Braveheart

[bear]

I finally watched Braveheart on CBC tonight.
I wanted to watch it because I'd heard so many guys raving about it but I honestly didn't like it.
It was way too long, even discounting the commercial breaks and being edited for violence. The historical mistakes I'd heard about, so they seemed to stick out. I saw a guy in the background at the end of a battle scene swinging his sword at an enemy in such a way as to make sure he didn't hurt the guy. And if you hang someone from the neck, I can guarantee they will not be shouting, "Freedom!" for a bloody long time!
I was drawn into the movie right up to the point where Mel Gibson comes in. This (twenty something?) young man gets off his horse with the lines of a forty year old man on his face.
I'm not a big Mel Gibson fan. Aside from The Bounty, I never really liked him in anything, as far as good acting goes. His brogue kept coming and going, too.
Rob Roy was a far superior movie. In Rob Roy, the scenery is used so well that Scotland itself is almost as another character. In Braveheart, far too much of the movie is dark.
Liam Neeson underplayed Rob Roy and made the character real. Mel Gibson overacted his Wallace and like much of the movie, didn't make me care. What happened to Wallace is relied on to make you care about the character. After the death of his wife he shows little emotion for the rest of the movie, aside from anger and rage.

[highlander_Daz]

with all its many many faults I can tell you the effect it had in Scotland was tremendous, bear in mind that Scotland has the highest rate of heat problems, smoking and drink issues, Glasgow is the murder capital of Europe etc etc. But Braveheart made people see Scotland in a different light as well as Scots themselves, it set a tidal wave of patriotism across the country and this brought about the return of the stone of scone and we now have our own parliment (albeit a shamboliic one rocked by scandals) .

Of course not all of these can be atributed to Braveheart but there was a "braveheart factor" involved. Gibsons portrayal of Wallace whilst inaccurate, was passionate, and its easy to criticise his accent but I have heard far worse. Liam Neesons accent in Rob Roy wasnt much better. I can hear the american "twang" just has easily as Neesons Irish one.
I love "Rob Roy" and "Braveheart" whilst being almost fictional, they put our tiny country into peoples minds, and capture the imagination of people everywhere.
If Gibson had made a film that was based purely on what we know about Wallace as cast iron facts the film would have lasted about half an hour.

but Bear I agree with nearly all of your points but as I say the effect it had was astonishing.

[Kiltedfirepiper]

Well when watching a " historical " movie always remember .....this IS Hollywood !!! hell they didnt even FILM in Scotland..... it was all Ireland that you saw! and the bagpipes? not even Highland pipes that you hear, ol Mel thought that the Uleian (sp) pipes sounded " more scottish" and if you read the history on William Wallace he wasnt a nice guy..... the belt he hung his claymore on ( I cant remeber what its called) was supposedly made from the skin of an english officer, and he WAS fighting for scottish independance, but also for himself ( he fancied himself a kingdom) so always watch movies like that with a grain of salt.... I enjoyed it AS A MOVIE the fight scenes were decent for the most part, and it DID raise some patriotisim in Scotland


just my .02

Scott

[highlander_Daz]

"hell they didnt even FILM in Scotland..... it was all Ireland that you saw!"

The first part of the film was Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis, a lot of fight scenes were filmed in Ireland beacase they used the Irish reserve as "extras" and there are tax benefits etc involved in filming in Ireland.

"if you read the history on William Wallace he wasnt a nice guy..... the belt he hung his claymore on ( I cant remeber what its called) was supposedly made from the skin of an english officer,"

there is very very little known about Wallace and at the time he was attempting to repel an invading army and an illegal accupation that had carried out several massacres, not leasts a Berwick on Tweed, Even Longshanks was shocked to hear about an English soldier putting a women to the sword whilst giveing birth, so being a "nice guy" wasnt really an option.

Wallaces sword was 66 inches in length ( over five foot) so had he hung it from his belt it would have dragged along behind him rather uncomfortably.

They were very different times and in Longshanks he had a desperate and ruthless nemesis that would make todays "despots" pale into insignificance, any type of chivalary would have meant defeat, and at the time all Scots were subject to being hung drawn and quarted.

Ultimatly Wallace failed and even Bruces victory at Bannockburn was wiped out in 1707 but at least its a Union rather than occupation, however scotland is still used as a resource, our North sea gas and oil was plundered by the British government and all of Britains WMDs are kept in Scotland.

[Freelander Sporrano]

Just a little "Did you know" A good deal of Rob Roy was filmed in Austrailia Near Perth two castles were used Megginch and Drummond. good films both of them if you just take them for what they are..Entertainment

[highlander_Daz]

Interesting that David I didnt know that.


Another great scots film is Gregorys girl, real scots and real accents! fimed around Cumbernauld.
The guy who plays Wallaces Uncle, Brian Cox is an amazing actor, he was the original Hannibal Lector in "Manhunter" film, in my opinion his performance is one of the finest I have ever seen, truly spine chilling

[Graham]

Everyone knows about the inaccuracies of Braveheart. If you have the DVD it may have a second disc with a documentary on how the film was made. Mel Gibson confesses the liberties he took. He also says that so little is really known about Wallace and much of it is myth. For this reason mel felt justified in a little "artistic license".

I love the film, but I agree that Rob Roy is a better film in many ways, more believable.

[F16WarBird]

Interesting that David I didnt know that.


Another great scots film is Gregorys girl, real scots and real accents! fimed around Cumbernauld.

Gregory's Girl. I haven't seen that film in years. I remember laughing really hard when Gregory's friend was telling a girl how they process veal and her reaction to it.

[Andrew Breecher]

Just a little "Did you know" A good deal of Rob Roy was filmed in Austrailia Near Perth two castles were used Megginch and Drummond. good films both of them if you just take them for what they are..Entertainment

That may be, but I know that the village scenes in Rob Roy were filmed in Scotland, just at the base of Ben Nevis. My ex-girlfriend was hiking in Scotland and came across this ancient village...then was chased away by the film crew that had built it.

Andrew.

[An t-Ileach]

I agree with h_D about the effect that Braveheart (and Rob Roy) had on Scottish self-confidence. I think far too many liberties were taken with the stories of both characters (why change the name of Rob Roy's wife?). Maybe the historical allusions would perhaps have been better illustrated by having Jean Reno playing Wallace? He was after all, a Strathclyde Welshman and part of the Norman-Flemish aristocracy (Sir William Wallace of Elderslie) who probably spoke Norman French better than he spoke Scots. And, and...

But it really gave a boost to the Scots.