A Summary and Review of Braveheart

By Nancy Hayden

A Summary and Review of Braveheart

No related posts.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.
  1. Nancy Hayden said

    The 1995 film "Braveheart," directed by and starring actor Mel Gibson, centered around 13th century Scottish hero William Wallace. Gibson plays the role of William Wallace who, having lost his father and older brother to a treacherous English plot, goes to live with his uncle in Europe. Early in the movie Wallace returns to the Scottish village of his birth with the intent of settling down on his father’s lands and raising a family. He quickly reconnects with a local girl he knew as a child and falls in love. Edward the Longshanks has decreed that the English lords in Scotland have the right to take newly wed women into their beds on the night of their marriage, so Wallace weds his love in secret.

     
    Just days after the marriage, English soldiers try to rape his young bride, but Wallace stops the attack and has to flee so as not to be killed. The lord of the land captures Wallace’s wife and slits her throat to goad him into returning and facing punishment for attacking English soldiers. The loss of another loved one to English nobility is the last straw for Wallace, prompting him to start a revolution. Using the military and scholarly education he received traveling Europe with his uncle, he rallies first the local Scottish tribes and then those further afield to fight and vanquish the English forces in Scotland.
     
    The revolution forces the English from Scotland and goes well until his main supporter and heir to the Scottish throne, Robert the Bruce, betrays him. Wallace becomes distraught and has to go into hiding, but he is eventually captured by the English king and put to death. Resolute to his final breath, Wallace undergoes a torturous death and refuses to swear allegiance to the English king even when offered a quick end.
     
    Review
    It is an inspiring story, loosely based on historic fact, and it captured the imagination of movie goers as well as bringing great acclaim in the form of awards. The story throughout is compelling and well written, with excellent acting and epically choreographed battle scenes. With tragedy, action, comedy and romance all combined expertly in one movie, it is little wonder that the film was such a commercial success worldwide. The film had a budget of around $53 million and grossed over $210 million worldwide.
     
    Awards
    At the 1996 Academy Awards, "Braveheart" won five Oscars including cinematography, directing, sound effects, make up and the prestigious best picture award. The film was also nominated in the best costume, film, music, sound and writing categories. The film, its cast and crew won various other awards including BAFTAs and a Golden Globe for best picture, cementing the movie’s place in cinematic history. 
     
    Cast
    With a cast of lesser known actors, many of whom have gone on to star in other historically-based movies in the years since, the movie’s big names included Mel Gibson, Brian Cox and Patrick McGoohan. Many of the acting performances in the movie were excellent even if no acting awards were among the many that the movie accumulated.  

Leave a Reply