The opening shot of Patton is completely lost on video. I remember going to the Town and Country Theater (one screen!) and seeing it in 70mm with my mother, a big fan of Scott. She lived through WWII.

When the film opens, an American flag fills the screen from corner to corner. At the very bottom of the frame, a tiny man, dwarfed by the gargantuan image, walks up and we hear (in surround sound) men coming to attention. I thought it was a brilliant way to open a film. No music. No credits. Just George C. Scott delivering a brilliant speech as if addressing a large silent group. We, the audience, became the troops, listening to Patton as he sends his men in battle. The speech is honest, short, and rousing, just the kind you want to hear from a general.

Next, we hear that haunting echoing horn and the first refrains of the march composed by Jerry Goldsmith. In 70mm, this film was incredible to watch, for its attention to detail and for its incredible use of frame, Fred Koenekamp a long time Hollywood veteran.

Edmund North penned a straightforward script that adhered to the facts, while Coppola added the great twists based on conversations with Omar Bradley (such as the face slapping incident, toned down to slapping his helmet) that got Patton into trouble. He died right after the war in a car accident, strange irony to a man that lived life on the edge and often engaged the enemy close to the front lines. His belief in reincarnation and his devotion to literature and poetry were only briefly touched on in the film. He came from a wealthy family and did possess Ivory handled revolvers.