Braveheart

This movie is big time Hollywood BS on a lot of issues. There’s no arguing that Gibson & Associates took "artistic" liberties and historical leave. William Wallace was likely not like Gibson’s character in his heroic motivations, his Indian-like approach to war, and his kilt-wearing tendencies. BUT, this is a great movie, I really believe that. A film this large is bound to have flaws, both intentional and accidental misinformation, so I’d rather look at it and write about it as a movie rather than an historical document or parabolic college theme paper. Like ‘Elizabeth,’ I consider this to be a great movie despite its transgressions. ‘Elizabeth’ embellishes itself in true Hollywood form, adding sex and scandal where there historically was none. To change the story of her, which was exceedingly amazing in real life, was thoughtless and money-based foolishness. Yet, it remains a great film, in my eyes.

Braveheart takes much less horrendous liberties with history, anyway, and tells a beautiful story in a beautiful manner. The scope of the battles is clear and brutal. The as near to truth as possible depiction of the battles is the first of its kind to my knowledge. Long before ‘Gladiator’s Roman onslaught and Saving Private Ryan’s frightfully realistic D-Day, Braveheart showed Medieval War like I have never seen on film. While the facts of the battles may be shaky in the film, the violence remains. This violence, unimaginable in real life, is shown with gore and close-ups, something absent in early war films. This violence, now acceptable on the big (literally) screen, is the most important part of the film if it’s to stay true to history. The violence, the blood and death of the time, is what is remembered, what was important. The cruelties of the kings and airy superiority of the Lords is what made the Medieval days so very gruesome (The Black Plague was pretty bad too I guess). Braveheart tows the viewer along on brutal ride after brutal ride in these beautiful and disgusting scenes. Wallace fought for a cause that remains in the world today, and the depravity of the oppression is equally as heightened now as it ever was. The warfare has become more "civil," or so we believe. The methods of government have become less acrimonious, supposedly, but the vision of the leaders in Braveheart, their utter devotion to their cause, their resistance, refusal to be pushed around without a fight, is the theme of many a human glory in our world, 800 years ago and yesterday alike. Braveheart to me is inspiring; I love to LET a movie take me away. I let this happen with bad films and good films, so I suppose I love to be fooled, otherwise I wouldn’t love movies like I do. Braveheart does fool the viewer, that is the nature of narrative film after all, but it exposes a dire hunger in the people of the film. It depicts people to whom risking life is an easy decision, to whom life is less important than liberty, or at least to whom life without liberty is something less than life. None of these people want to die, none of them try to be killed and become martyrs or heroes or victims. They want to be free and will fight for it. It’s pretty understandable a passion, I’d say. Our country was built upon rebellion against the English Crown, as are many, and to me, this movie enables those ancient yet breathing passions to unearth within my heart and mind, and I am in touch with a part of my personal past that is never going away. "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" were our words, Wallace’s would have been much more to the point, I think. The movie’s costumes, make-up, set dressing, and basic art direction are a far cry from Hollywood gloss, and I love it. There are definitely cheesy moments of romanticized fantasy (redundant?) but I don’t mind them like I do in other films because this film speaks a personal language, an instinctive hymn in which we unconsciously brew and upon which we built our freedom. We owe it to people like William Wallace, who started the Freedom Train in motion. All Aboard! Yeah Team!