Destined to Lead a Lot of Men in a Desperate Battle: Hollywood’s Take on Contradictory Military Commanders in Patton (1970) and Alexander (2004).
Taneli Hiltunen
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2021042823894
Tiivistelmä
The research questions of this article are as follows: How are General Patton and Alexander the Great represented
as military commanders in the films Patton (1970) and Alexander (2004)? Why are famous soldiers such an enduring topic
of historical biopics – despite a plethora of contemporary, extremely
brutal conflicts? Do the films in question manage to convey their grand
strategic vision? To what degree is the forceful public persona
counterbalanced with serious character flaws, weaknesses and mysticism? I
will concentrate on four especially crucial facets of Patton and Alexander that affect our reading of the title characters’ nature, namely the depictions of strategic and tactical abilities, speech giving, militaristic attitude, and religiosity. Speeches and different shades of militarism
are fairly typical aspects of soldier biopics of any given decade, but
meticulous attention paid to tactical details and religious beliefs is
actually something quite rare. The scenes I have chosen for closer
scrutiny help to define the screen Patton and Alexander primarily as
commanders but also as thinking individuals.
The thematic richness and complexity of Patton and Alexander is
quite uncommon among the big-studio-backed Hollywood epics, and the
directors and screenwriters have taken considerable risks in portraying
the title characters not only as heroic and inspirational but at times
in a very harsh and unflattering light. While the two films can be said
to partly strengthen the larger-than-life legend, they still contain
enough moments of criticism to warrant a credible, multilayered
characterisation instead of simplistic hero worship. The representations
of Patton and Alexander do not hide away their seemingly inherent
militarism, and although it is fairly easy to see the filmmakers’
respect towards their protagonists, there are no clear signs of
condoning acts of despotism, e. g. Patton slapping and madly yelling at
an upset corporal and calling him ’a yellow bastard’, and Alexander
violently persuading his men to march on at the Hyphasis River. The two
are walking contradictions as likely to attain greatness and wide
admiration for their martial prowess as to gravely insult and destroy
the very men they so deeply respect.
And yet, both Alexander the Great and George S. Patton Jr. emerge as
undeniably extraordinary individuals, no matter how much weight one puts
to their very significant character flaws. They could be simultaneously
described as heroes and anti-heroes – the exact type of character that
usually keeps modern audiences and critics (why not researchers as well)
fascinated.
Kokoelmat
- Rinnakkaistallenteet [19207]