Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Released in 1970, Patton is the cream of the crop of World War II films released recently on Blu-ray by 20th Century Fox. The film won eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor. George C. Scott, in the title role, famously turned down the honor as he didn't believe in competing with other actors. That takes nothing away from one of the most compelling performances ever put on film.

Patton is one of the best war movies ever made, if not the best. But it's not so much a war movie as a character study. There are battles, to be sure, but they don't dominate the movie, which puts Patton himself, as both man and general, front and center.

George S. Patton, Jr. was hardly the best-liked general in the war, either by his men or his superiors. He was a profane, blunt SOB, with zero tolerance for lax discipline and what he perceived, often wrongly given what we know today, as cowardice. He was in constant trouble with the Army brass and the media and was known by is men as "old blood and guts—our blood, his guts." But he wasn't interested in being loved or even liked; he only wanted to fight and win.

Arguably the most capable Allied field commander, if he had been given his head and sufficient supplies, Patton might well have shortened the war in Europe by months and reached Berlin well before the Red Army. But hindsight is always 20/20, wars rarely follow a Hollywood-style script, and the plans of his superiors, not to mention the need for Allied unity, intervened.

While Patton's early years at West Point and the tank skills he developed in WWI—though he saw little combat there—would have been fascinating, this is a three-hour movie as it is. So it begins with his WWII North African campaign and ends shortly before the accident that led to his untimely death (the subject of a best-forgotten 1986 TV movie, The Last Days of Patton, which also starred Scott.)

On the video front, there's good news and bad news. The Internet knives have been slashing at this Blu-ray title since it was released in early June. The powers that be at Fox apparently decided to remove virtually all traces of film grain from the transfer by using a heavy dose of dynamic noise reduction (DNR). The result is a look that's closer to the "clean" appearance of a direct-to-video production than to film.

One can argue that since the movie was shot in 70mm, and this Blu-ray release was mastered from the 70mm elements, grain should be minimal. That's a good point, particularly since only a few scenes were shot in dim lighting or at night—as shots get darker, the appearance of grain almost inevitably increases.

But reliable sources have confirmed that DNR was used to eliminate grain. Whether that was done to give the movie a slick appearance or to make video compression easier (grain does not compress well) is beside the point. It should not have been used, or at least not to this extent.

But now we make a 180-degree turn for the good news. The issue of film grain aside, the transfer does look fantastic in many ways. The color is rich and true, and it's quite clear why the film won an Oscar for cinematography. On my relatively large screen using an inherently sharp projector, I may not have seen every skin pore, or each individual hair in facial stubble, but the picture did not look soft. Nor would I call facial textures "waxy," a description others have used. And I saw little or no evidence that edge enhancement was used to try to make up for the lost detail. Still, despite the good news, there's no question that the DNR decision is regrettable; the result could have been better, and without added cost.

The DTS-HD Master Audio track is solid. While limited by the film's age, it was originally recorded in 6-track stereo for the original 70mm release. I wasn't blown away, but nothing ever sounded wrong, either. In particular, Jerry Goldsmith's brilliant score (which should have won an Oscar, but did not) may be a bit limited in dynamic range and decidedly two-channel, but it sounds quite impressive nonetheless.

The two-disc set has plenty of extra features, including an introduction and commentary, both by Francis Ford Coppola. Disc 2 adds several extensive commentaries, the original theatrical trailer (an increasingly rare feature), and a still gallery accompanied by the original score. Unfortunately, this second disc is a standard-definition DVD.

Perhaps there will be a special Blu-ray edition of Patton in the future, including not only a video transfer freed of DNR but a second bonus-feature disc that's also high definition. But that could be a long wait, so if you want this movie in HD now, the current release is the only option.

Did I find the video presentation objectionable enough to ruin my enjoyment of a great film? Not at all, but you might. A rental might be wiser than an immediate purchase to determine your own reaction to it.

Release Date: June 3, 2008

Film: 10 out of 10
Picture: 7 out of 10
Sound: 7 out of 10

Review System

Sources
Panasonic DMP-BD30 Blu-ray player

Display
Samsung SP-A800B DLP projector
Stewart Studiotek 130 screen (78" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Pioneer SC-09TX A/V receiver
APC S15 power conditioner

Speakers
B&W 683 (L/R)
Revel Concerta C12 (center)
Revel Concerta M12 (surround)
Revel Performa B15 (subwoofer)

Cables
Monster and QED HDMI
Monster speaker