|
| General George Patton (George C. Scott) surveys the battlefield as his First Army lies in wait for advancing German tanks and troops. |
In 1970, while America was figuratively and spiritually bogged down in the quagmire of the Vietnam War, 20th Century Fox released Patton, a stunning, in-depth portrait of the most controversial and successful Allied commander of World War II. Directed by Franklin Schafner and photographed by Fred J. Koenekamp, ASC, the picture is truly epic in scope, thanks to bravura location work (done on 71 sites in six countries), the director of photography's dramatic images (which were achieved with the Dimension 150 widescreen system), and George C. Scott's stunning performance as a warrior destined for greatness despite his personal failings.
A photographic and projection system created by Dr. Richard Vetter and Carl W. Williams at UCLA, Dimension 150 offered optics that covered a 150-degree field of view, which closely approximates the normal peripheral vision of the human eye. The system offered a complete range of lenses, which were adaptable to Todd AO/Mitchell 65mm cameras. The resulting footage was projected onto a deeply curved screen, creating a virtually distortion-free picture. For projection in normal theaters, the D-150 footage could be adapted for any standard theatrical format, including normal 35mm, Cinema Scope and conventional 70mm.
Roughly 80 percent of Patton was filmed on natural locations, ranging from the general's actual wartime headquarters in Knutsford, England, to the Pamplona region of Basque Spain and Roman ruins in Morocco. The few stage-bound sequences were primarily filmed at the Sevilla Studios in Madrid and at 20th Century Fox in Hollywood.
 |
| Director of photography Fred J. Koenekamp, ASC lines up a low-angle shot with one of his Dimension 150 cameras. The cinematographer earned an Academy Award nomination for his outstanding efforts. |
Fortunately, Koenekamp was able to bring in key members of his camera and lighting team from the U.S., including gaffer Gene Stout, camera operator Bill Norton and camera assistants Emilio Calori, Chuck Arnold and Mike Benson — all of whom were backed up by a largely Spanish crew.
In the main photo at left, George C. Scott stands tall as the embattled general, peering out on advancing German troops and heavy armor. The following sequence, detailing the Battle of El Guettar, was filmed in one day outside Almeria in the deserts of southernmost Spain. Over 2,000 Spanish Army soldiers were outfitted in German and American uniforms, and an impressive array of vintage tanks and other military equipment was assembled to depict the respective forces. To cover the action, Koenekamp (below) deployed six of the D-150 Todd AO/Mitchell cameras, split between two units.
One aspect of Patton that the production's crew will always recall is how cold it got in Spain during the winter of 1969. In the August 1970 issue of American Cinematographer, Koenekamp told interviewer George J. Mitchell, "Our very first day of shooting was, I believe, February 2, in Rio Frio castle outside of Segovia. We were doing the scene in which Patton is having his portrait painted when he receives a telephone call from General Bendell Smith telling him that he has been relieved of command of the Third Army. It was around lunchtime, and Scott asked for a glass of water. A man brought him one, but when he got it, Scott found that the water had frozen!"
—David E. Williams
© 1999 ASC