‘Patton’

George C. Scott’s king-sized portrayal of General George S. Patton (pictured) is an American classic. His snarly imperious posture is both a cartoon and a larger-than-life mural of what every soldier fears and respects. It’s not always clear in this movie, which was co-scripted by Francis Coppola, whether Patton is intended to be a great villain or a great hero. Maybe that’s the point--he’s both. Other familiar faces turn up, including Karl Malden as Gen. Omar Bradley, and there are lots of impressive battles, but Scott is pretty much the whole show. He won the Oscar for his performance, then rejected the chance to pick it up at the Academy Awards show. Very Patton-like.