Patton (film)

Patton
Theatrical release poster
Directed byFranklin J. Schaffner
Screenplay by
Based on
Produced byFrank McCarthy
Starring
CinematographyFred J. Koenekamp
Edited byHugh Fowler
Music byJerry Goldsmith
Color processColor by Deluxe
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release dates
  • February 5, 1970 (1970-02-05) (New York City)
  • April 2, 1970 (1970-04-02) (United States)
Running time
172 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$12.6 million[2]
Box office$62.5 million[3]

Patton is a 1970 American epic biographical war film about U.S. General George S. Patton during World War II. It stars George C. Scott as Patton and Karl Malden as General Omar Bradley, and was directed by Franklin J. Schaffner from a script by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North, who based their screenplay on Patton: Ordeal and Triumph by Ladislas Farago and Bradley's memoir, A Soldier's Story.

Patton won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Scott also won the Best Actor for his performance, though he declined the award.[4] The opening monologue, delivered by Scott as General Patton with an enormous American flag behind him, remains an iconic and often quoted image in film. In 2003, Patton was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". The Academy Film Archive also preserved Patton in 2003.[5]

  1. ^ "Patton". British Board of Film Classification.
  2. ^ Solomon, Aubrey (1989). Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History. Scarecrow Filmmakers Series. Vol. 20. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 256. ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1.
  3. ^ "Patton - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  4. ^ TotalFilm. "Review of Patton". Archived from the original on July 5, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2006.
  5. ^ "Preserved Projects". Academy Film Archive. Archived from the original on August 13, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.