Pro War or Anti War?
Is this a pro war film or an anti war film?
shareWhy don't you watch it and decide for yourself?
shareI have seen it. I'm asking what you guys think.
shareDidn't you ever hear about polls or surveys? Lighten up.
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MovieChat Forums > Patton (1970) Discussion > Pro War or Anti War?
Well, the character Patton is pro-war, everyone else seems anti-war (at least by comparison), but the movie doesn't seem to me to be pro or anti war. It doesn't even seem to be pro or anti Patton. It's just telling a story about a intriguing person.
I'd say it is neither pro nor anti war
I agree, the film seems to take a neutral stance in order to tell the story of the interesting character of Patton. While Patton and his army achieve 'glory' during the film, it ends with the quote warning that "All glory is fleeting."
shareThis is a biopic. It's not pro or anti anything. This movie is a stark contrasting look at the man who arguably won the Western Front for the Allied Effort in Europe. It shows his good and bad sides. It's a movie about Patton, the man, the myth, the legend. It has very little to do about war.
shareWhy would you care?
shareTo me, one of the things that makes this film so great is the complexity of its viewpoints. Patton is neither a hero or villain. War is good and bad both. The Germans we see in any detail are shown to be not cartoon baddies but rather much like Americans would be in the same position. Clearly Patton believes he is fighting for all that is right and good to prevail against what is evil and hateful.
It shows some of the horrors of war (not as much as Saving Private Ryan, American audiences weren't prepared for that kind of realism in 1970). But it also portrays the idealism of feeling one is fighting for a righteous Cause.
This is one of the aspects of the film that allowed me to enjoy more than I thought it would. I feel there was an ambiguity to it whether it was pro war or not.
shareThe Mouse that Roared (1959) and maybe also Platoon (1986) 😊
shareI don't think this film is either pro or anti war. It's a character study of a historical figure. Having said that I do somehow find this film inspirational in respect of situations having nothing to do with war.
I would also add as someone who I consider myself to be neither a pacifist nor violent that the film I consider comes closest to being pro-war, at least in terms of "honoring" in this case sailors, was They Were Expendable, a John Wayne film shot as WWII was coming to an end. I would not think normally to approve of a pro-war film, but Expendable is truly excellent, and I highly recommend it.
It is a history lesson and a biography as well as a character study. It is neither pro nor anti war.
shareThis was definitely an anti=war film. When the movie was released, America was right in the middle of the Vietnam War, and a lot of people were beginning to think involvement there never should have occurred. Although the makers of the film were very pro-World War II, they were also trying to show that the kind of thinking employed in support of THAT war don't always apply everywhere, all the
time. War is Hell, and must only be waged when absolutely necessary.
It wasn't an anti-war movie. The producer had been trying to get it made for 20 years because on an admiration of Patton and it was based on Patton's and Bradley's biographies. There was no consideration of Vietnam or what people had thought of it or our involvement in it.
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