Franklin J. Schaffner - Patton (1970)

This Academy Award-winning biography of American General George S. Patton chronicles the general's wartime activities and accomplishments, beginning with his entry into the North African campaign and ending with his removal from command after his outspoken criticism of US post-war military strategy.

Fascinante retrato de un militar tan extraordinario como polémico, el general George S. Patton, figura clave en el desenlace de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Rodada integramente en España y ganadora de la friolera de siete Oscar. Schaffner relata de forma magistral la historia de este militar que condujo de una manera imparable las tropas americanas a traves de media Europa.




Franklin J. Schaffner's Patton, released at the height of the unpopular war in Vietnam, was described by many reviewers at the time as "really" an anti-war film. It was nothing of the kind. It was a hard-line glorification of the military ethic, personified by a man whose flaws and eccentricities marginalized him in peacetime, but found the ideal theater in battle. In this he was not unlike Churchill; both men used flamboyance, eccentricity and a gift for self-publicity as a way of inspiring their followers and perplexing the enemy. That Patton was in some ways mad is not in doubt -at least to the makers of this film- but his accomplishments overshadowed, even humiliated, his cautious and sane British rival, Montgomery.




The film is nearly three hours long and George C. Scott is onscreen for most of that time. It is one of those sublime performances in which the personalities of the actor and the character are fulfilled in one another. Although the role was offered to other actors who were bigger stars (critic Tim Dirks lists Burt Lancaster, Rod Steiger, Lee Marvin, Robert Mitchum and John Wayne), it is unimaginable without Scott.




Patton is not a war film so much as the story of a personality who has found the right role to play. Scott's theatricality is electrifying. Scott's performance is not one-level but portrays a many-layered man who desires to appear one-level. Instead of adding tiresome behavioral touches, he allows us small glimpses of what may be going on inside. Having made a fetish of bravery, he obtains a dog that is terrified most of the time, and affectionately drags the cowardly beast wherever he goes. Told by the press that the American public is fascinated by his "pearl-handled revolver," he stone-faces: "Ivory. Only a pimp from a cheap New Orleans whorehouse would carry a pearl-handled revolver." That shows he's given it some thought. Early in the film, under surprise air attack by the Nazis, he stands in the middle of a street firing at them with the revolver. Crazy, yes, but it adds to the legend.




The film, shot in 70 mm. widescreen color, received a phenomenal ten Academy Awards nominations and won seven major awards: Best Picture, Best Actor (Scott refused to accept the honor), Best Director (Franklin J. Schaffner), Best Story and Screenplay (Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North), Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Best Sound, and Best Film Editing.



Mi rip with meGUI from the exceptional FHE Blu-Ray DVD.
I also added a small English .srt fot the german-spoken parts.

Aclamada por la crítica y ganadora de siete premios de la Academia en 1970, Patton es un retrato fascinante de uno de los genios militares más grandes del siglo XX. George C. Scott representa en el mejor papel de su carrera a George Patton, el único general aliado que verdaderamente atemorizó a los nazis. Carismático y extravagante, Patton diseñaba sus propios uniformes, ostentaba seis pistolas con mango de marfil y creía haber sido un guerrero en vidas pasadas. Superó a Rommel en Africa y día tras día guiaba a sus tropas en una campaña imparable por Europa. Pero era tan rebelde como brillante, y tal como la película muestra con patetismo y perspicacia, su propia personalidad voluble fue el enemigo que no nunca pudo vencer.

Los siete oscar conseguidos por "Patton" fueron en su día: Película, Director, Actor (George C. Scott), Guión original (Francis Ford Coppola y Edmund H. North), Montaje (Hugh Flower), Decoración (Urie McCleary, Gil Parrondo, Antonio Mateos, y Pierre-Louis Thévenet), y Sonido (Douglas Williams y Don Bassman). Como curiosidad anecdótica, Scott siempre consideró que los Oscar solo valían para hacer negocio y cuando lo logró por esta película y fiel a sus ideas permaneció en su casa viendo un partido de hockey en la televisión y rechazó el premio.

Script/Guión: Francis Ford Coppola & Edmund H. North
Music/Sonido: Jerry Goldsmith
Cinematography/Fotografía: Fred J. Koenekamp
Cast/Reparto: George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Stephen Young, Michael Bates, Michael Strong, James Edwards, Frank Latimore