Forever known for its blazing cinematic image of General George S.
Patton (portrayed by George C. Scott) addressing his troops in
front of a mammoth American flag, Patton won seven Oscars in 1971,
including those for Best Picture and Best Actor. In doing so, it
beat out a much-ballyhooed M*A*S*H, irreverent darling of the
critics, and grossed $60 million despite an intense anti-war
climate. But, as Nicholas Evan Sarantakes reveals, it was a film
that almost didn't get made.
Sarantakes offers an engaging and richly detailed production
history of what became a critically acclaimed box office hit. He
takes readers behind the scenes, even long before any scenes were
ever conceived, to recount the trials and tribulations that
attended the epic efforts of producer Frank McCarthy--like Patton a
U.S. Army general--and Twentieth Century Fox to finally bring
Patton to the screen after eighteen years of planning.
Sarantakes recounts how filmmakers had to overcome the
reluctance of Patton's family, copyright issues with biographers,
competing efforts for a biopic, and Department of Defense red tape.
He chronicles the long search for a leading man--including
discussions with Burt Lancaster, John Wayne, and even Ronald
Reagan--before settling on Scott, a brilliant actor who brought to
the part both enthusiasm for the project and identification with
Patton's passionate persona. He also tracks the struggles to shoot
the movie with a large multinational cast, huge outlays for
military equipment, and filming in six countries over a mere six
months. And he provides revealing insider stories concerning, for
example, Scott's legendary drinking bouts and the origins of and
debate over his famous opening monologue.
Drawing on extensive research in the papers of Frank McCarthy
and director Franklin Schaffner, studio archives, records of the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, contemporary
journalism, and oral histories, Sarantakes ultimately shows us that
Patton is more than just one of the best war films ever made.
Culturally, it also spoke to national ideals while exposing complex
truths about power in the mid-twentieth century.
General
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