Mel Gibsons Braveheart Essay Example

Mel Gibsons Braveheart Paper Mel Gibsons Braveheart is an utterly passionate epic about Scottish hero William Wallace, a commander who, from 1927 to 1305 AD, led revolt against the ruling English that eventually led to the independence of Scotland. Until Braveheart came out, Wallace was not a particularly well known historical figure outside of Scotland. But, Mel Gibsons almost three hour tour de force of film making (of which he played the lead role and co-produced and directed the film) changed all of that. Very little is actually known about Wallace, and what is known about him is surrounded in legends that have only grown larger over the centuries. The screen writer is able to build William Wallace out of both myth and fact, and his script stresses, that even during his life Wallace was the stuff of legends, but despite his immense stature as a brutal soldier and a brilliant leader, braveheart also focuses on the more human side of Wallace. In fact, the catalyst for him getting involved with the struggle against England is the murder of his wife, Murron, who is cast as Wallaces one true love. Of course braveheart is probably best known for its extensive battle sequences. The plot synopsis is based to an unknown degree upon the novel of the same name by Randall Wallace, Braveheart epic of historical fiction about one of Scotlands national idols, William Wallace. One thing to understand about this film is that it is not an accurate reflection of the thirteenth century war of independence by the people of Scotland. The film makes this abundantly clear from the beginning by describing King Edward the first as a cruel pagan, when it is well known that meeting this description posed a great threat to ones political career, and even to ones life, in those days. We will write a custom essay sample on Mel Gibsons Braveheart specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Mel Gibsons Braveheart specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Mel Gibsons Braveheart specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer As a matter of fact, it is a widely held belief among more reliable sources that the British occupied Scotland in a similar genocidal manner to how they occupied Tasmania because the Scottish have always been known as a wild, proudly heathen race, that combined with a plethora of princess Isabelle, the whole film comes off more as an action film than as any serious historical drama. The real William Wallace was executed in 1305, but King Edward the first lived until 1307, with prince Edward and princess Isabelle being married in 1309. However, when we suppress the historical misgivings of the film in spite of the fact that they are sometimes quite grave, what we have left is a stunning epic that offers a flawed alternate perspective on Scotlands war for independence. The film begins with young William Wallace bidding his father and brother farewell as they go to fight a battle against the British occupying army. Both the father and brother are killed in battle, leaving young William in the care of his uncle, Argyle, who teaches young William to use his mind. From there we fast forward a period of time and see William as an adult, now played by Mel Gibson, returning to his village he lived in as a child. We are soon reintroduced to his childhood friends Hamish and Murron. As the film has it William and Murron marry in secret, with Murron being killed by the village English noble for breaking the rules. In reality, Williamss wife who was actually called Marian (the name change was effected to avoid confusion with the Robin hood heroin of the same name. was killed when English soldiers changed Williams home. William comes back to town and proceeds to kill all of the English soldiers in the village, which in turn ignites a rebellion. As the film progresses we are shown several battles that are depicted inaccurately, and the growing division between the clans of Scotland. What makes this film special is some stunning cinematography by John Toll and some of the best battle scenes in the history of sword swing epics. Indeed what separates this film from most others that try and depict the England of the middle ages is the fact that there are no fancy men reciting patently bad Shakespeare dialogue while waving fencing foils around. The Scottish claymore was specifically designed to cut through things, leaving a wrecked bloody mess behind, as opposed to being used to stab ones opponents. Braveheart manages to reflect such facts in its battles accurately enough to have earned a place on the Internet movie databases top 250 films, sitting comfortably at number 65 at the time of writing this essay. I like this film because once in a life time a filmmaker creates a scenario for the audience so deeply powerful that it literally tugs at ones soul, and does,t let go. Mel Gibson accomplished this with the movie Braveheart. Mels directorial prowess shines through. The most compelling aspect of the film is its portrayal of how one man galvanized a small nation against brutal tyranny. The romance and violence, the scenery and politics, and the history and passion make Braveheart my favourite film. The passion Mel Gibson through out this film is just one of the reasons not to miss Braveheart. So rarely does a film of this calibre come along . From beginning to end Mel gave his audience a vast range of emotions to deal with. Braveheart to me is one of the most moving and inspirational motion pictures ever made. Mel Gibson knows how to capture an audience even when many of his audience know that the films outcome is wrenching. Braveheart draws you in, every loss for these characters become your own, every victory a personal one. The film is unquestionably violent, but you never see as much violence as you think you do. The supporting cast simply shines including Patrick McGoohan as the evil Longshanks, Brendan Gleesen as Wallaces childhood friend Hamish and Sophie Marceau as the princess of Wales. Tie it all together with stirring music by composer James Horner, and youve got a great film experience. What the audience are going to remember from the film are the battle scenes, which are frequent, bloody and violent. Just from a technical point of view, Braveheart does a wonderful of massing men and horses for large scale war fare on film. Gibson gathers what look like thousands of men and horses, as well as foot soldiers, and archers, yet his fight scenes do not turn into confusing crowd scenes. Gibson marshals his armies of extras, his stunt men and his special affects create a fictional world that is entertaining and thrilling. Braveheart is an epic film done on the large scale, involving massive set pieces, big budget production values and a cast of thousands. The emphasis tends to be on large events of historical importance, myth or heroic figures, and the setting is usually ancient times. According to an old epic poem written by blind Henry William, Wallace unified the clans of Scotland and won famous battles against the English before being captured, tortured and executed. Apparently James McKays book is one of the most thorough books on William Wallace on the market. His research centres around the epic poem. William Wallace was a giant of a man, literally in a time when the average height stood barely at 5 foot, Wallace stood at a towering 6 foot 7, tall even by todays standards. His father did not die hanging in a barn, but bravely, fighting off English soldiers on his knees after being hamstrung by an English sword. Wallace did marry, and his wife was murdered , but theres a chance they had an illegitimate daughter before her death. Wallace in fact may have had several illegitimate children as he was seen as a ladies man. He fought his enemy bravely and savagely. Some of his deeds are startling in their cruelty by todays standards, but were the norm for this time. He was a honourable man, as well, who refused to kill women and children, when to do so was acceptable war practice. The sets costumes and special effects and grimy make up all carry the veneer of realism, putting the viewer knee-deep in the mud and blood. The battle scenes rank upon the roughest ever committed to film, and earn the film and R rating. In the 13th century, the forces fought with swords, maces, chains and anything large enough to swing. The film was shot mostly in earthly tones, and the transfer maintains the films dark, wet look very well. When there is an important piece in the film when hid wife murren is killed, it darkens then sky and becomes misty in order to let the audience know something is about to happen and as Wallace returns to the village we see the fire, which symbolises his anger and rage. The battle scenes are especially vivid, and despite all the action on-screen there was no actual digital artifacting. The lighting in this film is daylight, there is only two occasions were it is dark and that is when he is marrying murren and their love scene and of course when he meets the princess and their love scene. Mel Gibson happens to be an Oscar winning director, wildly successful producer and one of the most durable of this era. He claims to be anti-intellectual, but is, in fact a well read man with a sharp mind in the 80s he delivered the double whammy Mad Max and Lethal Weapon. His directing debut Man Without A Face 1993 Braveheart has been the proud owner of ten Oscars, best picture, best director, best cinematography, best sound effects, editing and best make up. Also nominated for best screen play, written directly for the screen, best original dramatic musical score and so on. This truly shows the great effect and memory Braveheart has left on people, and gave Mel Gibson his reward. Braveheart is a great film, it would have been better had more facts been left in and the fiction left out. I still loved the film, because I liked the story it was telling. Braveheart is a rare film with entertainment, history and passion. Its fair to say its not just a movie but also a state of mind. It allows the viewer to enter the mystical and magical world of Scotland and become a rebel fighting beside the mighty Wallace. You fall in love as he does and a part of you dies when he does.