Patton (1970) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Patton (1970) - Essay Example The movie opens with Patton (played convincingly by George C. Scott) addressing his troops with a screen-sized American flag as the backdrop. The film was released in 1970 during the height of the protest movement of the Vietnam War. It reminded the public of a time when Americans were proud of their involvement in military actions. The central message concerned the larger than life character of Patton and the pride in which he and his troops took in freeing the world from tyranny and oppression, a viewpoint lost in the turbulent times of the Vietnam era when the military was largely vilified. The film was essentially accurate in its depiction of historical events but a couple of aspects stood out as inaccurate such as Patton’s speech to his troops in which he apologized for the slapping incident. If you don’t care for war movies at all, it’s still a decent history lesson but you may want to cover your eyes in a couple of scenes. The overall feeling one takes away after viewing the film is a deeper appreciation of those that served and died for the greater good and for a man who was the right person, at the right time in history. Without his strong leadership, it seems that the war would have been prolonged at the very least with the cost of many more lives.