Editing Patton (film) (section)

===Critical response===
[[Roger Ebert]] said of George C. Scott, "It is one of those sublime performances in which the personalities of the actor and the character are fulfilled in one another."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-patton-1970 |title=Patton (1970) |author=Roger Ebert |publisher=rogerebert.com |date=March 17, 2002 |access-date=December 1, 2009}}</ref> [[Gene Siskel]] gave the film three stars out of four and wrote that George C. Scott "has created an acting tour de force," but found it "repetitive – the second half doesn't tell us anything more than the first."<ref>[[Gene Siskel|Siskel, Gene]] (March 5, 1970). "Patton". ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. Section 2, p. 11.</ref> [[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote, "The most refreshing thing about 'Patton' is that here—I think for the first time—the subject matter and the style of the epic war movie are perfectly matched ... Although the cast is large, the only performance of note is that of Scott, who is continuously entertaining and, occasionally, very appealing."<ref>[[Vincent Canby|Canby, Vincent]] (February 5, 1970). "The Screen: 'Patton: Salute to Rebel'". ''[[The New York Times]]''. 33.</ref> [[Charles Champlin]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote, "'Patton' has, like [[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|''Lawrence of Arabia'']], done the near-impossible by creating a finely detailed portrait despite all the tuggings toward simplification which are inevitable in the big budget, long, loud roadshow production desperate to attract mass audiences. As Patton, George Scott gives one of the great and unforgettable screen characterizations."<ref>[[Charles Champlin|Champlin, Charles]] (February 15, 1970). "'Patton' Features George C. Scott as 'Old Blood and Guts'". ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. Calendar, p. 13.</ref> Gary Arnold of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' wrote that the film "eventually shares the dramatic limitations, as well as the visual triumphs, of ''Lawrence of Arabia'': yet another fascinating but inconclusive portrait of a mercurial military leader. The camera focus is sharp, but the dramatic focus is blurred. We never quite understand Patton in historical context, in relation to the other generals of the period, and to the entire Allied war effort."<ref>Arnold, Gary (March 1, 1970). "Take Your Pick of War Heroes: General Patton". ''[[The Washington Post]]''. F1-F2.</ref> [[Pauline Kael]] of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' wrote that "technically the movie is awesomely impressive," but went on to state that "I'm sure it will be said that the picture is 'true' to Patton and to history, but I think it strings us along and holds out on us. If we don't just want to have our prejudices greased, we'll find it confusing and unsatisfying, because we aren't given enough information to evaluate Patton's actions."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Kael |first=Pauline |author-link=Pauline Kael |date=January 31, 1970 |title=The Current Cinema |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |page=73 }}</ref> [[John Gillett]] of ''[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]]'' wrote, "While communicating a relish for the man with all his warts, [Schaffner] also pinpoints the monstrous prejudices which lay beneath the surface. And, of course, he chose the right actor. Karl Malden's Bradley is neatly observed and the German players are good, but Scott's performance rightly dwarfs all the rest."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Gillett |first=John |author-link=John Gillett |date=June 1970 |title=Patton: Lust For Glory |journal=[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]] |volume=37 |issue=437 |page=123 }}</ref>

Online film critic [[James Berardinelli]] has called ''Patton'' his favorite film of all time<ref>{{cite web |url=http://preview.reelviews.net/top100/1.html |title=#1: Patton |publisher=reelviews.net |access-date=July 1, 2017 |archive-date=December 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201093438/http://preview.reelviews.net/top100/1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and "to this day one of Hollywood's most compelling biographical war pictures."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/p/patton.html |title=Patton |author=James Berardinelli |publisher=reelviews.net |access-date=December 1, 2009 |archive-date=December 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205203724/https://preview.reelviews.net/movies/p/patton.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to [[Bob Woodward]] and [[Carl Bernstein]]'s book ''[[The Final Days]]'', it was also [[Richard Nixon]]'s favorite film. Nixon first viewed ''Patton'' with his family at a private screening in the [[White House Family Theater]] on April 5, 1970. Nixon became obsessed with the film, repeatedly watching it with [[Henry Kissinger]] over the next month. He screened it several times at the [[White House]] and during a cruise on the presidential yacht {{USS|Sequoia|presidential yacht|6}} in the [[Potomac River]]. Kissinger sarcastically wrote of Nixon's insistence that he see the film on the cruise: "It was the second time he had so honored me. Inspiring as the film no doubt was, I managed to escape for an hour in the middle of it to prepare for the next day’s [[National Security Agency|NSC]] meeting."<ref>Robenalt, James D. (2015). ''January 1973: Watergate, Roe v. Wade, Vietnam, and the Month that Changed America Forever''. Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Review Press. {{ISBN|978-1-61374-967-8}}. {{OCLC|906705247}}.</ref>

Review aggregate website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reported that 90% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 52 reviews, with an average score of 8.4/10. Rotten Tomatoes summarizes the critical consensus as, "George C. Scott's sympathetic, unflinching portrayal of the titular general in this sprawling epic is as definitive as any performance in the history of American biopics."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/patton/ |title=Patton |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |access-date=July 29, 2022 |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112013723/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/patton |url-status=live }}</ref>