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Braveheart

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Braveheart
File:Braveheart poster.jpg
IMDB 8.3/10 (115,879 votes)
top 250: #93
Directed byMel Gibson
Written byRandall Wallace
Produced byMel Gibson
Alan Ladd, Jr.
Bruce Davey
Stephen McEveety
StarringMel Gibson
Sophie Marceau
Patrick McGoohan
Angus Macfadyen
Brendan Gleeson
CinematographyJohn Toll
Edited bySteven Rosenblum
Music byJames Horner
Distributed by20th Century Fox (non-USA); Paramount Pictures (USA)
Release dates
May 24, 1995
Running time
177 min.
CountryUSA
LanguageEnglish
Budget$53,000,000

Braveheart is an epic American motion picture released in 1995 loosely based on the life of William Wallace, a national hero in Scotland. Mel Gibson played Wallace and also produced and directed the movie.

Plot

Template:Spoiler The film opens with Robert the Bruce telling us "I shall tell you of William Wallace. Historians from England will say I am a liar, but history is written by those who have hanged heroes."

In the first scene, a young William Wallace sees the hanged bodies of Scotsmen and boys who had traveled to a meeting with representatives of Edward I, popularly known as "Longshanks." Edward I had invaded Scotland, causing the Wars of Scottish Independence. His ultimate intention was to destroy the indigenous population of the country through war or by breeding. Longshanks invokes an ancient law, primae noctis ("first night"), which allowed lords the first sexual rights to any common woman on her wedding night.

William’s father and older brother leave home to do battle with Edward's army. Both are killed and their bodies are returned home to an orphaned William. Following the funerals, William’s uncle, Argyle, adopts William and takes him on a 20 year journey across Europe; the travels become William’s education.

When William returns to his homeland, Longshanks’ son has married Isabelle, a French princess, in a political ploy that Edward believes will increase his power over France. William hopes to rebuild his father’s farm, marry, and raise a family. He reunites with his childhood love, Murron, and they marry in secret to avoid the jus primae noctis. However, when Murron is attacked and almost raped by the local English guards, William fights them and retreats into hiding. Murron, unable to escape with William, is captured and executed by having her throat slit in public by the local magistrate seeking to set an example against dissension, but more directly to provoke her husband.

William rides back to the village on horseback, feigning surrender. At the last second, he attacks the English soldiers. His lone fight is soon joined by his friend Hamish, Hamish's father Campbell, and the local townsfolk who kill every soldier in the magistrate's fortress. Bound by revenge, William kills the magistrate in the same fashion that he murdered Murron. Shortly after, William captures an even larger English garrison. (He does so by disguising himself and his comrades in the uniforms of English soldiers they have killed.) They seize control of the local magistrate's fortress and Wallace allows one of his soldiers to kill the local magistrate, who had taken his wife on their wedding night. The loss of this second base angers the Longshanks and an army is sent to fight Wallace. However, word has already spread throughout Scotland, and highlanders come in droves to fight this invading force. Wallace knows that eventually the King will send his entire Northern Army, but to this end he has a plan.

Their first victory in this war comes at the Battle of Stirling. William, leading an outnumbered army, boosts their confidence with a charismatic speech. They outwit the English cavalry with long spears and slaughter the remaining infantry and their general.

Though awarded the post of “High protector of Scotland” by the Scots nobles, William is still unable to convince them to solidly unite and invade England to ensure their victory and drive Longshanks from Scotland forever. The highest ranking noble, Robert the Bruce, a possible heir to the throne of Scotland, tells William that his efforts are directed more out of rage and vengeance, rather than the preservation of his homeland. William agrees but also sees the Bruce as the kind of leader Scotland needs and bids him to unite the clans.

William makes the decision to invade England himself and his army marches several hundred miles south to the city of York. They successfully raid the city and seize control of it. The local magistrate is beheaded and his head is sent to London as a message to Longshanks.

Longshanks sends the Princess of Wales, Isabelle, to York to negotiate a truce with William. He meets with her, but refuses to accept Longshanks demands. He cites Longshanks' longstanding cruel treatment of Scotland and his attempts at genocide. The princess returns to London, only to find that the meeting she held was merely a distraction. Longshanks' strategy had been to send his armies to Scotland and attack Wallace’s flank while he was preoccupied. Isabelle sends a courier to William with the news. He musters his troops and marches back to Scotland to engage the English army at Falkirk. During the battle, William again proves to be the better tactician, using his archers to ignite a field laden with oil between his infantry and Longshanks’ with the English cavalry trapped in the middle. Additionally, during the battle, the Irish soldiers accompanying Longshanks’ army join Wallace’s army at the manipulations of and seemingly insane Irishman called Steven, doubling its size instantly. However, Longshanks was able to subversively recruit the Scots nobles and their cavalry. No longer a backup force for Wallace, they leave their “ally” for dead. William escapes the ensuing slaughter and rides after Longshanks. He is stopped short by Longshanks’ helmeted companion whom Wallace reveals to be Robert the Bruce. Robert helps William escape arrest and return to his army. At the Scots army encampment, Hamish watches his father die as William looks on. William realizes that his pride has caused their defeat.

Though his army is defeated, William is still able to rally more highlanders to his cause and rebuild his forces. He also takes brutal vengeance on several of the nobles, murdering Mornay in his bedroom (on horseback by smashing his skull with a mace) and Lochlan, whose body he drops through an open window onto Lord Craig's dinner table after slitting his throat. Longshanks realizes Wallace is once again becoming invulnerable and plots to assassinate William, again using the princess as a ploy. The princess again warns William, and the assassins are brutally burned and murdered by William, Hamish, and Steven the Irishman. William secretly visits the princess to thank her and the two make love.

Several months pass and Longshanks works subversively to trap Wallace. Robert the Bruce is unwittingly used as the decoy this time, calling Wallace to a meeting to negotiate a truce. William is captured at Edinburgh by English soldiers and the Scottish nobles who betray him a second time. He is sent to London to be tried for treason.

Princess Isabelle pleads with William to beg the king for mercy. William refuses, preferring to die a free man. Isabelle later pleads with the king to spare Wallace’s life. The king is unable to speak due to a fatal, unknown illness (most likely tuberculosis as per the heavy cough that plagues him in the film's second half), but his will is unchanged. Whispering in the king’s ear, Isabelle reveals that she is pregnant with Wallace’s child and his offspring will be heir to the throne.

Wallace is brought into the public square for execution. He is offered clemency (which translates to a quick death by beheading) in exchange for declaring himself the king’s loyal subject. He refuses and is strung up, first by his neck, then by his wrists and ankles. He is then tied to a cross and disemboweled alive. Refusing the taunts of the executioner to accept subjectivity to the king, he yells his last word, "Freedom!". Realizing that Wallace will not be broken, even under extreme pain, the executioner orders his beheading. An instant before the axe falls, Wallace sees Murron floating among those in the crowd. The small cloth that Wallace was given by his wife as a wedding gift falls from his hand.

In Scotland, shortly after the execution, Robert the Bruce leads the remnants of Wallace’s army onto the field at Bannockburn to accept the title of King of Scotland whilst recognizing the King of England as Lord Paramount of Scotland, the feudal superior of the realm. Holding the small cloth that fell from Wallace’s hand in his final moment of life, he rallies the army to do battle with the English, much to the consternation of the nobles, who'd hoped that the Bruce would accept his title without incident. A voiceover by Wallace/Mel Gibson informs us that the year is 1314, and that the Scottish soldiers won their freedom on the battlefield. Template:Endspoiler

Quotations

I AM William Wallace. And I see a whole army of my countrymen here in defiance of tyranny. You have come to fight as free men, and free men you are. What would you do without freedom? Will you fight?

Veteran soldier: Fight? Against that? No, we will run; and we will live.

Wallace: Aye, fight and you may die. Run and you'll live -- at least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!

"We'll make spears....twice as long as a man." "Some men are longer than others."

Response

Awards

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

Nominated:

Box office

Braveheart is the 270th largest grossing film worldwide.

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

On opening weekend, Braveheart grossed:

  • US: $9,938,276

Political effects

The film is credited by some political commentators 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, there is little doubt that its highly emotive portrayal of the English occupation of Scotland (combined with the unpopularity of Conservative government policy in Scotland in the 1980s and 1990s) contributed to a significant upsurge in Scottish nationalist sentiment in the years leading up to the General Election of 1997.

In the General Election of 1997, the Scottish National Party doubled their representation at Westminster, gaining 3 seats although this still left them with only 6 seats out of 72. However, it was on the back of the Labour Party victory in the 1997 General Election and their manifesto promise, that on 11 September 1997 a referendum was held on whether there should be a Scottish Parliament which voted both for a Scottish Parliament and for it to have the power to vary the Income Tax Basic Rate in Scotland by plus or minus 3% (A power so far not used); an earlier Referendum in 1979 had also voted Yes by a majority. However, because the minimum requirement for the percentage of those eligible to vote actually turning out to vote Yes had not been reached on that occasion, a Scottish Parliament had not been instituted. Labour leader from 1992-94 John Smith had seen this as Unfinished Business and when he died in 1994, Tony Blair had continued with the policy.

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".[citation needed] 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.

Historical Accuracy

Braveheart is essentially a work of fiction, which draws inspiration from real historical events. However, due to the intense level of detail in costuming, makeup and special effects, audiences may incorrectly assume that the production is intended to be historically accurate. (Many of the inaccuracies are owed to its principal source, Blind Harry's Wallace.) Some of the "inaccuracies" in Braveheart may have been motivated by artistic reasons. The anachronistic kilts worn by the Scots make the rebels more visually distinctive, the incomplete armor and missing helmets allow viewers to recognize the actors, and changes to characters and names make the story easier to follow. Modifications to the sequence of events create dramatic juxtapositions, allowing different lines in the story to appear to occur simultaneously. Gibson, in his DVD commentary to the film, admits many of these historical inaccuracies such as prima nocte quite candidly. Some noted critiques include:

  1. 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. Many English people found this point particularly offensive. (In Blind Harry's poem, Edward's stepmother Margaret, second wife of Edward I, attempts to seduce Wallace. This event is fictional but is probably the basis for the affair in the film.)
  2. Edward III of England was born in 1312, seven years after Wallace's death; thus it is impossible for Edward III to have been Wallace's son. (Note: this idea may have been derived from the play The Wallace by Sydney Goodsir Smith.)
  3. Gibson was criticised for his portrayal of Isabella's future husband, Edward II of England. Although most historians agree that Edward was homosexual, many complained that the film presented demeaning stereotypes towards Edward. In the commentary, Mel Gibson explained he had not intended to show hatred towards anyone portrayed in the film (including the English).
  4. 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. (It is rumoured that Gibson told a Scottish local the bridge was removed as it got in the way, and the local replied "that's what the English found" [1].) The film also makes no mention of Andrew de Moray, Wallace's companion-in-arms and a major contributor at this battle. Curiously, the fight shown in the film is more like the Battle of Bannockburn 17 years later, with English cavalry charging Scottish schiltrons and being repulsed.
  5. Edward I's second wife, Margaret, whom he married in 1299, is absent from the film, although the span of history covered in the production includes this year. This implies his first wife Eleanor of Castile was his only spouse.
  6. The film shows Irish conscripts switching sides and joining Wallace's forces at the Battle of Falkirk. The Irish forces were hired mercenaries who, from all accounts, fought well for Edward I. The Celtic soldiers who did display some rebellious tendencies were the Welsh, who had been conquered about a decade earlier. Edward I intended to use them as the first wave of attack and essentially as schiltron fodder. They did not take kindly to such intentions, even if they did not actually switch sides.
  7. The film implies that Wallace's rebellion took place against a background of a fairly lengthy English occupation of Scotland. Actually, they had only invaded Scotland the year before (1296) and the mass hanging of Scottish nobles which Wallace witnessed as a boy could not have occurred at that time. Although Scottish bard Blind Harry described Edward I killing Scottish nobles at the Barns of Ayr, it has been speculated that he invented this. The opening juxtaposition of the line "The King of Scotland had died without a son" and the caption "Scotland, 1280" is inaccurate: Alexander III did not die until 1286, and the country was not immediately taken over.
  8. The sword carried by Gibson is a 16th century Scottish claymore. While a sword which is claimed to have belonged to Wallace (although this is disputed) exists in Scotland, it is significantly simpler.
  9. There is some controversy about whether the jus prima noctis (also known as the droit de seigneur), the supposed right of a Lord to deflower virgins in his territory, actually existed, but it certainly never existed in either England or Scotland.
  10. It is unclear whether Wallace had a wife or what her name was, but according to later Scottish tradition her name was Marion Braidfute, apparently her name was changed to Murron in the film so audiences would not confuse her with Maid Marian from the Robin Hood stories.
  11. Wallace's long-standing hatred for the English may not have been because of his wife's death. According to one legend, it arose from the fact that two English soldiers challenged Wallace over some fish he had caught. The argument escalated into a fight, resulting in Wallace killing the soldiers.
  12. The then-future King Robert the Bruce is described as "Earl of Bruce", but he was actually the youngest son of the Earl of Carrick; Carrick was a Gaelic-speaking province in south-west Scotland, and Bruce (more accurately "de Brus") was Robert I's family name, of Norman origin.
  13. Braveheart suggests Wallace supported the Bruce claim to the Scottish throne; however, Wallace supported the Balliol claim while Bruce was convinced of his father's rightful succession.
  14. The reality of William Wallace's capture and execution was far worse than shown in the film. According to James MacKay's 1996 book, William Wallace: Brave Heart Wallace was first hanged, in order to induce an erection, before his penis was severed. Wallace's hanging is depicted in the film, but not his emasculation.
  15. The movie depicts Robert the Bruce's father (who was also named Robert) as a leper. There is no historical record of this, though Bruce himself contracted a skin disease before his death that has been alleged to be leprosy.
  16. Bruce did not betray Wallace at Falkirk. He did eventually switch sides but this was a few years later and as a result of a dispute with the Comyns (not depicted in the film) who supported the Balliol claim to the throne (as had Wallace himself). The Scottish war effort collapsed a few years later because of the defeat of their French allies by the Flemish at Courtrai in 1302. Wallace was hunted down when the Scots were forced to surrender in 1305.
  17. In his speech before the battle of Stirling Bridge, Mel Gibson's Wallace alludes to a hundred years of tyranny. In fact, the 13th century was one of the few centuries when Anglo-Scottish relations were largely peaceful. This changed after the accidental death of Alexander III in 1286 and of his heiress, the Maid of Norway shortly after, when Edward I was invited by the Scottish magnates to resolve the dispute over the Scottish crown (to which there were thirteen claimants), and used this opportunity to revive English claims of overlordship. However, he chose John Balliol as the King of Scotland, although Balliol was later to oppose him with disastrous consequences. It was also the biggest battle for William Wallace unlike the movie.
  18. 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, 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.
  19. The film depicts Edward I defenestrating a friend and (implied) lover of the Prince of Wales. Edward never killed or harmed his son's lovers.
  20. The Scots are depicted as living in squalid, almost subterranean, houses of primitive character. In fact, by the late 13th century, Scotland was a small but reasonably prosperous medieval kingdom, with numerous small towns and many abbeys and cathedrals, much as in the rest of western Europe.
  21. The use of Great Highland Bagpipes (and, on the soundtrack, Irish Uillean pipes) is anachronistic. While basic varieties of bagpipe were a popular recreational instrument throughout medieval Europe, the pipes which appear in this film would not exist in Scotland until the 16th century.
  22. There is no record of any disarmament of the Scottish people by Edward I.
  23. The Scots certainly wouldn't have worn the philamore seen in the film - this isn't seen in historical sources until the 16th century.
  24. In the large battle scene, the arrow tip is shown when an arrow goes through one of Wallace's men's shields. This arrow has a Broadhead which the archers used for hunting but they used a Bodkin point for war, which can penetrate armor further.
  25. In the beginning of the film, the narrator describes the marriage between King Edward II and the Princess by saying, "It was widely whispered that for the princess to conceive, Longshanks would have to do the honors himself." Although the marriage between Edward II and wife was not a good one, it produced four children.
  26. At the end of the film it shows what is implied to be the beginning of the Battle of Bannockburn, although the events portrayed in the film do not accurately represent the backdrop to the actual battle.
  27. The Scots are shown wearing blue warpaint, presumably woad, in battle. It has been speculated that the filmmakers were thinking not only of ancient Celtic practice (long obsolete by the thirteenth century) but of the modern habit of soccer fans of painting their faces with their team's colours (allegedly pioneered by a Scotland fan in 1990): however, there is an episode in Blind Harry's Wallace in which Wallace dreams that the Virgin Mary paints a saltire on his face.

Cast

Soundtrack

Like the film itself, the Braveheart soundtrack has become popular with consumers and the soundtrack has recorded strong sales levels. The soundtrack is composed by composer James Horner, who also composed soundtracks for Titanic, Aliens, and Apollo 13. The music was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra. Consumers have been drawn to the Scottish and Celtic music that is integrated into the score. The first soundtrack was so successful that 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 (7:12)

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)


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