Patton is a 1970 film starring George C. Scott , Karl Malden and Michael Bates . It is a semi-historical account of the controversial hard-driving General George S. Patton's career during the Second World War.
- Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner .
- Written by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North .
Film quotes
- Patton: "Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country."
- Patton: "You know what the poet said:
- Through the travail of ages,
- Midst the pomp and toils of war,
- Have I fought and strove and perished
- Countless times upon a star.
- As if through a glass, and darkly
- The age-old strife I see -
- Where I fought in many guises, many names -
- but always me.
- Do you know who the poet was? Me."
Reviews and awards
- "The epic American war movie that Hollywood has always wanted to make but never had the guts to do before." -- Vincent Canby, The New York Times .
- "There's a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary and much less prevalent. One of the most frequently noted characteristics of great men who have remained great is loyalty to their subordinates."
- George C. Scott won an Academy Award for his portrayal of General Patton - which he, in a famous incident, refused to accept.
Cast
- George C. Scott as General George S. Patton
- Karl Malden as General Omar N. Bradley
- Ed Binns as Major General Walter Bedell Smith ("Beetle")
- James Edwards as Sergeant William Meeks
- Michael Bates as Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery
- Richard Muench as Colonel-General Alfred Jodl
- Karl Michael Vogler as Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
- Siegfried Rauch as Captain Oskar Steiger
