Patton (1970)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Franklin J. Schaffner

Writers:

Ladislas Farago (book)
Omar N. Bradley (book)
(more)

Release Date:

2 April 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | War

Plot:

The World War II phase of the controversial American general's career is depicted.

Plot Keywords:

General | Germany | American | Destiny | Military

Awards:

Won 7 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 7 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. July 23

10:45 AM

AMC

Cast

George C. Scott	...	Gen. George S. Patton Jr.
Karl Malden	...	Gen. Omar N. Bradley
Stephen Young	...	Capt. Chester B. Hansen
Michael Strong	...	Brig. Gen. Hobart Carver
Carey Loftin	...	Gen. Bradley's driver (as Cary Loftin)
Albert Dumortier	...	Moroccan Minister
Frank Latimore	...	Lt. Col. Henry Davenport
Morgan Paull	...	Capt. Richard N. Jenson
Karl Michael Vogler	...	Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
Bill Hickman	...	Gen. Patton's driver
Pat Zurica	...	1st Lt. Alexander Stiller (as Patrick J. Zurica)
James Edwards	...	Sgt. William George Meeks
Lawrence Dobkin	...	Col. Gaston Bell
David Bauer	...	Lt. Gen. Harry Buford
John Barrie	...	Air Vice-Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham
Richard Münch	...	Col. Gen. Alfred Jodl (as Richard Muench)
Siegfried Rauch	...	Capt. Oskar Steiger
Michael Bates	...	Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery
Paul Stevens	...	Lt. Col. Charles R. Codman
Gerald Flood	...	Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder
Jack Gwillim	...	Gen. Sir Harold Alexander
Ed Binns	...	Maj. Gen. Walter Bedell Smith (as Edward Binns)
Peter Barkworth	...	Col. John Welkin
Lionel Murton	...	Third Army chaplain
David Healy	...	Clergyman
Sandy Kevin	...	Correspondent
Douglas Wilmer	...	Maj. Gen. Francis de Guingand
John Doucette	...	Maj. Gen. Lucian K. Truscott
Tim Considine	...	Soldier who gets slapped
Abraxas Aaran	...	Willy
Clint Ritchie	...	Tank captain
Alan MacNaughton	...	British briefing officer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Brandon Brady	...	Lt. Young (uncredited)
Charles Dennis	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Paul Frees	...	Voice (uncredited) (voice)
Hellmut Lange	...	Maj. Dorian von Haarenwege (uncredited)
Harry Morgan	...	Senator (uncredited)
Bruce Rhodewalt	...	Cynical wounded soldier (uncredited)

Directed by
Franklin J. Schaffner

Writing credits
Ladislas Farago		(book "Patton: Ordeal and Triumph")
Omar N. Bradley		(book "A Soldier's Story")
Francis Ford Coppola		(screen story) and
Edmund H. North		(screen story)
Francis Ford Coppola		(screenplay) and
Edmund H. North		(screenplay)

Produced by
Frank Caffey	....	associate producer
Frank McCarthy	....	producer

Original Music by
Jerry Goldsmith

Cinematography by
Fred J. Koenekamp		(as Fred Koenekamp)

Film Editing by
Hugh S. Fowler		(as Hugh Fowler)

Art Direction by
Urie McCleary
Gil Parrondo

Set Decoration by
Antonio Mateos
Pierre-Louis Thévenet		(as Pierre-Louis Thevenet)

Makeup Department
Del Acevedo	....	makeup artist
Daniel C. Striepeke	....	makeup supervisor (as Dan Striepeke)

Production Management
Francisco Day	....	unit production manager
Eduardo García Maroto	....	unit production manager (as Eduardo G. Maroto)
Tadeo Villalba	....	unit production manager
Francisco Ariza	....	production manager (uncredited)
James Blakeley	....	post-production supervisor (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Eli Dunn	....	assistant director
José López Rodero	....	assistant director (as Jose Lopez Rodero)
Michael D. Moore	....	second unit director (as Michael Moore)

Art Department
Jose Luis Del Barco	....	storyboard artist
Julián Martín	....	painter (uncredited)
Dennis J. Parrish	....	property master (uncredited)
Jack Senter	....	assistant supervising art director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Don J. Bassman	....	sound production (as Don Bassman)
James Corcoran	....	sound supervisor
Theodore Soderberg	....	sound re-recordist (as Ted Soderberg)
Murray Spivack	....	sound re-recordist
Douglas O. Williams	....	sound re-recordist (as Douglas Williams)

Special Effects by
L.B. Abbott	....	special photographic effects
Art Cruickshank	....	special photographic effects
Alex Weldon	....	mechanical effects

Stunts
Joe Canutt	....	action coordinator
Joe Canutt	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Stefano Capriati	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Bill Hickman	....	stunts (uncredited)
Kim Kahana	....	stunts (uncredited)
Carey Loftin	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Cecilio Paniagua	....	camera operator: second unit
Ramiro Sabell	....	first assistant camera
Clifford Stine	....	camera operator: second unit
Mike Benson	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Music Department
Arthur Morton	....	orchestrator

Transportation Department
Julio Sempere	....	military vehicles coordinator (uncredited)

Other crew
Omar N. Bradley	....	senior military advisor (as General of the Army Omar N. Bradley, USA)
Paul D. Harkins	....	technical advisor (as General Paul D. Harkins, USA, Ret.)
Glover S. Johns Jr.	....	technical advisor (as Colonel Glover S. Johns Jr., USA, Ret.)
Luis Martín Pozuelo	....	miltary advisor: Spain (as Lieutenant Colonel Luis Martín Pozuelo)
Richard Vetter	....	process consultant
Carl Williams	....	process consultant
Ralph M. Leo	....	production accountant (uncredited)
Julio Sempere	....	military equipment supervisor (uncredited)
Julio Sempere	....	army supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1970) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• Abril Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1972) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• CBS/Fox (USA) (laserdisc)
• Gativideo (1999) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Gativideo (1999) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-release)

Other Companies

• Armies of the World  props and costumes
• Pacific Title  titles
• Westrex System  sound recording

Also Known As:

Patton: A Salute to a Rebel

Runtime:

170 min | Sweden:172 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | French | Russian | Arabic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:M | Brazil:16 | Argentina:13 | Canada:14A | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (original rating) | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:M (original rating) | USA:PG (re-rating) (1970) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

After Karl Malden as General Bradley loses his helmet when his jeep is blown up by German artillery, he says to his driver, "Give me that helmet, Sekulovich!" This is part of Malden's insistence that there always be a character named Sekulovich in all his films, in reference to his own birth name, Mladen Sekulovich.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Early in the film when the planes are attacking, Patton runs outside and stands in the street armed with is Colt .45 and fires 12 shots without reloading. 8 shots at the most is possible: 7 in the magazine and one in the chamber.

Quotes:

Patton: When we took Palermo they called me a hero, said I was the greatest general since Stonewall Jackson.
General Omar N. Bradley: [looking at a newspaper and chuckling] And now they draw cartoons about you.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Jackass 2.5 (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

To the Color

"When the going gets tough, they call for the sons of bitches"...Adm. Ernest King

Patton is a movie about a man who on one hand was one of America's greatest generals, and on the other hand was only marginally saner than Gen. Jack D. Ripper. According to several vets I got to talk to (who actually served under the real Patton!), George C. Scott's portrayal was spot-on. A few observations on the movie: Even when I was a kid, seeing Patton when it came out in 1970, I was suspicious of the tanks used in that battle scene in North Africa. Even then, they didn't look like the classic German tanks...Patton's speech in the beginning of the movie was edited for content. If you ever read the original version of his speech, it makes the movie version sound like a church sermon.

I also wished that the movie had pointed out that in WW1, Patton commanded the first ever American tank battalion, and was severely wounded in battle, yet kept fighting until he just about passed out from loss of blood. I thought this should have been brought out that he had practiced what he preached... Gen. Omar Bradley: portrayed in the movie as Patton's "buddy", he was nothing of the sort. Jealous of Patton, the real life Bradley would go to Eisenhower behind Patton's back to stymie George's success.

Monty: Sorry, Monty fans, but the movie points out one historical fact. Monty usurped needed gas and supplies from Patton in September of '44 for his disastrous "Market Garden" attack (watch Richard Attenborough's "A Bridge Too Far" as a companion movie to "Patton"). Thanks to Monty, the war went on much longer than it probably would have if Patton had been allowed to drive into Germany. Patton's arrogance helped win battles. Monty's arrogance gave us the Battle of the Bulge, the fire bombing of Dresden, not to mention countless Jewish lives lost. Patton had the Germans reeling in the fall of 1944, and, as the movie pointed out, had the army in just the right place at the right time to end it. Unfortunately, thanks to Monty's political pull and crappy generalmanship, the war went on longer than it should have...