Where Was Patton Filmed?
Patton is a 1969 film that was based on George S. Patton who was a US General in the World War. Its director was Franklin J. Schaffner and it featured the famous George C Scott in the lead role of Patton.
The movie centers around the life of General George S. Patton (Scott) during the World War and his friendship with Omar Bradley (Karl Malden).
The film also stars Frank Latimore as Lieutenant Colonel John Waters and recalls the events of World War II, in particular the Battle of Normandy in 1944.
Patton has won seven Academy Awards, with other accolades and it was critically acclaimed for its historical, cultural, and aesthetic importance.
But where was Patton filmed? In this article, we are going to find out and dive deeper into the fantastic historical movie that is Patton.
Who Was George S Patton?
George S Patton was a general who served during World War II. He was known for being aggressive and tough. He was also known for his love of horses.
Patton was born in 1885. His family moved from Kentucky to Texas where he attended West Point Military Academy.
After graduating in 1908, he joined the army. In 1917, he became a major general. He went on to fight in World War I and World War II.
George S Patton died at age 84. He passed away on December 21st, 1945.
In World War I, Patton fought in France. By 1918, he had become a lieutenant colonel.
During World War II, Patton fought in North Africa, Italy, and Germany. He was promoted to the four-star rank after the war.
During WWI, Patton led an attack against German forces at Saint Mihiel in France. This attack helped push back the Germans.
During WWII, Patton led Operation Cobra, which involved crossing the Rhine River.
This operation helped the Allies win the Battle of the Bulge. Operation Cobra was one of the most successful operations of the war.
Patton also played a role in the Allied invasion of Sicily. He took part in the D Day landings in Normandy.
Patton fought in France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, North Africa, Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Japan, and India.
One of Patton’s companions was Omar Bradley. They were both generals during World War II. They worked together in Europe and North Africa- this companionship is shown closely in the film.
Bradley was the commander of the U.S. First Army. He was stationed in England. He was then transferred to the European Theater of Operations.
Where Was Patton Filmed?
According to IMDb, The movie based on Patton: Ordeal and Triumph, was shot in different parts of Spain, Morroco, Italy, the UK, and the USA.
In Spain, Patton was filmed in various locations such as Cabo de Gata in Ameria, as well as Sierra de Urbas, Royal Palace of Madrid, La Granja de San Ildefonso in Segovia, Tabernas, La Alcazaba, Rambla Del Buho and La Granja de San Ildefonso.
It was also shot in Sevilla Studios in the middle of Madrid.
Spain was a popular filming location since it had a lot of the U.S. Army’s World War II surplus equipment.
In the UK the historical movie was shot at Over Peover which you can find in Cheshire, and there were also scenes filmed in Timgad, Algeria.
The scenes which were shot and filmed in Morocco were at Casablanca, Volubilis, and Rabat.
The opening scene of the movie, where everyone listens to the monologue beautifully delivered by George Scott was shot at the Bob Hope Patriotic Hall, which is in the downtown section of LA in California.
The Development Of Patton
Patton died in 1945 and before this there were attempts to make a film of his life, however, his widow, Beatrice, stopped progress, and once she died in 1953, development began.
Twentieth Century Fox bought A Soldier’s Story, which was the autobiography of Omar Bradley, and Francis Ford Coppola wrote the script for Patton in 1963 based on Farago’s 1963 biography Patton: Ordeal and Triumph along with A Soldier’s Story.
Edmund H. North later worked on the script alongside Coppola.
After the death of Eisenhower in 1969, Bradley was the only surviving general officer in the United States who served as a consultant for Patton but this influence on the script is not as recognized as people might think.
Although Bradley personally knew Patton the difference between the two men made it obvious to some that Bradley despised Patton and since the movie did not have access to Patton’s diaries, it relied upon observations from Bradley and military contemporaries to dig deep into Patton’s thoughts.
This means the film can be largely biased.
The Opening Scene Of Patton
The film opens with Patton’s speech delivered to the Third Army, and there is a giant American flag behind him.
Coppola and North who wrote the script had to edit Patton’s actual words from the time, as well as through the script to avoid an R rating.
All the medals and decorations which are placed on Patton’s uniform in the speech are exact replicas of those awarded to Patton.
However, the general did not wear them in public and was not a four-star general when he made the speech placed in the opening of the film.
The only occasion he wore them was when his wife wanted him to in Virginia and she wanted to take a photograph of him with his medals and achievements.
The producers used this photograph to help put this look on Scott for the opening scene.
Final Thoughts
We hope you enjoyed our look at Patton and now have an understanding of where the important historical film was filmed. Patton is a great movie, and we would recommend watching it if you haven’t already done so.
We hope you enjoyed reading about the locations of the film, and feel inspired to learn a little more about the famous US General that was George S. Patton.
If you enjoyed this article, you might enjoy our post on ‘Where Was Tombstone Filmed?‘.
