Extra features commentary by Chas. Province

Rating: 10/10 (4 October 2006)

I finally got around to listening to the "extra features" part of this DVD, which was a commentary by Charles M. Province, founder of The Patton Society.
I have to say I was very disappointed. The commentary is interesting in that it gives some background information about Patton and adds context to Patton's biography, but I was disappointed in Provinces's glaring lack of objectivity. By the end of his 2-hour commentary, one would be forgiven for thinking that Patton cured cancer while walking across the ocean delivering food to the homeless, but his superiors suppressed the cure for "political" reasons. Once one realizes that Province's views are so heavily biased, it throws the veracity of all his comments into doubt.
This is unfortunate, as Patton was a fascinating man and having a historian (amateur or otherwise) do the commentary on a historical movie seems like a great idea. For example, I'd love to hear Ambrose's comments on Band of Brothers.
But one of the reasons Patton is brilliant as a movie is because it shows Patton's strengths AND faults, his triumphs and travails. This point is profoundly missed by Mr. Province.