The Last Days of Patton

I was expecting a TV epilogue to a memorable film, and I ended up getting so much more. A full-fledged film that you will enjoy even if you don't know Patton (meaning the film). The brilliant George C. Scott guarantees a great spectacle, who obviously returned to the role with great gusto, and so does the script, which, as with the first film, is based on Ladislas Farago's book. Set after the war, we see Patton managing Bavaria, refusing to denazify Germany and arguing with Ike, Patton transferred... And finally, Patton, wounded and dying. A very human and moving dying man, with sensitive flashbacks to his youth, memories of his family... Initially, The Last Days of Patton is rather political, but by the second half (roughly after the General sings a shanty about Piccadilly Lilly at his birthday party) it's a moving human drama about a man who is, despite the circumstances, unbreakable. Don't be scared of the TV format, and never-mind the runtime. (2013.08.07)