Braveheart Movie Review

Gibson, Mel, dir. Braveheart. Writ. Randall Wallace. Paramount Pictures, 1995. CD-ROM.

         The movie Braveheart directed by and starring Mel Gibson portrays the life of William Wallace, a medieval Scottish war leader and rebel. The film illustrates the rise of William Wallace who incites a Scottish rebellion for freedom after his wife is murdered by an English solider whom she assaulted after he attempted to rape her. William soon after begins attacking English camps, killing all soldiers and declaring the need for Scottish independence. The tyrant English king, Edward I, is originally unable to defeat William and his men until William is captured and imprisoned by the English and tried for treason. He is sentenced to torture and death but only after winning the favor and respect of the Princess of Wales, Edward II’s wife. William is executed at the end of the film, but nobly refuses to beg the English crown for mercy, and instead utters his last dying wish before being beheaded: “Freedom!” (Braveheart).

           

        The film is seen as one of the more historically inaccurate films of the modern era, featuring many historical falsities. One of the more glaring inaccuracies within the film is the illustration of William’s social class. Throughout the film William is pictured as a poor peasant, wearing brown rags with a dirty face, living in a small hut made out of sticks, mud, and stone. This is a traditional Hollywood view of medieval peasantry, whereas historians know William came from a lower noble family, and not of the extreme poverty as shown in the film. Another inaccuracy portrayed in the film is the idea of ius primae noctis or “right of the first night”. This fictional idea holds that the rightful king of the land is allowed privileges to all of the brides within his kingdom on the first night of their marriage. This is shown in the film as Edward I attempts to solidify his domination over Scotland by declaring ius primae noctis . Upon William’s return to his home village, and after Edward had declared his right of the Scottish brides, an English army comes to the village and takes away the newest bride amidst the village wedding celebration. This is the first act of the English that anger the Scottish men. In the scene of the Battle of Falkirk, William gives a speech to his men before the battle, claiming the Scottish right to rebel. He shouts, “They may take our brides, but they cannot take our freedom!” (Braveheart). Throughout the film, the idea of ius primae noctis becomes one of the most important symbols of the robbery of Scottish rights. However, this practice is in no way historical, and was never declared by any medieval king.

       William as a boy, seen in brown rags, with his house (hut) behind him made of stone and straw.

            

       Although the film portrays many historical inaccuracies and glorified Hollywood ideals, the producers and costume designers were particularly precise in their creation of medieval fighting and armor. Much of the movie is dedicated to battle scenes, but the costuming proved to be quite accurate to the time period of Wallace and the Wars of Scottish Independence. In the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries, mail was still a dominant form of body armor. The English soldiers were often portrayed in mail, while the Scottish were seemingly less sophisticated of a fighting force, and instead wore their daily medieval garb in battle. The English also were shown in conical steel helmets, with swords and lances. One of the battle leaders was even shown in a barrel helmet. The Scottish, conversely, in keeping with the theme of their lack of sophistication, rarely had swords, and instead fought with large warhammers and small axes. Some Scottish soldiers even held slings. Both the English and Scottish were shown with shields, both round and heater shaped, appropriate to the century. The English, in keeping with the history and tradition of the English army, were shown with their deadly longbow men yielding a deadly attack upon the Scottish.

      William with his army. Notice the weapons they hold: axes, blunt swords, and even large sticks.

            Also historically accurate was the film’s depiction of the manner in which battle was executed. The Scottish soldiers were depicted yielding a battering ram upon an English fortress to gain access in the Battle of Falkirk. In response to the Scottish invasion, the English throw hot tar and fire over the top of the soldiers from inside the fortress. Both of these events are highly exact depictions of siege warfare, and the importance of laying siege and protecting from it. Aside from the scene with the battering ram, all other battle scenes occur with face-to-face combat, where the rules of battle were greatly respected. Both the English and Scottish would meet at the battlefield and would not launch any surprise or sneak attacks until the priests had completed their prayers and both sides engaged one another.

            

      One of the central themes to the movie was the idea of chivalry and courtly love. Before the rebellion begins, William falls in love with a local village woman, Murron, and marries her in secret to avoid her being taken due to ius primae noctis . Shortly after their secret marriage, however, an English solider in the village attempts to rape Murron. Murron attacks the solider in response to his attempted rape, and is killed in front of the village as a punishment for confronting the English soldier. William is thereafter driven to rebel in response to Murron’s murder, and desires to avenge the death of his bride. He carries her handkerchief with him throughout the movie, only allowing it to fall after being beheaded. Courtly love is also demonstrated in the film, which holds that knights were so consumed with love for a woman, they would do anything for her. William’s entire journey to freedom is interpreted even by those around him as a response to his love for Murron and his desire to make her happy and proud, even in her death. In the execution scene, before his death, William sees Murron in the crowd, smiling, comforting him. This seems to signify that William had finally succeeded in his courtly love duties, and could finally go meet her in the afterlife.

William with Murron in the village before her death. William's love for her remained central to his cause throughout the entire film.

            Another central theme to the film was the idea of freedom and William’s rejection of politics. William is often confronted with both English and Scottish royals and nobles, yet he rejects their roles and instead believes each Scot should be free. In an exchange between Robert the Bruce, the rightful king of Scotland, and William, William discards politics and reveals his true thoughts about both men’s roles. He says, “There's a difference between us. You think the people of this country exist to provide you with position. I think your position exists to provide those people with freedom. And I go to make sure that they have it,” (Braveheart). Much of William’s desire for freedom appears to come from the childhood influence of his father who tells him before going to battle: “Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it,” (Braveheart). The torture and execution scene, perhaps the most important scene in the movie, reveals William’s ultimate chivalry and bravery, as he is willing to die for Scottish freedom.

Robert the Bruce discussing Scottish freedom and politics with William. It is in this scene that William tells Robert he desires total Scottish freedom, and fights hard for it. 

            Overall the movie Braveheart, while not known for its historical accuracy, was an entertaining film that presented several medieval themes and ideas. The film’s use of armor and fighting was pleasingly accurate, as well as the notions of chivalry, bravery, and courtly love. While the film did buy in to popular culture’s ideas of medieval life and peasantry, it nonetheless presented an idea that is still important in today’s culture: the desires of Scottish independence from Britain. Even in the wake of the 2014 election, while Scotland voted to remain a part of the United Kingdom, there still remain supporters of William Wallace’s cause and love for independence and freedom. For this reason, Braveheart will remain a must-see for many people for many years to come.