What does it mean to be a warrior in the modern age?
This I believe is the central question of the 1970 movie, ‘Patton’.
On the surface this biographical film captures the main events in General George S. Patton’s
life during the Second World War, from his first victories in the North-Africa campaign
all the way to his extraordinary exploits during the Normandy breakout and the Battle
of the Bulge.
But it’s also a film that cannot be viewed separately from the time of its appearance.
The depiction of this idiosyncratic, larger than life commander, struggling not only against
the Nazi armies but also having to deal with the seemingly nonsensical and complex political
realities of modern warfare, in many ways parallels the reality of a country then forced
the deal with the disillusioning quagmire that was the unpopular war in Vietnam.
In essence, Patton spoke to a deep-seated longing for a renewal of self-confidence and
a return to the romantic simplicity of a General, and of a country, venturing out to fight the
good fight against those demonic forces that seek to destroy all that is good and well
in the world.
And it’s here that we find what I believe to be the central pattern of the movie.
At its core, Patton is a swansong, a final hurrah of the archetypal warrior at the very
end of an era, the last joke of a Holy Fool to set the world straight, one last moment
of glory, before his inevitable fading into the memory of a distant past.
In this video, we will take a closer look at how Patton narratively explores these notions
and will conclude by examining how this story may help us reach a deeper understanding of
the nature of masculinity and the psychological state of our modern day world.
Before we begin however, let me state that this is not an analysis that deals with the
historical accuracy of the film.
This is purely an examination of the fictional narrative of the movie and will therefore
make no claims to the historical validity of the sequence of events nor to the portrayal
of the various historical figures featured.
With that out of the way, let’s start our analysis in North-Africa, in 1943
Somewhere in the desert wasteland of Tunisia the green, newly arrived American army finds
itself in a state of disarray.
Having come out of their baptism by fire at the Battle of Kasserine Pass with its nose
bloodied, demoralization has taken a hold over the troops.
Having quite literally been caught with their pants down and exposed to their nakedness,
the American expeditionary force is now staring at the jaws of death and defeat.
In essence, this army is lacking in what psychoanalyst and mythologist Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette
call the archetypal warrior energy.
According to these Jungians, the warrior energy is an integral part of our psychological masculine
makeup which will inevitably manifest itself in one way or the other.
The person who embodies the warrior in his fullness engages life with proper aggressiveness,
energy and motivation which pushes him to take decisive action, to go on the offensive
and to move out of a defensive or “holding” position about life’s tasks and problems.
The warrior is always alert, he is never sleeping through life and knows how to adapt himself
to the circumstances on the ground, aware of his capacities and limitations in any given
situation.
Most of all, the warrior energy is concerned with skill, power and accuracy, with control
and self-discipline, both inner and outer, psychological and physical.
In complete contrast to these positive characteristics the American army in Tunisia has seemingly
dropped any sense of control and discipline, lounging about without clear leadership and
in complete absence of any sense of forward aggression and purpose…
Having identified the illness, Allied command sees but one man who could provide the cure
and flip this army back on its feet…
In essence, Patton is the perfect embodiment of the warrior in his pure form…
This is a man who lives to fight, who dreams of decisive offensive action in order to destroy
the corrupt tyranny of Hitler’s Nazi-Germany.
He knows what he wants and consequently is mindful of the short window of time given
to him to fulfill his purpose.
His loyalty and his sense of duty are to something beyond himself, fiercely committed as he is
to his country, to the virtues of chivalry, and beyond that, to his Creator.
His disciplined but inspiring leadership fills the spiritual void and shepherds the army
up out of its stupor, gradually transforming it from the laughingstock of the Allied armies
into a fighting force to be reckoned with…
His troops no longer remain stationary or cautions on the defensive but are always pushed
into forward motion, into daring counterattacks and dashes into the.
Finally, the General, embodying the warrior, is a person who, despite his strictness and
overall detachment, respects and relates to his soldiers in the field, marching with his
flock and caring deeply for those wounded in battle.
At the same time, it’s in his larger than life appearance that Patton also comes to
embody the image of the Holy Fool, which is often a clownish character who may look absurd
to the world, but who actually speaks the highest truths.
His ivory pistols, unconventional methods and beliefs, and his prima donna attitude
stand out in an increasingly complex and bureaucratic world in which the traditional warrior is
the odd one out, a relic of a different time.
But it is exactly in this marginal role and in his over the top, at times almost comical
appearance, that Patton acts as a necessary relic, as a fool who in his intuitive wisdom
will set the world straight.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the general is shown to be equal parts sophisticated
and educated, as he is crude and blasphemous...
This is the type of general who promotes himself before official approval has been granted,
who shoots at enemy bombers with his handgun in the open whilst his men take cover, and
who orders the army priest to write up a weather prayer…
At the same time, this is also the trickster who learns from those who came before and
who turns his enemy’s tactics against them.
But being an anachronism, the general also doesn’t quite fit within this rapidly modernizing
world.
In essence, Patton is the ultimate romanticist who has made an idol out of the warrior, a
type of modern-day Don Quixote.
This is the commander who would prefer to challenge an enemy general to a duel rather
than let their armies fight in order to decide the outcome of the war.
But besides this otherwise honorable trait, his romantic detachment from reality unfortunately
also leads him to become somewhat blinded to his excess of character.
As Moore and Gillette explain, when a man becomes possessed by the warrior energy he
can come to embody its shadow side.
The shadow warrior is so detached from human relationships that he leaves the door open
to the demons of cruelty, destruction and a hatred for the weak.
That Patton becomes at times possessed by the Shadow Warrior becomes evident during
his campaign in Sicily, where he pushes his men beyond reason and takes enormous risks
just to beat his Allied rival, the British General Montgomery, in a petty competition
to be the first one to reach the city of Messina.
As a consequence of his seemingly careless and obsessive leadership, his men grow increasingly
resentful of him.
But the prime example of Patton’s insufficiency is played out during the army field hospital
scene, where he is both shown to be highly empathetic to his wounded soldiers, but where
he also reveals himself to be highly insensitive to the mental consequences of modern war,
as he berates, slaps and threatens to shoot a shell-shocked soldier.
This is the shadow warrior on full display.
War is the only thing in which he finds fulfillment, and he can’t help but revel in its terrible
beauty...
Becoming both of the Shadow Warrior and of the Holy Fool, Patton becomes his own worst
enemy.
His sorely needed leadership might win him and the Allies numerous important battles,
his erratic nature also causes him to be relieved of command.
In a world increasingly dominated by shrewd politicians and diplomats, Patton stands out
as the idealist romantic who can’t stand the often disingenuous and hypocritical nature
of this environment…
As such he can’t help but speak the truth, no matter the consequences.
Like Don Quixote, Patton needs a sidekick, a Sancho Panza to balance out and cover his
insufficiency.
And he finds this partner in General Bradley, who in many ways is his opposite.
If Patton embodies the Warrior, Bradley is more in line with the Magician.
Bradley is shown to be a realist, a calm and collected man who leads not on emotion but
on careful calculation.
This is a man who knows how to play the bureaucratic game of Allied diplomacy and is deeply sensitive
to the broader political realities of the war.
But even though Bradley and some of the other commanders are seemingly more centered in
their being, they are simultaneously shown to be lacking in the necessary warrior spirit.
This is especially evident in the characterizations of General Montgomery and the German Field
Marshal Jodl, who on multiple occasions exhibit poor strategic judgement and get stuck in
or fail in the actual fighting time and again.
Like Patton, they are insufficient.
It is only when these two forces join hands, when the idealist romantic and the pragmatic
realist come together, that significant successes are achieved.
It’s in this coming together that the victories in Tunisia, Normandy and the Ardennes are
accomplished, and ultimately it’s this centered energy which will bring the final triumph
over Nazi-Germany.
But as much as this is a story ending in victory, it is also, and perhaps more so, a swansong
of the warrior.
Because even though Patton is shown to have played a decisive role in the defeat of Nazi-Germany,
this new world ultimately rejects his presence as it enters into the age of the soldier diplomat…
In this world there is little room for the romantic warrior of old, and so he is forced
to take his leave.
Like Don Quixote, this is a man caught in a foreign place and time, with no one left
to fight but windmills.
In the final analysis, Patton provides a nuanced exploration of a man equal part warrior and
Holy Fool.
Showcasing both the excesses of the archetypal warrior, as well as its necessary positive
aspects which moves man into confident, forward action, Patton proposes not so much a regressive
return to a dangerous idolatry of the warrior spirit, but rather a type of necessary synthesis.
Lacking as the Allied armies were in the warrior energy, Patton played out the part of the
Holy Fool, essential as he was in slapping the army back into shape and pushing it on
to final victory.
Similarly, our present world seems to be going through its own crisis of masculinity and
a Holy Fool Warrior figure seems sorely needed.
But the Fool, like the romantic warrior in its pure form needs to be leveled out and
centered in order for us to avoid its excesses and ultimate self-destruction.
Only then can the world potentially be flipped back on its feet.
In the words of Moore and Gillette: ‘If we are accessing the Warrior in the right
way, we will, at the same time that we are “detached”, be warm, compassionate, appreciative,
and generative.
We will be energetic, decisive, courageous, and loyal to some greater good beyond our
own personal gain.
We will care for ourselves and others.
We will fight good fights in order to make the world a better and more fulfilling place
for everyone and everything.
Our war-making will be for the creation of the new, the just, and the free.’
Oh, before I end this video, I forgot to mention another crucial reason as to why the American
army in Tunisia was driven into inertia.
You wanna know why?
It’s because they didn’t have MUBI, Instead, they were sitting around, endlessly searching
for a great film to watch on other streaming platforms.
You want to know who did have a MUBI account?
General Patton…
He knew that MUBI is a one of kind streaming service which premieres a new film every single
day, hand-picked by their team of curators.
No more indecisive evenings looking for something good to watch, MUBI takes you right into the
action with a daily updated selection of great cinema.
Whether it's a timeless classic, a cult favorite, or an acclaimed masterpiece, there is always
something new to discover on MUBI.
Best of all, with the new MUBI library you can find, watch and download many of their
previously featured movies anytime, on any screen or device, anywhere.
Right now in the US for instance you can check such diverse films as Werner Herzog’s latest
Family Romance LLC, Tarkovsky’s The Sacrifice, and many classics from Weimar Germany.
So if you think it’s time to leap into battle (and also help out the channel), try MUBI
for free for 30 days at MUBI dot com, slash STORYTELLERS, that’s M-U-B-I dot com slash
STORYTELLERS for a whole month of great cinema for free.
Signing up, and I cannot stress this enough, really helps us to continue our work guys,
so check it out if you can.
Alright, thanks for watching and I’ll see you in the next one!