William Wallace is a Scottish rebel who leads an uprising against the cruel English ruler Edward the Longshanks, who wishes to inherit the crown of Scotland for himself. When he was a young boy, William Wallace's father and brother, along with many others, lost their lives trying to free Scotland. Once he loses another of his loved ones, William Wallace begins his long quest to make Scotland free once and for all, along with the assistance of Robert the Bruce.Written by
Anonymous
Screenwriter Randall Wallace initially planned to start the story with William Wallace as an adult, and added the prologue of his childhood only as an afterthought. When the sequence was first written, Murron gave William a rose at his father's burial. However, someone who read the script pointed out that the rose, a traditional symbol of England, would be inappropriate as a prominent feature in the story. See more »
Goofs
At one point, when a bit player escorts Wallace's friend away, he utters his only line without a Scottish accent. Someone from southern California must be visiting Wallace's army. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Narrator:
I shall tell you of William Wallace. Historians from England will say I am a liar, but history is written by those who have hanged heroes. The king of Scotland had died without a son, and the king of England, a cruel pagan known as Edward the Longshanks, claimed the throne of Scotland for himself. Scotland's nobles fought him, and fought each other, over the crown. So Longshanks invited them to talks of truce - no weapons, one page only. Among the farmers of that shire was Malcolm ...
[...] See more »
Crazy Credits
On USA prints, the Paramount Pictures logo has a gray tint, while on international prints, the 20th Century Fox logo fanfare is muted. See more »
Alternate Versions
When the film was originally released, the final voice over tells us that the Scots "won their freedom... forever." The "forever" was deleted for the re-release and other future editions. It can still be found, however, in the liner notes of the soundtrack album. See more »
A simple message but even today, over seven hundred years later, there are far too many captive to their cultures, governments and institutions. They take a large slice, sometimes all of the freedoms William Wallace and so many others fought for. Keep up the fight because, like the tide, those oppressive forces wont curtail.
A rousing piece of cinema, you can forgive the historical inaccuracies in order for it to tell a hugely engaging and inspirational story full of hope, although it leaves you under no illusion of mans inhumanity to man and the vile and despicable things that can be done in the name of greed, power and control.
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A simple message but even today, over seven hundred years later, there are far too many captive to their cultures, governments and institutions. They take a large slice, sometimes all of the freedoms William Wallace and so many others fought for. Keep up the fight because, like the tide, those oppressive forces wont curtail.
A rousing piece of cinema, you can forgive the historical inaccuracies in order for it to tell a hugely engaging and inspirational story full of hope, although it leaves you under no illusion of mans inhumanity to man and the vile and despicable things that can be done in the name of greed, power and control.