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Braveheart
File:Braveheart imp.jpg
Directed byMel Gibson
Written byRandall Wallace
Produced byMel Gibson
Alan Ladd, Jr.
Bruce Davey
Stephen McEveety
StarringMel Gibson
Sophie Marceau
Catherine McCormack
Patrick McGoohan
Angus Macfadyen
Brendan Gleeson
CinematographyJohn Toll
Edited bySteven Rosenblum
Music byJames Horner
Distributed by- USA -
Paramount Pictures
- non-USA -
20th Century Fox
Release datesMay 24, 1995
Running time177 min.
Country United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$53,000,000

Braveheart is an American 1995 historical action/drama produced and directed by Mel Gibson, who also starred in the title role. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Randall Wallace (who also wrote the screenplay), Gibson portrays the Scottish iconic figure of William Wallace who becomes the figurehead of the Scottish movement for independence in early 14th century England, opposed by the great King Edward I (Patrick McGoohan) and abetted by Edward's daughter-in-law Princess Isabelle (Sophie Marceau) and the heir-apparent to the Scottish throne, Robert the Bruce (Angus MacFadyen).

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. Produced by Icon Productions for Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox, the film's success may have helped to revive the historical epic genre, with subsequent films such as Gladiator, The Patriot, Alexander, Kingdom of Heaven and 300.

While the movie was criticized by historians for its historical inaccuracies, its epic scope and intense battle scenes won wide praise and has been credited with affecting the political landscape of the UK.

Plot

File:Braveheart McGoohan.as.Edward1.jpg
Patrick McGoohan as "Longshanks" King Edward I of England

In 1280 A.D. King Edward I, known as "Longshanks," has annexed Scotland as part of England, and his oppressive rule leads to the deaths of William Wallace's father and brother. Years later and after Wallace has grown up with his uncle outside of Scotland, the Scots continue to live under the harsh thumb of Longshanks' cruel laws. Wallace returns, intent on living as a farmer and avoiding involvement in the still-simmering Scottish rebellion. Wallace rekindles a romance with Murron after showing her the carefully preserved thistle she gave him as a child, and the two marry in secret. After Wallace attacks a group of English soldiers attempting to rape Murron, the local Sheriff executes her. Wallace enacts bloody revenge on both him the local English fortress, and unintentionally kindles a Scottish rebellion.

News of the rebellion spreads quickly, and hundreds of Scots from the surrounding regions volunteer to join Wallace's militia. Wallace leads his army through a series of successful battles against the English, however, he eventually falls to the King's Northern Army at the Battle of Falkirk. He goes into hiding, fighting a guerrilla war against England and personally executes Scottish nobles who betrayed him in the unsuccessful battle. Robert the Bruce and the remaining nobles realize that Wallace has become more powerful than ever before, having thrived with the common folk and seen as the most revered man in Scotland and therefore untouchable. Wallace eventually agrees to meet with the Bruce out of trust. He is caught in a trap set by the other nobles (including the elder Bruce, and unbeknownst to Robert), and is beaten unconscious.

File:McCormack.as.Murron.jpg
Catherine McCormack as Murron MacClannough

In London, Wallace is tried before the English magistrates and found guilty of treason. Wallace refuses to admit his guilt and is brutally tortured to death in a London square, being alternately hanged, racked and finally eviscerated alive. Despite the agony, he refuses to declare his guilt, cry for mercy, or even cry out in pain. Wallace uses every last ounce of strength in his ravaged body to shout the word "Freedom" before being beheaded.

Some time later, Robert the Bruce takes control of the remaining Scottish army and faces a ceremonial line of English troops near the fields of Bannockburn. Cheering Wallace's name, the Bruce and the Scots charge the surprised English lines, winning their freedom in death.

Production

  • Irish Army Reserve Most of the major battle scenes were filmed on location in Ireland using members of the Irish Army Reserve as extras. The opposing armies are made up of actual part-time soldiers, up to 1,600 in some scenes, who have been given permission to grow beards and have swapped olive-drab uniforms for mediaeval garb.

Cast

File:Braveheart Marceau.as.Isabelle.jpg
Sophie Marceau as Princess Isabelle
  • Mel Gibson as William Wallace, After his wife is unjustly killed by the English, he starts an uprising demanding justice that leads to a war for independence.
  • Patrick McGoohan as King Edward I Nicknamed "Longshanks", the King of England, determined to ruthlessly put down the Scottish threat and ensure his kingdom's sovereignty.
  • Peter Hanly as Edward, Prince of Wales. The effeminate son of King Edward and husband of Princess Isabelle through arranged marriage.
  • Ian Bannen as Robert the Bruce, Sr.. Unable to seek the throne personally due to his disfiguring leprosy, he pragmatically schemes to put his son on the throne of Scotland.
  • Angus MacFadyen as Robert the Bruce, Son of the elder Bruce and rightful heir to the throne of Scotland, he is inspired by Wallace's dedication and bravery.
  • Sophie Marceau as Princess Isabelle. Unhappily married to the effete Edward the second, she finds herself deeply attracted to Wallace's passion and bravery.
  • Catherine McCormack as Murron MacClannough.The executed wife of Wallace. Her name was changed from Marion Braidfute in the script so as to not be confused with the Maid Marian of Robin Hood note.
  • Brendan Gleeson as Hamish Campbell. Wallace's childhood friend and lieutenant in the Wallace's army, he is often short-sighted and thinks with his fists.
  • David O'Hara as Mad Stephen. An Irish recruit into Wallace's army, he endears himself to Wallace with his humor, which may or may not be insanity, He professes to be the most wanted man on "his" island, and claims to speak to God personally.
  • Brian Cox as Uncle Argyle. 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. Cox also had a role in another period Scottish film, Rob Roy. both Braveheart and Rob Roy were released the same year.
  • James Robinson II as Young William. The 10-year old actor reportedly spent weeks trying to copy Gibson's mannerisms for the film.

Reception

Box office

Braveheart is the 271st largest grossing film worldwide.

  • US: $75,609,945
  • Worldwide: $210,409,945

On opening weekend, Braveheart grossed:

  • US: $9,938,276

The film's depiction of the Battle of Stirling Bridge is often considered one of the greatest in cinema history.

The film generated huge interest in Scotland and in Scottish history, not only around the world, but in Scotland where Scottish history had not been taught in schools. Fans come from all over the world to see the places in Scotland where William Wallace fought for Scottish freedom, and also to 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).

Awards

The film won numerous awards including the 1995 Academy Award for:

Nominated:

Cultural effects

The film is credited by Lin Anderson, author of Braveheart: From Hollywood To Holyrood as having played a significant role in affecting the Scottish political landscape in the mid to late 1990s.

Despite the film's many historical inaccuracies, its portrayal of the English occupation of Scotland (combined with the unpopularity of Conservative government policy in Scotland in the 1980s and 1990s) has been sometimes been credited with contributed to an upsurge in Scottish nationalist sentiment in the years leading up to the General Election of 1997.

Wallace Monument

In 1997 a statue of Gibson as "William Wallace" was placed outside the Wallace Monument near Stirling, Scotland. The statue, which includes the word "Braveheart" on Wallace's shield, was the cause of much controversy and one local resident stated that it was wrong to "desecrate the main memorial to Wallace with a lump of crap". In 1998 the statue was vandalised by someone who smashed the face in with a hammer. After repairs were made, the statue was encased in a cage at night to prevent further vandalism. This has only incited more calls for the statue to be removed as it now appears that the Gibson/Wallace figure is imprisoned; an irony, considering that the statue bears the word "Freedom" on the plinth. As well, the images agreed to be that of William Wallace do not resemble Mel Gibson.

Historical inaccuracy

File:Brave mel.jpg
Gibson's William Wallace wearing woad
  • Braveheart's plot includes an affair between William Wallace and the Princess Isabelle, based upon Isabella of France. The film implies she is pregnant at the time of Wallace's execution, carrying the future Edward III of England. Historically, the real Isabella was a child of nine still living in France at this time, meaning she never met Wallace, and furthermore, was never a Princess of Wales, as she married Edward II after he became king - three years after Wallace's death. This idea may have been derived from the play The Wallace by Sydney Goodsir Smith, or it may be derived from a fictional episode in Blind Harry's poem, where Marguerite of France, second wife of Edward I, attempts to seduce Wallace.
  • The Battle of Stirling Bridge, the first skirmish in the film, was filmed without a bridge. The actual conflict was more of an ambush of the English as they attempted to cross the River Forth.
  • The opening juxtaposition of the line "The King of Scotland had died without a son" and the caption "Scotland, 1280 A.D." is inaccurate: Alexander III did not die until 1286, and the country was not immediately taken over.
  • The opening narration continues "and the King of England... claimed the throne of Scotland for himself". Edward I never claimed the kingship of Scotland: he claimed lordship over it, but after the deposition of John Balliol in 1296 did not recognize its status as a kingdom.
  • Edward III was born in 1312, seven years after Wallace's death; thus it is impossible for Edward III to have been Wallace's son.
  • The film depicts Edward I dying at the same time as Wallace was executed. In fact, Wallace's execution took place in 1305 in Westminster or Smithfield, and King Edward died in 1307, two years later, en route to put down a fresh rebellion of the Scots led by Robert the Bruce.
  • The film depicts Scots going into battle wearing woad, an ancient Pictish practice not thought to have still existed in the thirteenth century. However, in Blind Harry's poem, Wallace does dream that the Virgin Mary paints a saltire on his face, and this is the likely inspiration for the anachronistic use of warpaint in the film.
  • The 16th Cent Highland Kilts are just wrong for the 13-14th Cent.
  • The film opens with the Wallaces seeing the hanged bodies of the thirty Scottish noblemen and their pages who went there thinking they were there for a meeting with Edward's men. While Longshanks was capable of such a deed, (see the Battle of Evesham) in 1280, when this was supposed to have happened, he was busy with putting down revolts in Wales and dealing with their leader Llywelyn ap Gruffydd. In fact many Scottish nobles, who actually held lands in both Scotland and England, were serving in Edward's army at the time. This included the Bruces.
  • A Welsh rebel who had been captured by the Scots in Edward's service reportedly told his captors, "When Longshanks is done with us he'll turn on you."

Spoofs and cultural references

File:Spoof Chef.as.Braveheart.gif
South Park's Chef in a scene parodying Braveheart

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for Braveheart was composed by composer James Horner, who also composed soundtracks for Titanic, Aliens, and Apollo 13. The music was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra. The first soundtrack was noticeably successful, and Horner produced a follow-up soundtrack in 1997 titled More Music from Braveheart. International and French versions of the soundtrack have also been released. The original album contains 77 minutes of background music taken from significant scenes in the film.

Braveheart (1995)

  1. Main Title (2:51)
  2. A Gift of a Thistle (1:37)
  3. Wallace Courts Murron (4:25)
  4. The Secret Wedding (6:33)
  5. Attack on Murron (3:00)
  6. Revenge (6:23)
  7. Murron’s Burial (2:13)
  8. Making Plans/ Gathering the Clans (2:05)
  9. “Sons of Scotland” (6:19)
  10. The Battle of Stirling (6:07)
  11. For the Love of a Princess (4:07)
  12. Falkirk (4:04)
  13. Betrayal & Desolation (7:48)
  14. Mornay’s Dream (1:18)
  15. The Legend Spreads (1:09)
  16. The Princess Pleads for Wallace’s Life (3:38)
  17. “Freedom”/The Execution/ Bannockburn (7:24)
  18. End Credits (7:16)

More Music from Braveheart (1997)

The follow-up soundtrack features much more dialogue taken from the actual film than did the original soundtrack.

  1. Prologue/ "I Shall Tell You of Williams..." (dialogue-Robert the Bruce) (3:35)
  2. Outlawed Tunes on Outlawed Bag Pipes (2:03)
  3. The Royal Wedding (dialogue-Robert the Bruce) (2:12)
  4. "The Trouble with Scotland" (dialogue-King Edward the Longshanks) (0:40)
  5. Scottish Wedding Music (1:14)
  6. Prima Noctes (1:46)
  7. The Proposal (dialogue-Wallace and Murron) (1:35)
  8. "Scotland is Free!" (dialogue-Wallace) (0:17)
  9. Point of War/JonnyCope/Up in the Morning Early (traditional) (2:59)
  10. Conversing with the Almighty (dialogue-various) (1:20)
  11. The Road to the Isles/ Grendaural Highlanders/ The Old Rustic Bridge by the Hill (traditional) (3:52)
  12. "Son of Scotland!" (dialogue-Wallace) (12:09)
  13. Vision of Murron (1:45)
  14. "Unite the Clans!" (dialogue-Wallace) (0:23)
  15. The Legend Spreads (dialogue-Storytellers) (1:07)
  16. "Why Do You Help Me?" (dialogue-Wallace and Princess Isabelle) (0:37)
  17. For the Love of a Princess (previously released score) (4:05)
  18. "Not Every man Really Lives" (dialogue-Wallace and Isabelle)
  19. "The Prisoner wishes to Say a Word (dialogue-The Executioner and Wallace) (3:43)
  20. "After the Beheading" (dialogue-Robert the Bruce) (1:48)
  21. "You Have Bled for Wallace!" (dialogue-Robert the Bruce) (1:22)
  22. Warrior Poets (dialogue-Wallace) (0:29)
  23. Scotland the Brave (traditional) (2:47)
  24. Leaving Glenhurqhart (traditional) (3:32)
  25. Kirkhill (traditional) (4:08)

References

  1. Braveheart 10th Chance To Boost Tourism In Trim, Meath Chronicle, August 28th 2003 (Accessed 30th April 2007)
  2. Braveheart Trivia The Internet Movie Database. (Accessed 30th April 2007)
  3. "The best -- and worst -- movie battle scenes". CNN. 2007-03-30. Retrieved 2007-04-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. Noah Sanders (2007-03-28). "GREAT MODERN BATTLE SCENES - UPDATED!". Double Viking. Retrieved 2007-04-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. http://www.uwenowak.de/bilder/holiday_with_mechthild/stirling/wallace_monument_002_full.jpg
  6. http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10191
  7. Elspeth King, introduction to _Blind Harry's Wallace

External links

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