This Memorial Day we also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the best American war movie, Patton, which won seven Oscars, including Francis Ford Coppola’s first, for the screenplay. This portrait of an American hero is especially necessary in our times, when we are faced with crisis only to find we lack comparable leaders on whose greatness we can rely to see us through.
George S. Patton was the greatest American battlefield commander of World War II—his life demonstrates both how out of place a martial aristocrat seems to modern Americans & why we need a touch of such greatness. Nowadays, winning wars doesn’t fit the language or practice of our leadership, so he is an exotic figure, but he seems to speak for most of us—we are not happy that our leaders cannot achieve victory &, through it, peace. We are, indeed, unhappy with our institutions, which seem paralyzed. Patton embodied the tougher side of the American spirit, the restless seeking after victory in face of obstacles, & the love of glory, honor that only shows up in our pursuit of athletic or commercial success.
So starts my essay on Patton for Law & Liberty. Read it, enjoy the Memorial Day Wekend, & look for my next war movie essay on L&L Monday!
We're watching it even as I type Titus!