Patton (Special Edition/ Old Version)

DVD extras include a 50-minute documentary entitled A Tribute to Franklin J. Schaffner. Originally produced in 1997 for the Patton laserdisc release, the documentary covers the elementary background of the film, including many stills from the production. Schaffner (who died in 1989) and George C. Scott (who died in 1999) are heard only in interviews recorded for the film's 1970 release. The only new interviews are from less vital players: production head Richard D. Zanuck, cinematographer Fred Koenekamp, and composer Jerry Goldsmith. The absence of retrospective views from Scott and cowriter Francis Ford Coppola is unfortunate. The audio essay is not by a filmmaker, but Charles M. Province, the founder and president of the George S. Patton Jr. museum. His background on the man is impressive, but one misses a filmmaker's touch to the essay, or even the recollections of Scott himself. The high point of the documentary discusses the arguments over the legendary opening sequence. The short ends with a huge misstep--letting Oliver Stone go off on one of his tirades about President Nixon and the influence that Patton had on the Vietnam War. Even if Stone's observations are relevant, his assertions about George C. Scott are totally inappropriate. The DVD also contains an isolated track of Goldsmith's influential score.