Braveheart (1995)

Scottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.

Director:

Mel Gibson

Writer:

Randall Wallace

Stars:

Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan

Top Rated Movies #79 | Won 5 Oscars. Another 28 wins & 34 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Robinson	...	Young William
Sean Lawlor	...	Malcolm Wallace
Sandy Nelson	...	John Wallace
James Cosmo	...	Campbell
Sean McGinley	...	MacClannough
Alan Tall	...	Elder Stewart
Andrew Weir	...	Young Hamish
Gerda Stevenson	...	Mother MacClannough
Ralph Riach	...	Priest No. 1
Mhairi Calvey	...	Young Murron
Brian Cox	...	Argyle Wallace
Patrick McGoohan	...	Longshanks - King Edward I
Peter Hanly	...	Prince Edward
Sophie Marceau	...	Princess Isabelle
Stephen Billington	...	Phillip

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

scotland | revolt | legend | secret marriage | based on true story | 

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Taglines:

His passion captivated a queen. His courage inspired a nation. His heart defied an empire.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for brutal medieval warfare

Did You Know?

Trivia

Wallace's two most trusted captains throughout the film are Hamish, who is Scottish, and Stephen, who is Irish. Hamish was played by Irish actor Brendan Gleeson and Stephen by Scottish actor David O'Hara.

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Goofs

When the wives, mothers, children are trying to find their dead and wounded men, there is a shot of a girl who is obviously laughing and tries to cover her face with her hand.

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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 ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

With the exception of the title of the movie, there are no opening credits.

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Alternate Versions

The UK version was cut by 2 secs at the behest of the BBFC to obtain a 15 certificate. The front view of Wallace's revenge cutting of the magistrate's throat cuts away to a side shot and then back again. This BBFC-cut DVD has been released into other markets such as Australia and Scandinavia which previously enjoyed the uncensored copy of the film theatrically and on VHS. The BBFC waived the cuts in December 2009.

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Connections

Referenced in Degrassi: The Next Generation: Walking on Broken Glass: Part 2 (2012)

User Reviews

It's a Masterpiece. Best Movie of All Time

Braveheart is the best movie ever made in history, an absolute sculpted work of art that depicts every emotion of human existence, from suffering, to courage to love, in front of the background of political astuteness and socio-hierarchal analysis.

Telling the quasi-true story of one man's conviction and courage to exact vengeance for the killing of his first wife and father at the hands of the ruthless King Edward the II of England, who in turn inspires his small province of Scotland to rebel and go to war in a real fight for freedom and independence, Braveheart is a stunning depiction of the capacity of the human spirit to overcome the odds, defy tyranny, and achieve justice, respect, and dignity against oppression.

Although its retractors and critics will dwell and harp on the historical accuracy of some of the movie, particularly what part Robert the Bruce played in real life, there is no denying the true power and emotional influence of this movie. It's understandable, particularly for Europeans, how this could be problematic due to their upbringing in studying history, but the movie is not really about being historically perfect; it's a work of art about things much deeper. A documentary it is not, and it's duplistic and hypocritical for the film's haters to dwell on this minor detail, but perhaps allow historical rewriting to slide and give it a free pass in something like Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds or Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

On this topic, one of the dozens of best parts in the movie is when Robert the Bruce plays an important role in one of the battles, and eventually the movie does come around and get Robert's history back on track with more accuracy as to his part and character in the battle for Scotland's independence.

Without trying to get the history perfect, this movie is simply flawless. It's beyond flawless, really. A flawless movie can just be a technical masterpiece with very little power, but the raw power and emotion coming off the screen in practically every single scene in Braveheart is like an inferno.

James Horner's score is one of the greatest scores ever for any movie, and it successfully enhances the drama and emotion of each scene, without coming across as manipulative. It fits perfectly into every single scene it is used.

There isn't one acting role that is not well-done. This is one of Gibson's best acting roles, and the guy who plays Edward II gives an outstanding performance.

This is the greatest epic movie ever created in the history of Hollywood. A few years later, another great modern epic Gladiator came out and drew rightful comparisons to Braveheart, but while Gladiator is a very good movie, it lacks in the emotional depth, power, and ultimate inspiration behind the experience of watching Braveheart.

The final Act of Braveheart is one of the most powerful ever put on film. As a first time viewer, you really have no idea where the story is going to go (even as a repeat viewer it still holds weight). To this day, there is still nothing like it. Just when you think it's over or you know how it will end, it just continues to twist and turn, and then it closes with what is probably the best ending of any movie in history.

In addition to all of this, the body of Braveheart is loaded with outstanding battle scenes, incredible editing, and great dialogue rooted in inspiration, political strategy, philosophy, and stunning human experience of love, desire, passion, suffering, and identity.

When you look at the top rated movies on IMDB, it is laughable that comic book movies and good popcorn-fun movies are actually rated above this. This is without a doubt, hands down, one of the top 25 movies ever made, and in my opinion, it is the #1 best movie of all-time.

This movie is a masterpiece.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Paramount Pictures [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Latin Scottish Gaelic Italian

Release Date:

24 May 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Braveheart

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$72,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,938,276, 28 May 1995

Gross USA:

$75,609,945

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$213,216,216

Company Credits

Production Co:

Icon Entertainment International, The Ladd Company, B.H. Finance C.V.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

178 min 225 min (assembly cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1