Patton George C. Scott Karl Malden

(aka 'Blood and Guts' or 'Patton: A Salute to a Rebel' or 'Patton: Lust for Glory')

directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
USA 1970

What Paths of Glory attempted to show about the relationships between officers and men of the first World War, PATTON in part attempts to do for the second. Patton, of course, is best remembered as the general who slapped a soldier. But George C. Scott, under the direction of Franklin Schaffner, creates a much more colorful and ambiguous portrait. This WWII spectacle is immense but Scott's virtuoso performance looms larger than any of its battles. His characterization can appeal to both hawks and doves; it can appreciated either as a critique or a paean. He's insensitive to his men's plight on some occasions, gentle as a loving father on others. Patton's eccentricity may very well have been an important ingredient of victory. PATTON is a war movie of unusual depth and a landmark in screen biographies.

Beginning with a classic six-minute speech by Patton about the fighting spirit of Americans, the film traces the legendary WWII exploits of "Old Blood and Guts" from his defeat of Rommel's Afrika Korps at El Guettar to the invasion of Sicily, during which he disobeys orders and beats rival Field Marshal Montgomery (Michael Bates) to Messina. We also see his loss of command for slapping a battle-fatigued soldier because he has been hospitalized but has no wounds. Then, after sitting out D-Day as a decoy, Patton is given command of the 3rd Army, winning one mighty battle after another with his armored troops and eventually speeding to the rescue of the encircled 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne, ending Hitler's last great counteroffensive in the Battle of the Bulge. Following the war, Patton is sent into involuntary retirement after his highly vocal criticism of the Soviet Union, and the film ends with his farewell to his faithful staff.

Scott won a richly deserved Academy Award (which he refused) for his performance. Sturdy support is provided by Karl Malden as Gen. Omar Bradley, Edward Binns as Maj. Gen. Walter Bedell Smith, John Doucette as Maj. Gen. Lucian K. Truscott, and Bates as Montgomery. Franklin J. Schaffner's direction is majestic particularly in his masterful handling of complex battle scenes; shot in 70-millimeter, Dimension 150, these broad, impersonal spectacles have a macabre beauty that gives the viewer a serene God's-eye-view of modern warfare.

Excerpt from TV Guide located HERE

Theatrical Release: February 4th, 1970

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DVD Comparison:

20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC vs. 20th Century Fox (2-disc Cinema Classics Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC

(20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT vs. 20th Century Fox (2-disc Cinema Classics Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC RIGHT)

DVD Box Cover
Distribution	20th Century Fox Region 1 - NTSC	20th Century Fox (2-disc Cinema Classics Collection) Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	2:51:12	2:51:36
Video	2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 8.62 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	2.20:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 7.83 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate : 20th Century Fox - original
Bitrate: 20th Century Fox (2-disc Cinema Classics Collection)
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), DUB: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)	English (Dolby Digital 5.0), English (Dolby Digital 2.1 Surround), DUBs: Spanish (Dolby Digital 1.0), French (Dolby Digital 1.0)
Subtitles	English, Spanish, None	English, Spanish None
Features	Release Information: Studio: 20th Century Fox Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1 Edition Details: • Audio essay on the life of George Patton • Theatrical trailer DVD Release Date: November 6th, 2001 Keep case Chapters 37	Release Information: Studio: 20th Century Fox (2-disc Cinema Classics Collection) Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.20:1 Edition Details: • Introduction by screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola • Commentary by Francis Ford Coppola • "History Through 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 audio essay on the historical Patton • Trailer DVD Release Date: May 23rd, 2006 Keep Case inside cardboard box Chapters 37

Comments

Well - this is quite a difference. The old edition was 2.35:1 and from a 35 mm print. It has some edge-enhancement from black boosting - there is digital noise (occasional artifacts - see the ruins behind Malden) and infrequent damage. The print is dirtier. The new 2-disc Cinema Classics, most probably from a 65mm element, clocks in at a 2.20:1 ratio - extensively more information in the frame (all 4 sides) - cleaner and smoother - but it exhibits the softness of 'anamorphic moulding' that we have seen in the past. It looked exceptionally good on my plasma and projection systems. Colors appears a little less vibrant as well. It is hard to know how much the manipulations on the original release helped boost sharpness and color brightness, but overall - because of the framing, clarity and smoothness - I prefer the new Cinema Classics edition. The darkness of the original does occasionally limit viewing - try to decipher Patton's medals in the last image(s). Our captures don't do it justice although the last set are in the PNG format - (Portable Network Graphics) - a bitmap image format that employs lossless data compression - so it should be as visually accurate as possible for web-based stills. It is a strong representation of the differences between the two releases.

NOTE: We also projected this at a friends (to about 100") and it is really no contest - the new release is very impressive.

Although the new edition loses the 5.1 track for a 5.0 - I noticed no extensive differences. Likewise there is no extreme differences in the optional subtitles - font, color are the same with the new release posting dual character dialogue at times (as in our example below).

Extras obviously swing to the new Cinema Classics 2-disc DVD with the Coppola intro and commentary (on the feature disc) and three good documentaries on the 2nd disc. I think I enjoyed the 'History Through the Lens...' piece most although I was pretty engrossed watching all three. Coppola's commentary is excellent with much discussion of his intent as the screenwriter.

At the time of this review Amazon have the new Cinema Classics edition at a 45% discount - about $10 total price. This represents incredible value for one of the greatest screen biographies ever filmed and we consider it an essential DVD - easily worth an upgrade ( or even triple dip!).

- Gary Tooze

DVD Menus

(20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT vs. 20th Century Fox (2-disc Cinema Classics Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC RIGHT)

Disc 2 - Cinema Classics Collection

Screen Captures

(20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC TOP vs. 20th Century Fox (2-disc Cinema Classics Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
Subtitle Sample: Not exact frame