Patton – General Patton's opening address (1970)

The iconic opening monologue is delivered by George C. Scott, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role. He stands in front of a massive American flag, addressing an unseen audience of troops. Scott famously refused the Oscar, citing his disdain for the concept of acting competitions.

The speech was filmed at the Bob Hope Patriotic Hall in Los Angeles, California, standing in for an English military base. Director Franklin J. Schaffner used a massive backdrop of the American flag to emphasize Patton's imposing presence. The scene is considered one of the greatest and most recognizable openings in film history.

The speech is a heavily fictionalized amalgamation of various real addresses Patton gave to his troops, primarily the Third Army before D-Day. The film's screenwriter, Francis Ford Coppola, stripped out actual profanity to appease censors while maintaining the raw tone. Historians note that the real Patton's voice was much higher and squeakier than Scott's deep baritone.

One of the most famous lines is "No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." The monologue immediately establishes Patton as a fierce, uncompromising military leader. It sets the tone for the film's unflinching portrayal of World War II leadership.