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The physical bravery of Patton is also shown several times in the movie. It also accurately portrays Patton's outspokenness and his love of publicity. Never shy to boast about his exploits, Patton was regularly in the papers and was a very well-known figure in America. The movie also traces the relationship between Patton and General Omar Bradley, and indeed the two men were close friends and colleagues. The film gets right many of the details of Patton’s life such as his pearl-handled revolvers and his white English bull terrier.<ref> Essame, p. 203</ref> These were part of the public image of Old Blood and Guts, which he cultivated assiduously. The movie does catch the character of the General.
Admin moved page How accurate is the movie Patton? to How accurate is the movie Patton
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[[File: 70 patton.jpg|300px|thumbnail|left|<i>Patton</i> starring George C. Scott]]\\* January 20, 2019
"Patton" is a biopic of one of America’s greatest generals in World War II. The motion picture portrays the role of General George S. Patton, the most famous Allies tank commander of WW II. It concentrates on Patton’s career from 1942 to 1945. The movie begins with Patton's career during the North Africa campaign and his battle with Rommel, the Desert Fox.
However, the part played by Patton in the allied victory over the Afrika Korps is overstated. It took until 1943 for the allies to wear the Germans down in Tunisia. Patton did not play the decisive role in the Allied victory even though both the movie and Patton implied otherwise.
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====Patton in Sicily====
[[File: Pattonphoto.jpg|300px|thumbnail|left|Patton in 1944]]
It is generally accepted that Patton or "Old Blood and Guts" as his men liked to call him was an outstanding soldier who possessed an oversized personality. Scott effectively captured the essence of the man and his many contradictions. Patton was a cultured man and believed in traditional values, yet he could also be crude and a bully.<ref>Essame, H., Patton: A Study in Command (New York City: Scribner & Sons, 1995), p. 67</ref> The drive and the ambition of Patton are also brilliantly captured in the movie. He was a very ambitious man and believed that he was a great leader. Even from childhood, Patton believed that he was destined for greatness.
The physical bravery of Patton is also shown several times in the movie. It also accurately portrays Patton's outspokenness and his love of publicity. Never shy to boast about his exploits, Patton was regularly in the papers and was a very well-known figure in America. The movie also traces the relationship between Patton and General Omar Bradley, and indeed the two men were close friends and colleagues. The film gets right many of the details of Patton’s life such as his pearl-handled revolvers and his white English bull terrier.<ref> Essame, p. 203<dh-ad/ref>These were part of the public image of Old Blood and Guts, which he cultivated assiduously. The movie does catch the character of the General.{{MediaWiki:AmNative}}
====Patton and the Phantom Army====
After his disgrace in Sicily, Patton was essentially sent out to pasture. Instead of being to the D-Day invastion he was placed in charge of the "Phantom Army.’ <ref>D’Este, p. 2013</ref> In real life, Patton was placed in charge of a "phantom army" that was designed to deceive the Nazis concerning the location of the D-Day landings. Patton was part of an elaborate plan of misinformation that fooled the Germans into thinking that the invasion of Europe would happen at Calais and not in Normandy.
The movie also has a German intelligence officer whose duty it is to monitor Patton and to understand him, the Steiger, as he is referred to in the movie. There was no such officer, and the character is a pure invention. The scriptwriters created this figure to expand upon the theme of reincarnation in the movie epic.
====How historically accurate was Patton?====
Hollywood and history usually do not mix. It is quite common for filmmakers to take a historical subject and to distort it for their purposes and to dumb- it down for entertainment purposes. In the case of Patton, there was no real attempt to distort the story of Patton. There are glaring inaccuracies such as Patton’s opening speech in the movie, but even this was based on his statements and captured the character of the man, something even acknowledged by the Generals’ family.
Much of the details of his role in the defeat of Germany are true. The only real omission was the lack of focus on Patton’s Lorraine Campaign, where he distinguished himself. There are some exaggerations in the movie and some minor distortions such as in the weather-prayer scene. In general, the movie managed to produce a great overview portrayal of the character and career of an extraordinary American leader.
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====Related DailyHistory.org Articles====
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====References====
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January 20, 2019
