Customer Reviews

George C. Scott: The Last Days of Patton

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Actor George C. Scott delivers an encore performance of his most famous character: Lt. Gen. George S. Patton Jr. Just as the original "Patton" was based in part on Ladislas Farago's biography "Patton: Ordeal and Triumph," so too is the sequel based on Farago's second installment of the same title.It is ironic, perhaps that Scott seems tired in this follow-up role and does not deliver a tour de force comparable to his original performance. Then again, the real life Patton was also tired: relieved of command of his beloved Third Army for not being what today would be termed "politically correct," and instead placed in command of a "paper army" whose mission was to write the history of the Second WorldWar. Disgruntled with the turn his military career had taken, Patton was to return home, hang up his ivory-handled pistols for good and write a tell all memoir. A day of pheasant hunting in Germany was all that seperated Patton the soldier from Patton the civilian. The out-spoken general never made it. He suffered a broken neck en route in a silly fender-bender with an army 6 x 6 and died of complications twelve days later. In spite of Scott's subdued portrayal of Patton II, the scenes are superb; the supporting cast top-notch; and the story-line, including the usual amount of dramatic license, holds true to the facts. Throughout the film, the viewer is treated to flashbacks memories of Patton's earlier life as a child, as a young junior officer, and themes the first "Patton" dared not touch, such as Patton's supposed wartime affair with his wife's niece, a woman half the general's age. Unlike the first "Patton," these flashbacks give the film a true biographical feel. I was touched with the strength his wife Beatrice exhibited by her husband's side, reading to him from his favorite books by the likes of Napolean and other great captains while her injured husband lay with a head brace and fish hooks embedded in his scalp in an effort to support his shattered neck. If Scott gave us the mythical "Patton" in his first role, he also gave us the human "Patton" in his second. This DVD should be appart of the collection of anyone interested in this truely complex individual we have come to know simply as Patton.

I debated about how I wanted to rate this DVD. On the one hand the movie is very good but the quality of the picture and sound is very, very poor. This was a made for TV movie on CBS many years ago and to be honest this DVD looked like it could have been recorded right off TV or from a second generation or more VHS tape. I knew I was in trouble when I saw Brentwood put this out. I had bought a few other TV show movies made into DVD's by them that were equally horrendous in quality. Sometimes content was even missing as if they went to the bathroom during a commercial and got back too late to start recording again. The poor picture and sound quality is only magnified on a widescreen TV and good sound system. The picture even had a tendency to shutter which makes me think all the more it was made from a VHS tape, and a poor one at that. Its too bad an otherwise outstanding movie was torpedoed by a bad transfer. DVD's often have special features and all you get here is a bad bio of George C. Scott set to music that must have come off a record player. Buyer beware.

George C. Scott returns as George S. Patton in this sequal to Patton. The movie starts after World War II and shows how he could not adjust to his peacetime role as military governor of Bavaria. Then he gets in more trouble when he lobbies for war against the Soviet Union and gets stripped of his command. And their is the mystery surrounding Patton's death.

George C. Scott does a great job in his portrayal of one of the great military leaders of the 20th century. I think it is a good buy for people who like Patton or who like movies dealing with World War II.

Anyone wanting to see "Patton" Part II in this film will be very disappointed; the films are different in pacing, outlook, and genre, and it is to George C. Scott's credit that he could portray both parts with equal skill, and perhaps this one was the hardest, to keep our interest (and I found it to be a fascinating film) while lying paralyzed in bed.
In the 1970 "Patton", the general was in his prime and at his best, with a sense of purpose...once the war was won, his reason for living came to an end, and he could not handle the political aspects of "winning the peace", with the constant pressure of having to present the "politically correct" stance towards the media; in many ways this is a timely film to watch, as the reconstruction phase of Germany was similar to present day Iraq, with chaos and some of the former regime clinging on to remnants of power, and a media bent on finding fault with the process.

After a tragic car accident, in which General Patton was paralyzed from the neck down, it was a matter of waiting out the final hours. The script by William Luce is poignant and often poetic, and the acting by the entire cast excellent. The two women in his life are played with sensitivity, his wife by Eva Marie Saint, and mistress by Kathryn Leigh Scott. Many scenes are recalled from his youth in flashback (Ron Berglas plays the young Lt. Patton), some of it quite touching.
Others of note in the cast are Murray Hamilton as his good friend Gen. "Hap" Gay, Ed Lauter as Dr. Lt. Col. Paul Hill, and Richard Dysart as Gen. Eisenhower.

Filmed on location in England (the countryside shots are lovely), and directed for television by Delbert Mann, this is a serious film on a serious subject, and one many of us have been faced with, whether with an ailing parent, or the eventuality of our own passing. General Patton confronted his destiny with courage, and the love of a patient, strong woman, and said "dying has always intrigued me...I'm not afraid, only curious".
This is way above average TV fare, with a brilliant performance by Scott, and total running time is 146 minutes.

The "must have" companion to "Patton." George C. Scott reprises his role with the same insight and depth of portrayal that won him the Oscar for "Patton." The DVD version is excellent, and arrived exactly when promised.

I enjoyed learning about the ending of Patton the man. Not as fast paced as Patton but really entertaining. We feel pitty for this warrior of a man in his unfortunate condition. I enjoyed the emotions drawn from his desire to remain the leader in charge, of a situation which he has no control. You'll enjoy this ending saga of a leader who will be a forever part of world history.

This is one of the best movies I have ever seen. If you are a war fan you have to see it. It has a very sad ending thought. Buy it.

After watching the first movie about Gen. Patton called PATTON, I began to read war stories about his exploits in licking the jackboot clicking Hitler and his Nazi army. General George S. Patton was every inch a soldier, too bad he didn't lived long enough to fight and subdue the muderous Jap invaders in the Pacific...!
I also read the book, The Last Days of Patton and had watched this minseries on TV. I owned a video. Now I'd just ordered the DVD version. The actor, George C. Scott, appeared tough, profane, aggressive but compassionate - a good and worthy counter part of Patton! However, Scott refused the Oscar for his role in Patton. It was sad that Gen. Patton had to die in this manner - not by the last bullet but by a seemingly foolish accident. Or was it a conspiracy to get rid of this brave and outspoken general, since he couldn't get along with Eisenhower and his hatchet man - Beetle...? Like the movie, Patton, the Last Days of Patton, made initially for TV, remains a classic and ought to be on the shelf of all discriminate viewers. Thanks and happy viewing...

Ladislas Farago wrote the definitive biography of General George S. Patton back in the 70's.... which was the book upon which the film with George C. Scott was based. Even though Patton is a little older, fatter and wiser in this film, it still coveys the historical accuracy of the general's final days. Scott's portrayal of Patton has lost none of its personality and deserves its rightful place as volume two of the Patton story.

BALONEY

I'm glad the overall rating for this film is 4 stars. I say, Baloney, to the nitpickers. This is a very, very fine film that treats both the facts and the book upon which this film is based with accuracy and sensitivity. There's nothing wrong with the long final scene with Patton talking non-stop while lying in a hospital bed. In some ways, that is more about the true Patton than the image of him barking out orders. This death scene, in my view, is an achievement in biographical film making. True, some facts in the film were softened, such as Ike's chastisements of Patton, turning the final interview into an austere reprimand rather than the catalysimic destruction of a friendship that it was. And Patton was secretly under observation for signs of psychopathology (good thing our Civil War generals didn't live in the 20th Century!) And Patton was a lot more disgusted with the European Jews--and a lot chummier with the German Regular Army officers, than depicted in the film, but these facts are suggested in the film. And I feel that all of this is okay. Generally speaking, this genre is watched by history buffs, anyway, and we can fill in the blanks. We should all know by now that there's only so much you can do with a two-hour movie. I'll never forget the scene of Patton's wife in a powder blue dress and floppy hat test-driving a prototype tank in front of the mossback Cavalry Generals. By the way, Scott was 42 years old when he performed in the original PATTON. General Patton himself was between ages 59 to 60 during WW2. In this present film, Scott is the same age as Patton was. Good film. Well done.