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Wikipedia
Braveheart is a 1995 epic historical drama film directed by and starring Mel Gibson. The film was written for the screen and then novelized by Randall Wallace. Gibson portrays Sir William Wallace, a 13th century Scottish knight who gained recognition when he came to the forefront of the First War of Scottish Independence by opposing King Edward I of England, also known as "Longshanks" (Patrick McGoohan).
The film won five Academy Awards at the 68th Academy Awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director, and had been nominated for an additional five.
Plot summary
In 1280 A.D., King Edward "Longshanks" (Patrick McGoohan) of England, occupies much of southern Scotland, declaring himself King of Scotland. His oppressive rule leads to the deaths of William Wallace's father and brother. Years later, after Wallace has been raised abroad by his uncle Argyle (Brian Cox), he returns to the highlands, intent on living as a farmer and avoiding trouble. Wallace seeks out and courts Murron, whom he knew as a child in the village, and the two marry in secret to avoid the custom of primae noctis. After an English soldier attempts to rape Murron, Wallace rescues her, fighting off other soldiers while she escapes. However, while he manages to get away, Murron is captured and executed by the local magistrate. Wallace gets his retribution on the magistrate by assassinating him; his actions inspire the local villagers to rebel against the English and capture the town.
Wallace then leads an ever-growing army of rebels to successive victories, eventually annihilating the English Northern Army and capturing the town of York. Wallace is knighted "Lord Protector of Scotland" by Scottish nobles, who quarrel amongst themselves for his loyalty. He also wins the respect of young Robert the Bruce (Angus Macfadyen), the chief contender for the Scottish crown. Robert is dominated by his scheming father, who wishes to secure the throne of Scotland to his son by bowing down to the English, despite his son's growing admiration for Wallace and his cause.
Longshanks sends Princess Isabelle of France (Sophie Marceau) with peace overtures to Wallace and the Scots while at the same time secretly planning a full-scale invasion of Scotland. Wallace flatly refuses the offer and Isabella, sympathetic to his cause, reveals that a large English army has already marched northward into Scotland. Eventually, she and Wallace begin a love affair, after which she becomes pregnant. Two Scottish nobles, Lochlan and Mornay, planning to submit to Longshanks, betray Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk the following year as a new English army invades Scotland. The Scots lose the battle and Wallace discovers that Robert the Bruce has aided the English, at the bidding of his father. However, tormented by his betrayal of Wallace, Robert helps him flee the English when they attempt to capture him on the battlefield.
For the next seven years, Wallace goes into hiding, fighting a guerrilla war against English forces with his remaining band of Scotsmen. In order to repay Mornay and Lochlan for their betrayals, Wallace brutally murders both. Unable to gain total victory by himself, Wallace eventually agrees to meet with Robert the Bruce in Edinburgh in an attempt to unite the clans behind him once again. However, Wallace is caught in a trap set by Robert's father and the other nobles. Learning of his father's treachery, the Bruce finally disowns him.
In London, Wallace is brought before the English magistrates and tried for high treason. The court sentences him to be "purified by pain." Isabella begs a now infirm and dying King Edward to release Wallace, which he refuses. During his torture, a defiant Wallace refuses to cry out in pain, using the last strength in his body to shout, "Freedom!" Wallace is beheaded, his body is quartered, his arms and legs are sent to the four corners of Britain as a warning against rebellion, and his head is set on London Bridge.
In 1314, nine years after Wallace's death, Robert the Bruce, now a king but still guilt-ridden over his betrayal of Wallace, leads a strong Scottish army and faces a ceremonial line of English troops at the fields of Bannockburn where the English are to accept him as the rightful ruler of Scotland. Just as he is about to ride to accept the English endorsement, the Bruce turns back to his troops. Invoking Wallace's memory, he urges his charges to fight with him as they did with Wallace. Robert's army then charges the English, who were not expecting a struggle. The film ends with Mel Gibson's voice intoning that the Scottish won their freedom in this battle.
[edit]Cast
- Mel Gibson as William Wallace, the film's tragic hero. When his father and brother are killed fighting English soldiers, he leaves Scotland and travels abroad with his uncle. Upon returning, he marries his childhood friend Murron. After Murron is summarily executed by an English magistrate, Wallace leads an uprising demanding justice that leads to the Wars of Scottish Independence.
- Patrick McGoohan as King Edward I of England, the primary antagonist. Nicknamed "Longshanks" for his height over 6 feet, the King is depicted as a tyrannical psychopath. He is also shown to be emotionally and physically abusive to his son. Determined to ruthlessly put down the Scottish uprising, he intends to ensure his rule over all of the British Isles. Despite serving as the film's villain, he and Wallace do not share a single scene throughout.
- Angus Macfadyen as Robert, 17th Earl of Bruce, son of the elder Bruce and claimant to the throne of Scotland, he is inspired by Wallace's dedication and bravery.
- Brendan Gleeson as Hamish Campbell. Wallace's childhood friend and captain in Wallace's army, he is often short-sighted and thinks with his fists.
- Sophie Marceau as Princess Isabelle of France, who sympathizes with the Scottish and admires Wallace.
- Peter Hanly as Prince Edward, Prince of Wales. The son of King Edward and husband of Princess Isabelle through an arranged marriage. A homosexual, he suffers from emotional and physical abuse at the hands of his father. The Prince's male lover Phillip is brutally murdered by King Edward by being thrown out of a castle window.
- Ian Bannen as the elder Robert the Bruce. Unable to seek the throne personally due to his disfiguring leprosy, he sociopathically plots to make his son the next King of Scotland despite the claims of the Balliol clan to the throne.
- James Cosmo as Campbell the Elder. The father of Hamish Campbell and captain in Wallace's army.
- Catherine McCormack as Murron MacClannough, the murdered wife of Wallace. Her name was changed from Blind Harry's Marion Braidfute in the script so as to not be confused with the Maid Marian of Robin Hood legend.
- David O'Hara as Stephen. An Irish recruit to the Scottish army, he endears himself to Wallace with his humor, which may or may not be insanity, and his knowledge of guerrilla warfare. He professes to be the most wanted man on "my island," and claims to speak to God personally. He becomes one of Wallace's captains and quasi-bodyguard, saving his life several times.
- Brian Cox as Argyle Wallace. A Roman Catholic priest and uncle to William. After the death of Wallace's father and brother, Argyle takes Wallace as a child into his care. Promising to teach the boy how to use a sword after he learns to use his head, he teaches Wallace to speak and read fluent French and Latin. He is also described as having taken his nephew on pilgrimage to Holy See.
- Alex Kelsey as young William Wallace. The 10-year old actor reportedly spent weeks trying to copy Gibson's mannerisms for the film.
[edit]Conception
The script for Braveheart was based mainly on Blind Harry's 15th century epic poem, The Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace. In defending his script against criticism, Randall Wallace has said, "Is Blind Harry true? I don't know. I know that it spoke to my heart and that's what matters to me, that it spoke to my heart."[1]
[edit]Production
Gibson's company Icon Productions had difficulty raising enough money even if he were to star in the film. Warner Bros. was willing to fund the project on the condition that Gibson sign for another Lethal Weapon sequel, which he refused. Paramount Pictures only agreed to American and Canadian distribution of Braveheart after 20th Century Fox partnered for international rights.[2]
While the crew spent six weeks shooting on location in Scotland, the major battle scenes were shot in Ireland using members of the Irish Army Reserve as extras. To lower costs, Gibson had the same extras portray both armies. The opposing armies are made up of reservists, up to 1,600 in some scenes, who had been given permission to grow beards and swapped their drab uniforms for medieval garb.[3]
According to Gibson, he was inspired by the big screen epics he had loved as a child, such as Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus and William Wyler's The Big Country.
Gibson toned down the film's battle scenes to avoid an NC-17 rating from the MPAA.[5] The film was Rated R for "brutal medieval warfare."
In addition to English being the film's primary language, French, Latin, and Scottish Gaelic are also spoken.
[edit]Release and reception
[edit]Box office
On its opening weekend, grossed US$9,938,276 in the United States and $75.6 million in its box office run in the United States and Canada.[6] Worldwide, the movie grossed $210,409,945 and was the 18th highest grossing film of 1995.[6]
[edit]Reviews
Braveheart met with generally positive reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 77% with an average score of 7/10.
[edit]Depiction
The film's depiction of the Battle of Stirling Bridge is often considered one of the greatest movie battles in cinema history.[7][8]
[edit]Around the world
The film generated huge interest in Scotland and in Scottish history, not only around the world, but also in Scotland itself. Fans come from all over the world to see the places in Scotland where William Wallace fought for Scottish freedom, and also to the places in Scotland and Ireland to see the locations used in the film. At a Braveheart Convention in 1997, held in Stirling the day after the Scottish Devolution vote and attended by 200 delegates from around the world, Braveheart author Randall Wallace, Seoras Wallace of the Wallace Clan, Scottish historian David Ross and Bláithín FitzGerald from Ireland gave lectures on various aspects of the film. Several of the actors also attended including James Robinson (Young William), Andrew Weir (Young Hamish), Julie Austin (the young bride) and Mhairi Calvey (Young Murron).
[edit]Academy Awards
The movie was nominated for 10 Oscars and won 5.
[edit]Cultural effects
The film is credited by Lin Anderson, author of Braveheart: From Hollywood To Holyrood as having played a significant role in affecting theScottish political landscape in the mid to late 1990s.[9]
[edit]Wallace Monument
In 1997, a 12-ton sandstone statue depicting Mel Gibson as William Wallace in Braveheart was placed in the car park of the Wallace Monument near Stirling, Scotland. The statue, which was the work of Tom Church, a monumental mason from Brechin,[10] included the word "Braveheart" on Wallace's shield. The installation became the cause of much controversy, one local resident stated that it was wrong to "desecrate the main memorial to Wallace with a lump of crap."[11] In 1998 the face on the statue was vandalised by someone wielding a hammer. After repairs were made, the statue was encased in a cage every night to prevent further vandalism. This only incited more calls for the statue to be removed as it then appeared that the Gibson/Wallace figure was imprisoned. The statue was described as "among the most loathed pieces of public art in Scotland."[12] In 2008, the statue was returned to its sculptor to make room for a new visitor centre being built at the foot of the Wallace Monument.[13]
[edit]Soundtrack
The soundtrack for Braveheart was composed and conducted by James Horner, and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. The soundtrack, comprising 77 minutes of background music taken from significant scenes in the film, was noticeably successful, and album co-producer Simon Rhodes produced a follow-up soundtrack in 1997 titled More Music from Braveheart. International and French versions of the soundtrack have also been released.[citation needed]
[edit]Braveheart (1995)
- Main Title (2:51)
- A Gift of a Thistle (1:37)
- Wallace Courts Murron (4:25)
- The Secret Wedding (6:33)
- Attack on Murron (3:00)
- Revenge (6:23)
- Murron’s Burial (2:13)
- Making Plans/ Gathering the Clans (1:52)
- “Sons of Scotland” (6:19)
- The Battle of Stirling (5:57)
- For the Love of a Princess (4:07)
- Falkirk (4:04)
- Betrayal & Desolation (7:48)
- Mornay’s Dream (1:15)
- The Legend Spreads (1:09)
- The Princess Pleads for Wallace’s Life (3:38)
- “Freedom”/The Execution/ Bannockburn (7:24)
- End Credits (7:16)
[edit]Controversy
 | A concern has been raised that this article's Criticism section may be compromising the article's neutral point of view of the subject. Possible resolutions may be to integrate the material in the section into the article as a whole, or to rewrite the contents of the section. Please see the discussion on the talk page. (August 2010) |
[edit]Alleged anti-gay depictions
The depiction of Prince Edward as an effeminate homosexual in the film drew accusations of homophobia against Gibson, particularly since the real Edward II fathered five children by two different women. Gibson replied that "The fact that King Edward throws this character out a window has nothing to do with him being gay. ... He's terrible to his son, to everybody."[14] Gibson defended his depiction of Prince Edward as weak and ineffectual, saying,
I'm just trying to respond to history. You can cite other examples – Alexander the Great, for example, who conquered the entire world, was also a homosexual. But this story isn't about Alexander the Great. It's about Edward II.[15]
Gibson asserted that the reason that Longshanks kills his son’s lover is because the king is a “psychopath,”[16] and he expressed bewilderment that some filmgoers would laugh at this murder:
We cut a scene out, unfortunately . . . where you really got to know that character (Edward II) and to understand his plight and his pain. . . . But it just stopped the film in the first act so much that you thought, 'When's this story going to start?'[17]
[edit]Anglophobia
Braveheart has been accused of Anglophobia. The film was referred to in The Economist as "xenophobic"[18] and John Sutherland writing in the Guardian stated that, "Braveheart gave full rein to a toxic Anglophobia".[19] Colin MacArthur, author of Brigadoon, Braveheart and the Scots: Distortions of Scotland in Hollywood Cinema calls it "a fuckin' atrocious film"[20] and writes that a worrying aspect of the film is its appeal to "(neo-) fascist groups and the attendant psyche.[21] According to The Times, MacArthur said "the political effects are truly pernicious. It’s a xenophobic film."[20] The Independent has noted, "The Braveheart phenomenon, a Hollywood-inspired rise in Scottish nationalism, has been linked to a rise in anti-English prejudice".[22]
[edit]Historical inaccuracies
Historian Elizabeth Ewan describes Braveheart as a film which "almost totally sacrifices historical accuracy for epic adventure".[23] There are certainly some historical facts which are correct, such as the fact that William Wallace is rumoured to be "Seven feet tall," which he actually was rumoured to be.
The title of the film is also historically inaccurate as the "brave heart" refers in Scottish history to that of Robert the Bruce, and an attribution by William Edmondstoune Aytoun, in his poem Heart of Bruce, to Sir James the Good: "Pass thee first, thou dauntless heart, As thou wert wont of yore!", prior to Douglas's demise at theBattle of Teba in Andalusia.[24]
Historian Sharon Krossa notes that the film contains numerous historical errors, beginning with the wearing ofbelted plaid by Wallace and his men. She points out that in the period in question, "... no Scots ... wore belted plaids (let alone kilts of any kind)."[25] Moreover, when Highlanders finally did begin wearing the belted plaid, it was not "in the rather bizarre style depicted in the film."[25] She compares the inaccuracy to "... a film about Colonial America showing the colonial men wearing 20th century business suits, but with the jackets worn back-to-front instead of the right way around."[25] She remarks "The events aren't accurate, the dates aren't accurate, the characters aren't accurate, the names aren't accurate, the clothes aren't accurate—in short, just about nothing is accurate."[26]
However, there is some evidence that some clothes were dyed plaid long before William Wallace's time. The museum of Scotland published an article about a piece of cloth, dated about the second century BC, declaring that "the cloth has a simpled check design, an early form of tartan. Such checks were popular among the native population." [27]
Historian Alex von Tunzelmann writing in The Guardian noted several historical inaccuracies: William Wallace never met Princess Isabella, as she married King Edward II three years after Wallace's death (and was no older than ten when Wallace died); because her marriage to Edward took place after he had ascended the throne, she never held the title Princess of Wales; and the primae noctis decree was never used by King Edward.[28] In 2009, the film was second on a list of "most historically inaccurate movies" in The Times.[29] The final scenes of the film also suggest that William Wallace and Edward I of England died at exactly the same moment, which is false. Wallace was executed in 1305 and Edward I died in 1307.
[edit]Portrayal of Robert the Bruce
The portrayal of Robert I of Scotland (Robert the Bruce) in the film is considered by historians to be wildly inaccurate. In particular his taking the field on the English side in the battle of Falkirk is completely fictitious; Bruce was not present at Falkirk. Although he repeatedly changed alliances between the rebels and the English, mostly for political reasons, Bruce never betrayed Wallace directly, and Wallace was not known to have been a staunch supporter of Bruce. The film's depiction of the Battle of Stirling Bridge shows the Scots facing off the English on a flat plain on equal terms, when in reality, it took place at a bridge where the outnumbered Scots were able to concentrate their forces on the overextended English who were in the process of crossing the bridge.
In the 2007 humorous non-fictional historiography An Utterly Impartial History of Britain, author John O'Farrell notes that Braveheart could not have been more historically inaccurate, even if a "Plasticine dog" had been inserted in the film and the title changed to William Wallace and Gromit.
Screenwriter Randall Wallace is very vocal about defending his script from historians who have dismissed the film as a Hollywood perversion of actual events.[citation needed] In the DVD audio commentary of Braveheart, director Mel Gibson acknowledges many of the historical inaccuracies but defends his choices as director, noting that the way events were portrayed in the film were much more "cinematically compelling" than the historical fact or conventional mythos. In truth the film is remarkably loyal to Randall Wallace's book and much of the criticism aimed at the filmmakers could be more appropriately aimed at the author's work, who opens his novel by claiming to be related to William Wallace in some way and yet displays little loyalty to the history or even the folklore of the time.
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