Once in a great while an actor will play a role that is so suited to their talent and temperment that this becomes a signature role for the rest of their career. Orson Welles had 'Citizen Kane'. Olivier had 'Hamlet'. Nicholson had R.P. McMurphy in 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' and most recently Tom Hanks may well have his in 'Forrest Gump'. George C. Scott, one of the finest actors of the past 30 years, will always be known for his brilliant portrayal of General George S. Patton in the 1970 production 'Patton'. Earning 7 Academy Awards®, including best picture, actor, director and screenplay, 'Patton' stands as, perhaps, the finest biographical film ever made.
'Patton' was reissued on laser several years ago with an excellent letterboxed transfer. Though released before the current infatuation with the 'special edition' box set (this would be a perfect title for one), it seems, none the less, that Fox took great pains with this transfer. 'Patton' was one of only two films to be photographed in the 65mm process called Dimension 150 (the other was 'The Bible'). Very similar to original Todd-AO, D-150 yields an aspect ratio of 2.21:1. This transfer was undoubtedly struck from anamorphic 35mm elements and the transferred ratio is about 2.25:1. Though not quite up to the current standard for quality, considering the age of the transfer, it is, none the less, an excellent job. Colors appear to be very accurate, particularly fleshtones, as well as solid and stable without oversaturation. Sharpness in very good with excellent fine detail. Contrast and brightness are also very good.
The audio is generally good. There is no Dolby logo on the disc jacket, though the original multi-channel soundtrack has obviously been matrixed. Dialog is clear and placed solidly in the center channel. There are few surround effects but the excellent Jerry Goldsmith score has nice depth.
'Patton' runs 169 minutes, though the jacket lists the time as 176 minutes. Fox was good enough to include four Movietonews Reels about Patton and these most likely account for the time discrepancy. The disc is chapter encoded but, as was usual for 'early' Fox letterbox releases, just barely. A total of 14 chapters for the film and news reels. List price is $69.95.
I suppose most disc collectors have a list of essential titles for any collection, this list varying depending on taste. 'Patton' is, in my opinion, one such title. If the $70 price tag is more than the budget can handle, this disc is available (at the time of writing) from the Columbia House laser disc club as a $1.00 enrollment selection or half price with a bonus credit. How ever you get it, you won't be disappointed.
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