Patton story
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. The film 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.
14 total · 3 choice · 7 major · 4 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| military related work | choice | The story follows Patton's career journey during the Second World War. Patton was a career soldier and respected other career soldiers if they were tough and professional rather than soft and diplomatic. |
| pride | choice | Patton was an exceedingly proud man and admitted as much. He said at one point that both he and Montgomery were proud, vain men, but that he himself admitted it whereas Montgomery wouldn't. The plot arguably turns on Patton letting his mouth run away with him because of his pride and overconfidence. |
| the desire for glory | choice | The story dramatizes General George S. Patton's relentless pursuit of military glory on the battlefields of North Africa and Europe during the Second World War. Patton modeled himself on characters such as Alexander the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte. He wished to distinguish himself in war much as they had. |
| disciplined leadership vs. flexible leadership | major | A defining aspect of Patton's character and the most obvious reason for his success was the strict discipline he imposed on the units under his command. This was illustrated when he took over the command of the II Corps in North Africa early on. It was the reason he was able to push the Third Army to remarkable feats in winter during the final assault on Berlin. |
| mutual respect | major | The warring generals Patton and Rommel, though never meeting face to face, admired one another and shared a mutual respect. |
| pride goes before a fall | major | Patton went from riding on his high horse after taking Messina to being sidelined during the initial phase of the Allied invasion of Europe. |
| rivalry | major | The Allied generals Patton and Montgomery rivaled with each other over who would be the one to break the German Army. Their competition initially centered on which of them would first reach Messina during the Sicilian campaign, and later resurfaced during the Allied advance across Western Europe toward Berlin. |
| ruthlessness | major | Patton was known as the toughest of commanders. He ran his soldiers hard, but they respected him for it. In one notable scene, Patton slapped around a shell shocked soldier who he claimed was a coward. |
| the desire for professional success | major | The story dramatizes General George S. Patton's relentless pursuit of military glory on the battlefields of North Africa and Europe during the Second World War. In particular he sought to beat Montgomery to take Messina in order that he himself should be given command over the Allied invasion of mainland Europe later. |
| World War II | major | The story dramatizes General George S. Patton's relentless pursuit of military glory on the battlefields of North Africa and Europe during the Second World War. |