BRAVEHEART
A film review by Mike Townsend
Copyright 1995 Mike Townsend
Mel Gibson directs himself in BRAVEHEART, a three hour epic about 13th century Scot Sir William Wallace and his fight for Scottish freedom from England. The film takes many liberties with the historical Wallace. So much so that the historical Wallace gives way to the mythical Wallace, something of a Scottish George Washington/Nathan Hale/Patrick Henry, and one of the first voices of the nationalistic fever that remade the face of Europe.
Wallace is reluctant to fight the English presence in Scotland despite having experienced their terror as a child (James Robinson). But when the English brutalize his young wife Murron (Catherine McCormack), he changes from would be farmer to rebel leader. The rebellion becomes enmeshed in a complex web of intrigue centering on two families, the English Plantagenets, King Edward I and his son (Patrick McGoohan, Peter Hanly), and the Scottish Bruces (Ian Bannen, Angus McFayden), claimants to the vacant Scottish throne. Fathers are pitted against sons, Bruces against Plantagenets, Bruces against rival Scottish claimants, and Plantagenets against the young Princess of Wales (Sophie Marceau), who finds herself simultaneously attracted to the charismatic Wallace and repulsed by her husband and father-in-law. Wallace, whose earlier pacifism has been replaced by a single-minded nationalism, is unaware of many of these conflicts and bewildered or angered by most of the rest. He ultimately is overpowered by the forces surrounding him, but comes to accept it with an almost religious equanimity.
Gibson and screenwriter Randall Wallace do not stray from the traditional epic format. The film has all the textbook features: panoramic shots, bold and sweeping themes, a protagonist of heroic proportions, a larger than life treatment, and a long running time.
Moreover, the film borrows heavily from other sources. The basic story line is more than reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's SPARTACUS, and the relationship between Wallace and his lifelong friend Hamish (Brendan Gleeson) is clearly patterned after that of the Saturday matinee Robin Hood and Little John.
But there are many distinctive touches as well. Gibson's version of the battle of Stirling arguably is worth the price of admission. The staging and editing (Steven Rosenblum) leave the audience both enthralled and horrified. The archers, calvary, and infantry provide a 13th century version of a football kickoff; there is even Wallace's Knute Rockne like pep talk. The hand-to-hand combat is choreographed rather than directed, and the strategies unfold gradually, giving viewers the feeling of watching a lawn chess match using people as pieces. Finally, the battle proper is framed by shouting and posturing of such primal intensity that one is uncertain at times whether the Scots are men or some pre-human ancestors. The film has smaller effective moments as well. The parallel between the two key families is maintained at many levels, even down to the fathers' health. Viewed in this light, the controversial scene in which the King ejects his son's male lover is an essential counterpart of the elder Bruce's treatment of Wallace, the young Bruce's object of fascination. Parallelism is order of the day--note the segment in which deer is hunted by man who is hunted by assassin who is hunted by counter- assassin. Other things worth looking for include the recurrent use of dream imagery to highlight the mythical Wallace, and several muted references to the Scottish love of learning that was to culminate centuries later in the Scottish Enlightenment. Viewers also should examine the way the movie uses simple objects such as a thistle and two wedding cloths to develop the story.
WHO WILL LIKE THIS MOVIE?
For Gibson fans, the film will be a triumph. He creates a Wallace who dominates the movie without being oppressive. Indeed, those who like well-defined supporting roles should be pleased. Despite limited screen time, McCormack and Marceau produce such striking characterizations that BRAVEHEART fairly can be described as a love story. Other smartly done characters include Hamish's father Campbell (James Cosmo) and Wallace's Irish aide-de- camp Stephen (David O'Hara), a madcap who provides much of the film's comic relief. Action-adventure fans will not be disappointed, nor those interested in complex political intrigue. Technical buffs will enjoy the production values. Check out the sets (Tom Sanders--especially the progression of forts), costumes (Charles Knode--especially the dresses for the Princess), and cinematography (John Toll--especially the Wallace/Murron wedding night scenes). Film score enthusiasts will appreciate James Horner's melding of original music and well-known Scottish motifs.
WHO WILL NOT LIKE THIS MOVIE?
Viewers expecting historical epics to be historically accurate will be disappointed by what is added to, and deleted from, the film's Wallace. Those preferring protagonists to have dark sides will find this Wallace to be simplistic, if not superficial. Viewers more comfortable with a standard two hour length and relatively uncluttered story line will have trouble with the three hour running time and multitude of subplots. Finally, this picture is not for the truly squeamish. Most of the violence is quick or off screen, and many of the most gruesome types of incidents have appeared in other mainstream films. Nonetheless, the sheer volume of mayhem combined with the intense emotional tone of the film will leave few unaffected.
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews