Mel Gibson both directed and starred in this tartan-clad epic about William Wallace, the legendary Scottish freedom fighter/terrorist who, even way back in the 14th Century, had already had enough of the English going on about winning the World Cup in 1966. So, armed with just some rocks, a few hundred muck-dwellers and an extremely peculiar accent, he led a nation to fight for freedom from English tyranny. Or something along those lines.
It’s actually fairly appropriate to be so vague about all of this, because nobody really knows all that much about the real Wallace (and most of what we do know comes from a poem). You could spend a lifetime picking apart the historical inaccuracies in the flick, and there would still be those who’d disagree with what you found.
Because of that, how much enjoyment you can get from this 177-minute beast depends largely on your willingness to accept Wallace as a charmer with biting wit and a permanently clean-shaven chin. As the sort of bloke beautiful French princesses would hand over national secrets to simply because of the way he looks at them. Or even just as a guy who doesn’t smell like moss.
The most breath-taking, if gruesome, parts of the movie are the incredibly lifelike battle scenes. Putting them together must have been an immense project to undertake, but you’ve got to hand it to Gibbers – he does it very, very well. He also makes a likable hero figure, providing you can put to the back of your mind the fact that he’s basically playing the original ned.
Personally I find the movie far too long, particularly as parts of it play like a TV advert for the Scottish Tourist Board. In one scene, for example, Wallace sprints to the top of a mountain and just stands there, kilt billowing, for no apparent reason. Anyone who’s ever worn a kilt will of course know that the last place you’re likely to linger is a-top a windy Scottish mountain. Talk about “freedom”!!
2
Long before The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson directed another cinematic masterpiece, Braveheart. Filmed against the backdrop of majestic mountains and rolling meadows, it tells the historically-based (yet not entirely accurate) story of William Wallace, a common man’s warrior who led the Scottish people in rebellion against King Edward I, also known as “Longshanks”. Written by Randall Wallace, an American tourist fascinated with a Scottish statue of his namesake, the script collected dust in Hollywood for over a decade before Gibson made the brilliant decision to put it on the big screen. Just like The Passion, it’s a decision he would not regret.
Set in the 11th Century, Braveheart catalogues the struggle of Scottish serfs who labor under the brutal oppression of English occupation forces. Amidst these terrible conditions, William Wallace (Mel Gibson) falls in love with Murron MacClannough (Catherine McCormack). Insistent on not sharing his wife (a proclamation by the king gives local rulers “first-night rights” to new brides) Wallace secretly marries Murron. Nevertheless, an English knight assaults her, sparking a fight with Wallace. Fleeing the village, Wallace believes Murron has escaped and will soon meet him at a secret rendezvous point. But Murron is captured and executed by the king’s emissaries.
Angered by his wife’s murder, Wallace instigates a local rebellion, slaughtering all the king’s loyalists in his village. As his rebellion grows, a distraught Longshanks (Patrick McGoohan) dispatches his fabled Northern Army to destroy it. But the heroic Wallace delivers a stirring speech to rouse his men, while deploying an ingenious battlefield trick to defeat the king’s cavalry.
With the power and legend of Wallace growing day by day, Longshanks relies on his daughter-in-law, Princess Isabelle (Sophie Marceau) to broker a truce. But Isabelle’s power is limited, and Wallace realizes his people can only win freedom if backed by the Scottish nobles. Their appointed leader is Robert the Bruce (Angus MacFadyen) who vacillates between his own idealistic views and his father’s pessimistic pragmatism. Will the nobles join with Wallace? Will the Scots win their freedom? Only history tells us the answer.
With elaborate costumes, vivid battle scenes, and a noble hero as its focal point, Braveheart is more than your typical run-of-the-mill action movie. Part history, part Hollywood heroism - its timeless idealism strikes a cord with every viewer. In fact, the movie itself led to a revival in nationalistic pride that fueled the successful Scottish independence movement of the 1990s. It’s a testament to the strength and character of the real life William Wallace. A thousand years later, his enduring legacy continues to transform the European landscape, and Mel Gibson captures the noble warrior’s passion with an awe-inspiring Academy Award-winning masterpiece.
3
BRAVEHEART is set in Scotland in the 1200s. It tells the true story of William Wallace who was a famous commoner who led his people in a rebellion against the English. The movie is of epic proportions, length and grandeur. We learn the entire history of William Wallace from the age of 8 until his death.
Mel Gibson, in what I found to be his best role ever, plays the grown up Wallace. Gibson directs the movie as well. The story is full of fascinating history of which I knew little. I have a good English history background but was surprised at what little early Scottish history I knew. Wallace wants to live in peace and ignore the English atrocities he has witnessed, but circumstances force his hand, and he declares war on the English. His battle cry is freedom and many poor people follow him in his quest. The story itself is quite compelling, and the script is excellent.
The political intrigue among the Scottish nobles makes you wonder whose side they are on. As the story unfolds, you come to realize that they are only interested in enriching themselves and do not care about their own people. They constantly counsel Wallace to compromise his ideas in order to achieve some lesser, but more practical solution. His vision is a singular one of freedom for his people. I found myself thinking of Gary Cooper in THE FOUNTAINHEAD and the similarity between his role and that of Gibson's. All of the leaders who were the "wisest" urged constant compromise on their rising young stars in both movies.
Actually, the movie most like BRAVEHEART is GETTYSBURG for both had huge and realistic battle scenes with wave after wave of humans charging each other and dying. Of course, many people will compare BRAVEHEART with ROB ROY. They are both about old Scottish heroes, and in my book, BRAVEHEART wins hands down. Finally, you may find yourself thinking of the Judas story from the Bible except here the movie has a plethora of Judases.
One example of the quality of the script is that the writer manages to introduce a very funny character without it seeming like merely a plot device, which of course it is. This character is a mad Irishman who steals every scene he is in with his dialog. I laughed out loud many times. Although there was little humor in this serious tale, there was just enough to keep me from ever tiring even though I had to stay seated for three hours.
Too often period pieces seem like merely exercises in style. I found QUEEN MARGOT to be one such movie. Here the wonderful costumes and set decoration feel totally authentic but in a natural way. I felt like I was actually in the thirteenth century where people's faces were frequently dirty and in general personal hygiene was minimal. When they made their kills in battle or in revenge, I could sense how close they were to animals then. The blood would splat on their faces, and they could just as easy have been wolves.
I have been to Scotland many times and it is gorgeous. In a low key but quite impressive way, the cinematography makes one feel the beauty and the isolation of countryside. The music with the recurring and haunting melody of the lone Scottish bagpipe sets a sad and yet serene tone and mood.
BRAVEHEART runs a long, but well worth it, 2:52. I would not want it shorten. It is rated R, but NC-17 would be more appropriate. It is THE goriest movie I have ever seen and that too I would not change because it allows one to vicariously live through what actual battles in that period would be like. Please be warned that you will see almost every part of the human body being chopped off or stabbed in one scene or another. Imagine any physical horror, and there is probably a scene of it in BRAVEHEART. Nevertheless, there was not one scene where I thought the violence was gratuitous. I would let older teenagers see the movie, but would be careful with impressionable younger ones.
4
When pagan Saxons invaded Britain pushing the native Celtic tribes back in the mountains of the west and the north of the country they couldn't have known what difficulties they leave to future generations. One of the difficulties were Scots, though they weren't much affected by the pagan invasion.
Throughout the history, Scots (as a tribe from Ireland was in 360 mentioned by Romans) had a changing luck in battles, whoever they fought. They had had many various allies and fought against many various enemies, including their former or future allies (politics).
Originally based in Ireland, the Scottish tribe later established their kingdom on the west coast and isles of today's Scotland (between years 501 and 503). Generally, they were never good friends with tribes which lived on the isle, called Britannia by the Romans, before them; perhaps because they came from Ivernia, today's Ireland...
The intolerance between the two sides resulted in many battles and rebellions. In 600, 300 Edinburgh horseman were killed by the English, in 1014 king Malcom II defeated the Danes, four years later another victory was won on the river Tweed, at Carham, against the army of Anglo-Saxons (particularly Northumbrians). On the other hand, king Duncan was defeated by the English and killed by famous character of the Scottish history, MacBeth, who is defeated in 1057 by Malcolm Canmore in the battle of Lumphanan etcetera etcetera.
Then, in the year of approximately 1272, William Walace is born in Ellerslie. He is fated to become one of the most important characters of the history of Scots. In age of twenty-five years, he kills sheriff (originally shire-reeve) of Lanark and a revolt is unleashed. Perhaps many Scots were waiting for a leader to emerge, because the same year Wallace defeats the English at Stirling Bridge.
His luck changed when he was defeated at Falkirk in 1298. In 1305, he is betrayed and executed brutally, his head being mounted on London Bridge.
That is a very rough outline of a life so very important, of the life of William Wallace, a thorough Scot, exactly the William Wallace about whom this movie is. His father was killed by the English, his wife was murdered by the sheriff of Lanark (which is a reason why the sheriff ended up equally) - no mercy could have been awaited from a man that had never seen mercy on the side of his enemies.
Braveheart is a heroic epic told compactly and relatively objectively, noticing everything important that most probably happened in the life of William Wallace. After all, it doesn't have to be historically exact - it is a legend and even if it was "only" a legend, it would be a most impressive one.
5
Back in 1995 when I first saw this movie I was wowed, it was a cinematic epic and one which I thoroughly enjoyed.... a few years later when I met my future spouse I was subjected to this movie on a weekly basis and now I cannot bare to watch it.
Anyway back to the movie, if you have been living under a rock and haven't seen it here's the basic story Mel Gibson plays William Wallace a Scottish highlander who leads his people in a uprising against the English monarch.
Now just so you know this film however "based" on historical events is completely inaccurate, Wallace was in actual fact a Scottish Noble (his family was rich), Wallace never had a wife, and the French princess Mel gets jiggy with would've been around 8 years old at the time, the only real truth in the movie was that he was hung drawn and quartered and he lead an uprising...the rest is Hollywood bullsh*t.
I'm giving the film 4 stars because if you are unaware of the historical inaccuracies and you haven't seen it 100 times you will be entertained, its a good movie.