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:

character name as title | robert the bruce character | nickname as title | three word title | robert the bruce | 

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Taglines:

Courage never dies...

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | War

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Part of this movie was funded by supporting actors (extras) paying £1000 each to be in the film.

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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

Bargain basement Braveheart

To be fair this film was never intended for the big screen, it was made at a time when everyone was buying DVD players and needed to stock up on cheap discs to buff up their collections! Yes it is a bad film, dubious acting, grainy film, and poor battle scenes, but give the film a break, it does have a couple of household names in it, and the history (although slanted and very pro Bruce) is at least far more favourable than its block busting, older sibling 'Braveheart'(which this film is obviously a low budget cash-in of!). Bruce is played competently by Sandy Welch, who portrays the Scottish icon in a sympathetic light, and Pavel Douglas is fantastically over the top as the nasty Red Comyn! Brian Blessed gives a crazy but fulfilling turn as King Edward, and Ollie Reed does good as the bishop! People who are complaining about this film are just negatively comparing it with 'Braveheart', and this is not really fair, the film delivers an account of Robert The Bruce's life, and does so on a very low budget! It is perhaps, too over ambitious, but fitting an epic struggle lasting 25 years into a 110 minute film is reason enough for applause! It would work well as a school film to give kids a history lesson they can expand on later, but its target audience is the couch potato (GUILTY AS CHARGED!), and we don't need $79 million spent on a film, just so long as it tells a good story! Even Wolf from Gladiators gives an OK performance, and if that isn't enough, Robin Hood makes a guest appearance at the end of the film! If its a rainy Wednesday afternoon and the wife is out,and 'Loose Women' is on TV, you will probably be a lot happier giving up an hour and a half on this film than watching the previously mentioned programme!!

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Scottish Gaelic

Release Date:

12 April 1996 (UK)

Also Known As:

Robert Brus

Filming Locations:

Blackness Castle, Blackness, Linlithgow, Falkirk, 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