The Brus - Robert the Bruce Movie

**macwilkin** · 7th March 11, 07:18 AM

Originally Posted by Biathlonman

Interesting concept and the web designers have captured my interest but will it be a "warts and all" Robert Bruce? Braveheart hinted at some of his ambiguities - the standards by which he operated wouldn't make him the ideal hero today. The Bruce had blood on his hands that wasn't all spilled on the battlefield - which would attract as many viewers as would perhaps want a more sanitized version of their history. No question - he would be a fascinating movie character if they do this right. At least the producers of this movie wouldn't have to inject lost Roman legions and eagles into the script just to get work for Scottish film crews. That's getting tiresome.

As a Comyn/Cumming descendant, I thank you sir!

Will they mention, for example, the Battle of Roslin in 1303, where John Comyn defeated the English?

T.

**davidlpope** · 7th March 11, 07:24 AM

Hopefully it will be better than the last movie about Robert the Bruce:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115766/maindetails

I think I have this one in the basement on VHS if anyone really, really needs a fix.

David

**English Bloke** · 7th March 11, 08:15 AM

I need someone to fix my VHS...

And as a Bruce Descendant (hehehe... probably not from yer man King Robert it must be acknowledged) I do hope there are no hard feelings. I dread to think that should we ever meet, we'd struggle to get on because of a 700 year old, unfortunate misunderstanding. If we ever do cross paths, the first dram's on me as a peace offering. Water of life under the bridge an' all that.

(I'll probably have my Bruce Modern on at the time mind. On purpose like... Just for fun.)

**Lallans** · 7th March 11, 09:09 AM

As one who resented the Braveheart movie for (among several things) its portrayal of Robert The Bruce, who came off looking even worse than Mel Of Gibson, I have great hopes for this one.

**macwilkin** · 7th March 11, 09:21 AM

Originally Posted by Canuck of NI

As one who resented the Braveheart movie for (among several things) its portrayal of Robert The Bruce, who came off looking even worse than Mel Of Gibson, I have great hopes for this one.

That was one of the few things I liked about Braveheart, that they didn't just repeat the pro-Bruce propaganda, but at least showed his failings. Again, refer to Alan Young's Robert the Bruce's Rivals for the other side of the story.

T.

**Lallans** · 7th March 11, 09:35 AM

Originally Posted by cajunscot

That was one of the few things I liked about Braveheart, that they didn't just repeat the pro-Bruce propaganda, but at least showed his failings. Again, refer to Alan Young's Robert the Bruce's Rivals for the other side of the story.

T.

Well no one was a saint or even a George Washington in those days, but Bruce did liberate Scotland and so his failings were perhaps also realistic and served his country well. The ghastly movie made him look like a weakling- coward just to aggrandize Mel, and that did no service to Scotland or to history. Also, I keep seeing on the Military Channel that the Bruce developed the use of the schiltron defense against the English cavalry, and the movie stole that for Mel's benefit too.

**macwilkin** · 7th March 11, 09:42 AM

Originally Posted by Canuck of NI

Well no one was a saint or even a George Washington in those days, but Bruce did liberate Scotland and so his failings were perhaps also realistic and served his country well. The ghastly movie made him look like a weakling- coward just to aggrandize Mel, and that did no service to Scotland or to history. Also, I keep seeing on the Military Channel that the Bruce developed the use of the schiltron defense against the English cavalry, and the movie stole that for Mel's benefit too.

Actually, the Red Comyn defeated the English first at the Battle of Roslin in 1303, and Bruce was no where to be found.

http://www.lordbothwell.co.uk/roslinglen.html
http://www.roslin-whatbattle.com/

T.

**macwilkin** · 7th March 11, 09:22 AM

Originally Posted by English Bloke

I need someone to fix my VHS...

And as a Bruce Descendant (hehehe... probably not from yer man King Robert it must be acknowledged) I do hope there are no hard feelings. I dread to think that should we ever meet, we'd struggle to get on because of a 700 year old, unfortunate misunderstanding. If we ever do cross paths, the first dram's on me as a peace offering. Water of life under the bridge an' all that.

(I'll probably have my Bruce Modern on at the time mind. On purpose like... Just for fun.)

Not at all; a friend of mine in our local Scottish society is a Bruce -- ironically, we attend the same parish here in town -- I just make sure to set behind him during Mass.

T.

**Father Bill** · 15th March 11, 04:54 AM

Originally Posted by cajunscot

Not at all; a friend of mine in our local Scottish society is a Bruce -- ironically, we attend the same parish here in town -- I just make sure to set behind him during Mass.

T.

NOW I know why all of my parishioners try to fill the back pews!

**Mike_Oettle** · 15th March 11, 07:13 AM

Hi, John – because the army that crossed the Channel with William of Normandy was raised in that duchy, it has widely been presumed that all its members also were Normans.
But many had taken service under William for particular purposes, and he had made extensive use of the skills of especially Flemings in building and maintaining castles.
It was the Flemings who took the tradition of heraldry to England with them – devices that were the forerunners of coats of arms had been use among noblemen in Flanders for a couple of centuries – and it was thanks to their use of heraldry in England that it became more widely used, not only in Britain but also on the Continent.
There were also men from other parts of France, including Brittany (which at that point was not as firmly under royal control – or the enforced use of the French language – as it was in later centuries).
Regards,
Mike