Thursday, July 04, 2002

Patton (IMDB) (Netflix)
"God help me, I do love it so." The 1970 biography of George S. Patton, warrior, philosopher and glory hound, co-written by now-famous director Francis Ford Coppola, and winner of seven Oscars. Tempted by the chance to see it on the big screen, and melting in the heat, a hundred or so moviegoers (many of whom had only seen the movie on TV, about 30 times for one fan) crowded into the local revival house for the movie that George C. Scott was apparently born to play.

That first scene, with Patton addressing the troops in front of a frame-filling American flag, is itself an award-winner, and kicks off a tour de force performance by Scott, and a vivid portrait of one of the most interesting and successful generals in U.S. history. The crowd ate it up.