Released while US forces were still deeply embroiled in Vietnam, this splendid biopic can be viewed as both a tribute to the indomitability of the fighting man (Patton was a much decorated general in the US Army during the Second World War) and a satire on the myth of the American hero. The screenplay, by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H North, received one of the picture's seven Oscars, while director Franklin J Schaffner took another, thanks to the horrific majesty of his battle sequences. But the bedrock of this mammoth drama is the performance in the title role of George C Scott, who became the first actor in Oscar history to refuse his award. Combining blimpish bluster with moments of monstrous ego and unexpected humanity, Scott makes this magnificent film unforgettable.

"Patton" tells the tale of General George S. Patton, famous tank commander of World War II. The film begins with Patton's career in North Africa and progresses through the invasion of Germany and the fall of the Third Reich. Side plots also speak of Patton's numerous faults such his temper and habit towards insubordination.