I've been here before

Rating: 6/10 (11 February 2016)

Franklin J. Schaffner churned out the 1970 Best Picture winner, Patton, starring George C. Scott and Karl Malden. A wartime film about the harsh no-nonsense life of General George S. Patton, with George C. Scott in the titular role. Perhaps best known for the intensely moving speech at the beginning of the film delivered by the general, Patton explores one man's seeming love affair with all things related to war. It was an interesting ride, to say the least, of viewing 1970's top film, according to the Academy.
The film opens in WWII and shows General Patton's (George C. Scott) career as a tank commander progressing through the invasion of Europe. Eventually highlighting the fall of the Third Reich, Patton shows one wartime successful, yet bizarre man who believes he has lived before. At one of his exploits he explains that he has been reincarnated to the General he is now, but lived before in the time of the great Roman empire; Patton even believes he fought in battle on behalf of the Romans. No one is ever able to pinpoint the General's character. He is stern one moment, jovial the next, always shifting between his idiosyncracies with the blink of an eye. With each "victory" Patton gains in battles, the more inflated his ego becomes. The larger Patton's ego becomes, the more talking he does, the more talking he does, the more trouble he gets into. Patton eventually becomes a far too controversial figure to have around and begins to realize that the once great commander must now accept a life in which he is no longer needed to serve his former post. Through all the transitions he goes through, Patton learns the ultimate lesson; glory, even for the best, is always fleeting.
This movie was strange. I understood without the constant show of it that Patton was a different sort of individual. I always applaud a movie that gets its point across about characters or issues in the story line without drilling it into the audience. A good 40 minutes could have been cut out of trying to convince me that there is something "off" with Patton; his opening speech made this abundantly clear. I will say that the acting of George C. Scott was phenomenal. The Academy definitely got it right, giving top acting honors to Scott that year. Karl Malden was great in this film, as well. Who doesn't like Karl Malden? He's such a seemingly down-to-earth actor that just exudes happiness, and it's hard for me not to love him in every role I see him in. In Patton, he plays General Omar N. Bradley, the newly appointed 2nd in command under General Patton. Malden does a great job towing the line between following his commanding officer, yet realizing Patton's flaws and being weary of them. Directorial achievement must be noted for Franklin J. Schaffner. Since Patton's introduction to the film, he commanded each scene he was in, elevating his image and making even the audience worry about what he'll do next.
Patton is a must see for history buffs. Anyone that has any prior knowledge of the general would enjoy the film, even if it is the slimmed down version of the man's life and triumphs. Patton is also a must see for any fans of war movies. The battle scenes in this film are on a grand scale and deeply resonate with the audience. As far as from an Academy standpoint; I haven't seen any of the films nominated for top prize of 1970, but there were parts of Patton that stand out to show it as the best.