominated Best Art Direction - 1970 (Pierre-Louis Thevenet, Antonio Mateos, Gil Parrondo, Urie McCleary)
•     Nominated Best Cinematography - 1970 (Fred Koenekamp)
•     Nominated Best Original Score - 1970 (Jerry Goldsmith)
•     Nominated Best Visual Effects - 1970 (Alex C. Weldon)

• American Film Institute

•     Won 100 Greatest American Movies - 1998

• Directors Guild of America

•     Won Best Director - 1970 (Franklin J. Schaffner)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Won Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - 1970 (George C. Scott)
•     Nominated Best Director - 1970 (Franklin J. Schaffner)
•     Nominated Best Picture - Drama - 1970

• National Board of Review

•     Won Best Actor - 1970 (George C. Scott)
•     Won Best Picture - 1970

• National Society of Film Critics

•     Won Best Actor - 1970 (George C. Scott)

• New York Film Critics Circle

•     Won Best Actor - 1970 (George C. Scott)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       George C. Scott - George S. Patton, Jr.
       Karl Malden - Gen. Omar N. Bradley
       Michael Bates - Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery
       Karl Michael Vogler - Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
       Edward Binns - Major Gen. Walter Bedell Smith
       Lawrence Dobkin - Col. Gaston Bell
       John Doucette - Major Gen. Lucian K. Truscott
       Siegfried Rauch - Capt. Oskar Steiger
       Tim Considine - Soldier Who Gets Slapped
       Alan MacNaughton - British Briefing Officer

• Director:

  Franklin J. Schaffner

• Producer:

  Frank Caffey, Frank McCarthy

• Screen Story:

  Francis Ford Coppola

• Screenwriter:

  Francis Ford Coppola

• Screen Story:

  Edmund H. North

• Screenwriter:

  Edmund H. North

• Book Author:

  Ladislas Farago, Gen. Omar N. Bradley

• Cinematographer:

  Fred Koenekamp

• Composer (Music Score):

  Jerry Goldsmith

• Editor:

  Hugh S. Fowler

• Production Designer:

  Gil Parrondo

• Art Director:

  Urie McCleary

• Set Designer:

  Pierre-Louis Thevenet, Antonio Mateos

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  James Corcoran, Don Bassman, Murray Spivack, Douglas O. Williams

• Makeup:

  Del Acevedo

• Special Effects:

  L.B. Abbott, Art Cruickshank

• First Assistant Director:

  Eli Dunn

• Stunts:

  Joe Canutt

• Casting:

  Michael McLean

• Second Unit Director:

  Michael Moore

REVIEW:

• Patton ranks as one of the screen's greatest biopics, much as George C. Scott's work in the title role is often considered one of the towering performances in screen history. Scott, and the film overall, benefit from an uncommonly intelligent script by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North, an odd yet fortuitous pairing of seemingly dissimilar writing styles. Despite a nearly three-hour running time, the film focuses on only a small portion of Patton's career, beginning with his North Africa campaign and continuing to the conclusion of World War II. There are only a few compromises with history -- for example, Patton wears the uniform of a four-star general, a higher rank than was appropriate, at the rousing speech to his troops that begins the movie. The scene, though, is taken almost word-for-word from a speech that Patton delivered on June 4, 1944. It's just one example of the verisimilitude that gives the film its superb texture. Patton also benefits from outstanding tech credits, particularly Fred Koenekamp's cinematography and Jerry Goldsmith's orchestral score. Overall, the film won seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor. Scott refused his award, which the Academy kept for him in case he later changed his mind. He didn't. ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi