Braveheart

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Braveheart
Directed by	Mel Gibson
Produced by	Mel Gibson Alan Ladd, Jr. Bruce Davey Stephen McEveety
Written by	Randall Wallace
Starring	Mel Gibson Sophie Marceau Catherine McCormack Patrick McGoohan Angus Macfadyen Brendan Gleeson
Music by	James Horner
Cinematography	John Toll
Editing by	Steven Rosenblum
Distributed by	- USA - Paramount Pictures - non-USA - 20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	May 24, 1995
Running time	177 min.
Country	U.S.
Language	English
Budget	$53,000,000
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Braveheart is an iconic, Academy Award winning historical drama American motion picture released in 1995 by Paramount Pictures, produced and directed by Mel Gibson through Icon Productions, and adapted from a screenplay by Randall Wallace. The cast includes Gibson in the title role as well as Patrick McGoohan, Sophie Marceau, Brendan Gleeson, Angus MacFadyen, David O'Hara and Catherine McCormack.

The film is loosely based upon the fables and legends surrounding the life of the Scottish national hero William Wallace.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Production 3 Cast 4 Reception 4.1 Box office 4.2 Awards 4.3 Cultural effects 4.4 Wallace Monument 5 Historical inaccuracy 6 Spoofs and cultural references 7 Soundtrack 7.1 Braveheart (1995) 7.2 More Music from Braveheart (1997) 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Plot

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 some English soldiers attempting to rape Murron, she is executed by the local Sheriff. Wallace enacts revenge on the local English fortress, and unintentionally starts 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, becoming the most revered man in Scotland and therefore untouchable. Wallace is eventually caught in a trap when he believes he is meeting with The Bruce, whom he trusts with his life.

In London, Wallace is tried before the English magistrates and found guilty of treason. Wallace refuses to admit guilt is brutally tortured to death in a London square, being alternately hung and 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.

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 and finally defeat the English and win their freedom.

[edit] Production

• The movie was, for a very large part, filmed in Ireland instead of Scotland and one of the castles seen in the movie is actually Trim Castle in Co. Meath. Many of the mountains seen in the movie are actually the Wicklow Mountains in Co. Wicklow. Kilmashogue mountain and Djouce mountain can be regularly seen during the movie. Bective Abbey is also on the movie.
• Several of the major battle scenes had to be re-shot, as extras were seen wearing sunglasses and wristwatches. In one scene in the actual film, a white van can be seen driving in the background.
• The battle of Stirling took six weeks to film; roughly half a million feet of film (90+ hours) were shot for the sequence.
• Mel Gibson, who has a reputation of being a prankster, directed several scenes (including the funeral scene for Wallace's father) while doing an Elmer Fudd impersonation. This caused several actors to break character mid-scene, and burst out laughing on several occasions.

[edit] Cast

• 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.

[edit] Reception

[edit] 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.^[1][2]

[edit] Awards

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

• Best Picture
• Best Director (Mel Gibson)
• Best Cinematography
• Best Makeup
• Best Sound Editing

Nominated:

• Film Editing
• Costume Design
• Best Original Screenplay
• Sound
• Best Original Dramatic Score

[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 the Scottish political landscape in the mid to late 1990s.[1]

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) contributed to an upsurge in Scottish nationalist sentiment in the years leading up to the General Election of 1997.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Wallace Monument

In 1997 a statue of Gibson as "William Wallace" was placed outside the Wallace Monument near Stirling, Scotland.^[3] 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".^[4] 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.^[5]

[edit] Historical inaccuracy

• 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 - four 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 recognise 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, 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.^[6]

[edit] Spoofs and cultural references

• In the South Park episode of "Starvin' Marvin (South Park episode)", both Chef and the leader of the evil turkeys deliver speeches a la Wallace to their people just before leading the charge into battle.
• In a 2007 episode of the US version of The Office, boss Michael Scott uses the term "Primae Noctis" inappropriately during preparations for Phyllis Smith's wedding. Character Jim Halpert states that it is used in the movie Braveheart and that this fact is "confirmed on Wikipedia".
• In the Video Game Daxter, there is an unlockable Braveheart dream sequence.

[edit] 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.^{[citation needed]} The original album contains 77 minutes of background music taken from significant scenes in the film.

[edit] 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)

[edit] 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)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Braveheart at the Internet Movie Database
• Braveheart at Rotten Tomatoes
• Roger Ebert's review of Braveheart
• Braveheart at Yahoo! Movies
• Braveheart at Box Office Mojo
• Braveheart at Metacritic
• Gary R. Dobson's review of Braveheart (also lays emphasis on historical accuracy)
• Tracksounds Braveheart Soundtrack Review

Films directed by Mel Gibson
The Man Without a Face • Braveheart • The Passion of the Christ • Apocalypto