Braveheart

Rating:
Summary: An epic tale of bravery ...
Review: Braveheart (1995), directed by Mel Gibson is an epic tale full of war, drama, and action. The movie has a run time of 177 minutes.

Braveheart is set in Scotland during the Dark Ages. It is about the true story of William Wallace (Mel Gibson) who was a famous commoner who led his people in a rebellion against the English.

This is a great movie for history buffs and those who love war pictures. It is rated "R" for a reason though. It is a very graphic, gorie, movie that shows the horrific nature of what actual battles in that time period would be like.

The cinematography does the movie justice by showing the natural beauty of the Scottish countryside.

I rate this movie a 4 star, and would recommend it as at least a one-time must see.

Rating:
Summary: One of the first real feel movies
Review: Gibson does a spectacular job of portraying life in a time when there were no roads, houses were non-existent and cities were only in places like mainland Europe.

The life of the Scots and the life of Wallace as a hero of Scotland under the heel of the British monarchy is an epic tale that will entertain and enlighten you. There is a little bit of British bashing done here. Who knows if Longshanks was such a rat. However, the concept of Prima Nota and the over arching trouble that was caused the citizens of Scotland because the British wanted tribute and gave little in return.

This is a movie about bravery, of course, and about patriotism, which is so much not in vogue today. The question you ask yourself is when is it right to stand up for yourself, who do you look to for an answer? If someone stands up, do you know if it is appropriate to follow?

There is revenge in this movie, a hatred for the British, a desire for freedom.

At times the movie is a bit gorey, however, that is what makes it seem real. You sometimes feel you are in the battle with them. This is a movie definately to have in your video/DVD library.

Rating:
Summary: Best GIBSON movie out there!!!
Review: Braveheart is the story of one man's rise to free his people from the clutches of a tyrannical King and the people who loved him ,died for him, betrayed and yes finally lived for him.It is an epic that combines all the elements needed for telling a great story.Romance, intrigue,war ,drama,conquest and superb dialogue.One easily falls in love with the main characters.This was definetly mad-max at his best in both the starring and directing roles.A DEFINITE MUST SEE!!!!

Rating:
Summary: A entertaining movie
Review: Loosely based on the historical figure William Wallace and the Scotish struggle for autonomy from English rule during the 12th and 13th centuries, Braveheart is an action-packed, sometimes moving, epic film. I tend to be leary of such Hollywood renditions of history, but I have to admit that I enjoy the movie. In particular, I think that the graphic fight scenes are a fairly good portrayal of what such hand-to-hand fighting would have been like, although it is likely that in reality it would not have been as dramatic since the crush of men would have been somewhat restrictive. My only complaint is the sappy romance between William Wallace and the Princess of Wales--the movie would have worked just as well without it. Overall, though, a very good and entertaining movie.

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as it first seemed
Review: Braveheart captured the imagination when it first came out, winning Oscars, perhaps because its subject matter was an unusual one for the time.

Seeing it again after almost a decade, one realizes that it falls into the genre of the wishful-thinking Hollywood tradition. Historically it is not only inaccurate, but misleading, painting a picture of Scotland at the time that bears little relationship to history, but a lot to what Hollywood would like to think Scotland might have been like if Hollywood had got its hands on it.

In doing so, it completely distorts the historical Wallace, the son of a knight, and a remarkable and interesting man in his own right, and whose actual history might have made a better - or at least a more thoughtful - film. It also distorts Scotland, suggesting a kind of iron-age living style which was far from the truth, but which unfortunately many viewers will take as genuine.

Braveheart clearly falls into the tradition of the Hollywood epic - and it is the marvellous (Irish) scenery and the great battle scenes that confirm its place in that tradition and remain the best features of the film. What stands out most strongly is that it is essentially a cowboys-and-Indians film, seen metaphorically from the point of view of the Indians, without actually having to make a film from the point of view of the Indians. When Gibson appears in front of his army in war-paint the metaphor is all too clear.

If indeed US forces have used this film for discussion, then the divergance between imagination-as-truth and reality that can be seen in current U.S. attidutes to their foreign adventures perhaps becomes clearer.

Rating:
Summary: What a saturday night date!!!
Review: What would you think if your boyfriend, on a saturday night takes you to the only mountain in Scotland (Ben Nevis), and began to speak to you in Latin? Any normal girl will leave him right there. But I do not want to be very hard . My strongest objection is that for a poor Scot, who lives in a hut, go to Rome, and speak fluently three languages is too much.
William Wallace was not a poor peasant as depicted in the film. No peasant in the XIIth century could afford that culture. So if Mr. Gibson wanted to make an accurately Historic film he should have done a better research.
But on the other hand we have Patrick Macgoohan. Wonderful actor who plays a real, believeable Edward . And the supproting characters are well done. But you do not need to make up History to make it appealing. The story of Wallace was good enough by itself, and romantic enough by itself.

Mr. Gibson shows he is a competent director for crowded scenes, not so good for intimate ones. The music is nice and costumes too. But it is a film who grows old every year.

Rating:
Summary: Braveheart - Mel Gibson's crowning achievement!
Review: "Braveheart" is quite simply, one of the best and most successful movies ever created and a huge part of that success comes from the efforts extended by Mel Gibson, as he wore three different hats for this masterpiece, those being producer, director and star. The one oddity about this movie for me was that I pretty much wore out my VHS copy of it and had, a couple years ago, purchased the DVD but only just recently took the opportunity to watch it again and no matter how many times you watch this movie, it is still a stunning, compelling and extraordinarily intriguing film that draws you in to the life of William Wallace despite already knowing how it's going to end.

The one thing that drives this movie is the spirit that Mel Gibson puts into his character of William Wallace and it is of no surprise that "Braveheart" won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture of 1995 and Best Director for Mel Gibson. The only true surprise was that he wasn't among the top five nominated for or won the Best Actor award.

High praise also goes to the long list of supporting actors and actresses that starred in this superb film! Most notable was the performance by Sophie Marceau, one of the most beautiful women on the planet. Patrick McGoohan was absolutely incredible in the role of the villain Longshanks, King Edward I, delivering a memorable performance.

One of the most notable performances in this film, among the many, was the work done by James Horner who was responsible for the score. As is normally the case when his name appears in the credits, everything about the score, from the first reel to the last, is incredibly well blended into the movie and serves extremely well in enhancing the experience of the movie.

The Premise:

As the old saying goes, is it Hollywood or History? The truth is, of course it's a bit of history, put together Hollywood style to make one of the best films ever presented to an audience. The truth behind it is that we'll never know as recorded history from this era is circumspect as best. Where a huge portion of the credit for this film lays is in the hands of Randall Wallace, a descendant of William Wallace's.

As this historic film opens, we see a young William Wallace in Scotland as he's learning the harsh lessons of life in his era. After his family is killed in battle he's fortunate enough to have his Uncle Argyle (played brilliantly by Brian Cox) take him under his wing! Several years later he returns home to find that his countrymen are still suffering under the yoke of English oppression but he didn't come home for that, he came home for Murron MacClannough (Catherine McCormack), seeking her hand in marriage. Unfortunate events unfold from there and William loses the love of his life and goes on a rampage not only to avenge his love but to free his country...

What follows from there is not only one of the best films of the nineties but one of the best films of all times. I highly recommend "Braveheart" to any and all who are interested in seeing what true movie making is about! {ssintrepid}

Special Features:

-2 Theatrical Trailers
-Commentary by Director Mel Gibson
-A Filmmaker's Passion: The Making of Braveheart

Rating:
Summary: I Love Historical Movies Like This
Review: Last night I saw Braveheart for the first time. Instead of the watered-down "safe to watch" TV version, I went for the all-out DVD, complete with blood and gore. I was NOT disappointed. The story of William Wallace and how his legacy rallied the Scots to fight for and earn their freedom is very gripping. While the movie is about 3 hours long (and I had the luxury of a pause button), this is one of those movies where you don't want to get out of your seat until it's over (Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is another). I would definitely recommend this movie and I would also recommend looking for more about William Wallace.

Rating:
Summary: An Honorable Directing Debut for Mel Gibson
Review: Mel Gibson's 1995 Braveheart is an honorable first attempt at directing and acting in the lead role. The movie however has some serious historical inaccuracies as to the obscure William Wallace and the Scottish revolt of the 14th century.

The notion that William Wallace was a cultivated man fluent in the classics and Latin is idiotic. By all accounts, William Wallace was a crude patriotic zealot who was discarded by Robert the Bruce and other leading Scottish nobles for his lack of diplomatic skills. The most absurd parts of the film are the jingoistic expressions of "Freeeeeedom!!!!" gratuitously interspersed in various scenes to make him seem more like an American freedom fighter; a typical example of Hollywood trying to bring a diluted story to a mostly ignorant audience as opposed to drawing and educating such audience about the cultural and political context of a particular historical period. Hollywood producers seem too scared to risk losing money by actually making their audiences think outside the limits of their shallow educations. Patrick McGoohan played an excellent role as Edward I although the film seeks to portray him as an unusually cruel ruler which, compared to all other monarchs in Medieval Europe during that time, he was not. Another idiotic element of the story is the portrayal of Princess Isabelle as the poor innocent maiden who is saddened at not receiving the affections of her dandy Prince Edward. It's unfortunate that the film doesn't show how the "innocent" Isabelle had her sexually ungratifying and politically incompetent husband brutally impaled with a white-hot chimney poker shortly after he took the throne as Edward II. Another error is the inquisition-like execution of William Wallace; all historical sources recite William Wallace having been drawn and quartered: his body parts were distributed across the kingdom as an example and his head was kept fixed on a pike in London.

The battle scenes were quite grand but also inaccurate. A common misconception of Scots is that they all wore kilts at every possible occasion which is completely false. The kilt as a military garb was introduced much later in the 18th and 19th centuries by the English with the formation of the Highlander regiments.

If you can ignore the overwhelming anthropological and historical inaccuracies in the film, it is quite pleasant to watch.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful movie
Review: Braveheart is a beautifully-made, thrilling, gorgeous movie. It is intense, atmospheric, artistic, focused, and entirely effective. The story of Sir William Wallace (even modified in places as this retelling admittedly is) is inspiring, and this movie portrays very well his courage and determination to stand up for his beliefs and his country, in the face of repression and wicked cruelty. The cinematography, soundtrack, and acting are all exceptional. From a literary standpoint, the characters are very well-drawn, complex and believable; in particular, Wallace's sometime ally Robert the Bruce is convincingly portrayed (and beautifully acted by Angus MacFayden.

(The movie is admittedly very bloody, but even for squeamish people like I tend to be, it is a worthwhile film. Keep the fast-forward on hand if you don't like viewing large quantities of blood.)