The Bruce (1996)

In the early 14th century, Scottish warrior and Earl Robert the Bruce is crowned King of Scots, leading Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against England.

Directors:

Bob Carruthers, David McWhinnie

Writer:

Bob Carruthers (screenplay)

Stars:

Gary Andrew, Brian Blessed, Richard Brimblecombe

Cast

Credited cast:
Gary Andrew	...	Scottish Soldier
Brian Blessed	...	Edward I
Richard Brimblecombe	...	Edward II
Conor Chamberlain	...	Elizabeth Bruce
Steven Clark	...	English Soldier
Tomm Cody	...	Soldier
Pavel Douglas	...	John 'Red' Comyn
Ross Dunsmore	...	Nigel Bruce
Vincent Faber	...	Scottish Soldier
Kern Falconer	...	Black Douglas
Heather Flannagan	...	Majorie Bruce
Graeme Ford	...	Knight to Edward I
Dee Hepburn	...	Mary Bruce
John Hoye	...	Edward James
Paul Kerr	...	knight to Edward II

Storyline

Robert the Bruce unites the Scots in a rebellion against the hated English, led by Edward I. He is supported by various loyal followers, notably the bishop who agrees to recognize his claim and crown him as King of the Scots.

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Plot Keywords:

robert the bruce | earl | scottish independence | 14th century | england | 

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Taglines:

Courage never dies...

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | War

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Scottish Gaelic

Release Date:

12 April 1996 (UK)

Also Known As:

Robert Brus

Filming Locations:

Blackness Castle, Blackness, Falkirk, West Lothian, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cromwell Productions Ltd.,Lamancha Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A school girl in Dunfermline skipped school one day and landed a part in this, crowning Robert The Bruce. She then went on to film other scenes including a corpse. Although she never got paid she claims it was the most exciting thing that happened. Never been in front of cameras before ,she was shy but found it easy as set was closed when Oliver Reed was in the coronation scene. The crown on Sandy (Robert The Bruce) kept slipping off his wig . He told the school girl that inside was a dot which was supposed to sit at the back. This helped. The next scene was perfect and they kept it in movie where the school girl smiles at her friends next to her, happy it stayed on.

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Alternate Versions

UK versions were cut by 16 secs by the BBFC to remove all shots of women's bloodstained breasts.

User Reviews

A Somewhat Confused Reckoning of Bannockburn and the Bruce

This is not an easy film to follow in the beginning. Granted the period it portrays is also quite confused. The film jumps into events and characters quickly without really allowing one to develop who they are. This is not aided by a poor sound quality which makes it hard to follow dialog and plot at times. I think editing might have hurt this film as well.

The best actor by far is Brian Blessed who steals all the other roles as Edward I (Hammer of the Scots) Again we see a pretty heavy-handed portrayal of this great English King a la Braveheart! Also, as mentioned by the previous reviewer the English are wee bit too evil, and the Scots a wee bit too good! The Bruce for one thing is shown as rather saintly in the film. This he certainly was not! His murder of Comyen the Red in the church abby was certainly one of the more foul acts of the time. The Bruce was no saint, but again he had to be pretty ruthless given the times he lived in.

This was a Cromwell Productions film, and since they did a pretty good historical documentary of the Bruce and Bannockburn in a previous work it is surprising that they white-wash the history so much in this drama here. The battle scene at Bannockburn while good, is not as impressive as billed. For one thing the intervention of the Highland Gillies seems over-done. The battle was largely won by the Scottish Schiltrons long before the surging horde of Highlanders from the bluff above! Also the legendary dual between the Bruce and De Bohan the day before the main battle is completely omitted! This would have made for a splendid movie fight scene and did much to build the Bruce's legend as a great fighter! Instead he kills the English knight during the general melee of the battle. Not as convincing! Those seeking a film above the level of Braveheart wont really find that here. In fact Braveheart while complete fantasy, makes for a more coherent film. The Bruce is a modest work at best. Perhaps it is not surprising that it has all but gone out of print.