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Saw this in the theaters with my family when I was 15. I HATE crying in front of people during movies and I remember we were all in tears. My dad was wiping tears off this face, my stepmom was outright bawling, and even my brothers were pretending that they weren't crying. LOL. The scene with the thistle and the music there made a HUGE impression on me as a teenager. I found it beautiful and absolutely haunting. Haven't watched this movie in years and it was so fun to see your reaction.
Same, I think it was the first realistic movie seen. Like if this was any movie before it. His friends would swing in and rescue him and he gets the princess.
When the film was released it was being shown in a cinema in Glasgow, Scotland. An English football team was playing in Glasgow and it's supporters went to see the film either before or after the match against a Scottish team. When the Battle of Stirling Bridge took place in the film the English fans erupted with fury, the Scottish in the cinema went mental and a huge fight took place!
Dang, you edited around the most important word spoken in the film. Where he yells FREEEEEEDOM in defiance, even though it means his death. One of the greatest moments. Such an amazing film.
Good. Because he never said it; in fact we don’t know what his final words were. I’ve listed everything that’s wrong with Braveheart (who was in fact Robert The Bruce….not Wallace) in a separate post.
how can you claim that he never said it and right after you say that we don't know what his last words were? if we don't know what his last words were then it could've been whatever including "FREEEDOM"@@davidanderson1639
Yes, Gibson's character is supposed to be younger than he appears. Gibson was offered the role, and he said he was too old and he asked to direct it instead. Somehow, he ended up doing both.
I was a scrawny 14 year-old when I saw the Thursday midnight showing of this the night before opening day. This film made me feel a passion I had never felt before. The rush was incredible. I remember immediately going home and lifting weights until the sun came up. I actually got to tell the story to Mel while working on one of his other films, and he told me that his producer looked at him after the first screening and said, "boys are going in to see this movie and are coming out men."
Special shout to the LATE GREAT JAMES HORNER who without his STUNNING SCORE this movie wouldn’t have had nearly the same impact… R.I.P. James! Saw this weeks after its release alone and was sooooo blown away by it dragged my GF to it the next night!
Yep this one is up there with Titanic and Field of Dreams for his best. Horner's on my Mt. Rushmore of the greatest composers of all time. Right next to Williams and Zimmer.
Cannot believe Horner did not win an Oscar for the score. The score is one of if not the greatest score ever made on film! Horner was shafted tbh. Deserved it.
Murron's death is all the more heartbreaking when you notice the fact that just before he did it, her eyes were scanning the hills in the distance, hoping William would come and save it, but he never does. 💔😭
One thing that hits me so hard in this movie that nobody talks about is the father-son relationships. 4 instances of father-son relationships, with different dynamics, and the father dies (one a metaphorical death). William’s relationship was never realized. Robert detested his father. The King was a tyrannical father. And of course, Hamish. The relationship we men all wish to have with our fathers and sons. In my mind, other than the liberty stuff, this seems like the next most important theme. But no one ever seems to notice.
William's father, Sir Malcom Wallace, did not die when William was a young boy, orphaning him and leaving him with a hatred of violence and the English. Malcolm Wallace died in 1291 after being involved in several skirmishes with the English over the years and his son William was a full-fledged adult rebel at the time of his death. Oh & he never shouted ‘Freedom’ in fact we don’t know what his final words were. Also, let’s not forget Braveheart wasn’t William Wallace; it was actually Robert The Bruce who was given the nickname.
I love your perspective and film knowledge. My sister's husband was killed, execution style, in the line of duty in 2002. Mel Gibson's people reached out to my sister and our family met him secretly. He gave my niece $10K for her education and spent time with us. He is as charming as you can imagine. His eyes were the bluest I've ever seen. By the way, Dave, the one that was murdered, he was a big fan of this film.
Can I ask why? She just smiles all the time. Even throughout this film she's nothing but smiles. Sometimes it's okay to smile but sometimes not. This isn't a film that should make u smile constantly. It's weird.
28:52 - "Is he qualified?" - "I am skilled in the arts of secret backdoor negotiations and swordplay tactics, sire" - "Very well, I will make you responsible for the development of our airborne tactical doctrine...come, let me show you"
"Why didn't they do anything?" Do recall the beginning of the film. "History is written by those who hanged heros". They were there to bear whitness. To tell his story and be his voice.
@@Henrik_Holst yeah really. Two dudes in cloaks... maybe armed with daggers, are going to rush the stage and fight through the dozens of guardsmen and men at arms in the castle to escape lol
7:56 - Yeah, this is one of those movies with good cinematography. Not just gorgeous shots, but *_well placed/used_* shots. Nowadays they tend to overdo things. But this? This, boys and girls is how you do it!
For my money, Brendan Gleeson is one of the best actors working today, and every time I see him in something I think about Hamish. The two guys who were the "common soldiers" in many scenes (the ones who wanted to leave the battle in the first scene) were in a movie together a few years later called "My Name is Joe". It's a Scottish film and while I scoffed initially that there were subtitles since they were speaking English, I don't think I would have understood a word without them.
During his acceptance speech at the Oscar's when he won Best Director, after his list of "Thank yous", Gibson quipped "Now that I'm a bona fide Director with a Golden Boy, I guess I can try to do what every other Director seems to want to do, and that is act!"
The speech Wallace gives before the first battle (Stirling Bridge), like the speech Aragon gives before the battle at the Black Gates, are both based on the St. Crispin’s Day speech from Shakespeare’s Henry V.
if you have never been the remote Scottish highlands are some of the most amazing and beautiful places on the earth, the peace and quite you get there is just amazing. what the do to willam wallace at the end is called being Hung Drawn and quatered.
The only thing comparable was Monty Python and the Holy Grail! I’m convinced that the crew of Braveheart took a lot of visual inspiration from that film… and the costume designer, Charles Knode, worked on Holy Grail!
I was 15, but I missed it in the theater when it was released, but my luck, they re-showed it in a school holiday 7 or 8 months later, so I went to the first showing of the day, it was only me and 1 other young guy in the theater. It was epic, sitting alone in the dark and crying my eyes out, nobody had seen a movie like this in years back in 95!!! It didn't have anything like this it could copy or borrow from. This is a masterpiece and wish I could see it for the first time again
I remember when this came out and the controversy about the horses. They released behind the scenes footage to show the horses were fake and no horses got harmed.
I first saw Braveheart in 2005 in high school, literally - Mr Forsyth chose it for the visual media part of our English class. As such, I've seen it, particularly the Battle of Stirling Bridge scene ("the sword against the blue sky reflects the blue of the Scottish flag and that's why the director chooses to focus on it", etc), more times than I can recall. So it's testament to the strength of the movie that *despite* this introduction and exposure, I love it all the same. Historically, it's a mess, and not just for the points you raised. The Battle of Stirling Bridge took place on, well, a bridge. The Scots won through basically bottlenecking the English advances onto the bridge and killing them in waves, not through long spears or burning field tricks. The French princess not only wasn't in Britain at the time of Wallace's campaign, but was also just three years old. See also: face paint, tartan, and two-handed swords as other things very unlikely to have been in force at the time. Most amusing of all: the Scottish hero William Wallace is played by Australian Mel Gibson; The King of England is Patrick McGoohan, an Irishman; and the mad King Stephen of Ireland is portrayed by David O'Hara, who despite the name is Scottish. Congratulations - between this and Trainspotting you've probably covered two of the most fundamental cornerstones of Scottish-based cinema! Might I suggest Shallow Grave and/or The Angels' Share for two more? Thank you for these reactions - oatcakes and cheese to eat for myself!
Second "The Angels' Share" for sure. And I may be showing my age here but for me no list of Scottish film suggestions can be complete without "Gregory's Girl" (the first time I remember watching a film and really seeing us in it) and "Restless Natives", with an honourable mention to "Local Hero". (for me BTW one of 'Braveheart's more egregious transgressions is a more meta issue - it mostly wasn't even filmed in Scotland. 'Rob Roy' played similarly fast and loose with history _and_ featured a non-Scot lead playing Scottish but at least it features the actual Highlands and filmed with such loving care it's basically landscape porn at times)
Yeah, the receding hairline bit is kinda true of Celtic peoples. I had a Slavic friend say to me, “You’re of Irish blood, so don’t get to fond of your hair” BUT! I can grow a magnificent blonde, red, black and grey beard!
Loved your reaction to the movie.. When the movie came out in 95 in Scotland. I remember everyone standing and clapping at the end of the film! Also a couple of interesting facts.. Where I stay in Scotland is a place called Ayr. William Wallace spent a lot of his life in this area. The hanging of the Scottish nobles in a Barn near the start of the movie, was based on events in a poem by the poet Blind Harry. The Scottish Nobles were lured to the Barns of Ayr, captured by English troops and hung. Wallace evaded the trap. He then set fire to the English Soldier's Ayr barracks in retaliation. The Wallace monument stands in a field, in the small Scottish Parish of Craigie. The town of Ayr can be seen in the distance. The 60 foot monument is called the Barnweil Monument. It is dedicated to the memory of William Wallace and the burning of the English barracks. Burn Weil said Wallace.. which meant Burn Well!
You are without a doubt the most knowledgeable and thorough provoking movie reviewer, I know I'll enjoy this masterpiece watching again through your iiiiii s
Yes, the romance between Wallace and the French princess was completely fictional. In reality, she was just a young child when Wallace was killed. They never actually met.
@@davidanderson1639 Yes. I think if you are creating something based on actual events you have a responsibility to be as accurate as possible. Otherwise, people watching TV dramas might think Anne Boleyn was black. Oh, wait a minute….
@@jameslinham2733 What? So you’re also going to be telling me Cleopatra wasn’t Black?? 🤣🤣 I totally agree with you. If you are wishing to adapt a historical event into a film, then it should be as accurate as possible. Even Spielberg made errors in Saving Private Ryan; the large metal structures seen on the beach are facing the wrong direction….I’m assuming the production designer worked from photos of the landings?
Here's a suggestion Shanelle, a good film where also main actor and director are the same one: Dances with Wolves (1990) It is a Western starring, directed, and produced by Kevin Costner. It's an adaptation of the 1988 novel of the same name by Michael Blake. I'd recommend the extended version (although it's a long one).
Just for clarity, historically _many_ horses (and other animals) have been killed or injured in the process of making movies - in early westerns for instance, if you saw a horse go down it was likely because it had been tripped, _often_ leading to injuries and/or death. But by the 90s (when 'Braveheart' was made) those practices had long been outlawed and animal treatment tightly regulated to prevent cruelty.
I didn’t see the movie in its initial theatrical run, but it got more showings when it was buzzing pre-Oscars. My parents and I saw it and of course loved it, and we were so happy and proud when it won Best Director and Picture. Top five all-time for me.
Good reaction Shan. Amazing movie, and yes, they played very loose with the facts, but the storytelling is phenomenal. The complaints about the lack of accuracy miss the fact that this entertainment, not documentary.
Yeah... but entertainment that pretends to be telling history, facts, and truth when it's not can have real world consequences. One can say all the same things about "Lost Cause" movies about the South and slavery, etc. People believe and invest themselves in those stories, and that matters when they are lies and it affects other people in the present.
@@josephmayo3253 It added fuel to an independence movement in Scotland. If people want that for contemporary reasons, that's fine, but it demonstrates that people do assume fiction is history. And history has always had issues with being confused with and used as propaganda to serve present agendas. That's why its historians' jobs to note when a story gets things wrong.
@@josephmayo3253as someone half English half Scottish I'd say this type of film gives the usual English man = bad narrative. Based on fallacies Its certainly retelling of history. It would be similar to making a film depicting poor American setters being attacked by violent native Americans. And basing it on real events that were not accurate
I first saw this film in 1995. The screening was at theater which had an ornate balcony and proscenium arch, normally used for larger scale stage productions. They did a series of movie screenings in the 90s, which included As Good As It Gets.
29:29 - 'Cause the prince sent her to the meetings with his father instead of going himself, so Edward pays him back by sending her to negotiate. To humiliate him basically.
You are right about the love story not happening. Isabella was still a child in France when Wallace was fighting the English. Akso, Wallace was NOT Braveheart, that is the name given to Robert the Bruce.
There was some behind the scenes footage somewhere, maybe on certain editions of the DVD, where they go into depth and show production footage of how they costumed so many extras and such for the huge set piece battles, how they used fake horses in spots, etc. This was a huge movie to film, and you gotta give it up to the producers and all the production assistants that had to coordinate this.
One of my favourite movies. My only gripe is that a lot of people seem to think this is a documentary, accurately portraying what happened at this point in history.
The Battle where he says They make take our lives but they will never take our Freedom! was The Battle of Sterling Bridge. You may notice there is no Bridge. Robert the Bruce is where Batman gets his first name from.
Braveheart Epic movie. Shanelle, another epic very well acted movie based on real people in history. "Tombstone" with Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer. Playing Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.
Gibson was 38 but was Wallace was meant to be 25. He didn't look 25, but was so good you just went with it. Plus I feel his maturity played into the depth of portrayal of Wallace and even added to it.
The villain in Braveheart is one of the best villains ever put to screen and why, because he was just pure evil. Modern movies try their best to make the villain sympathetic by giving them a sad back story. We need villains again that is just pure evil. The music in Braveheart is beyond spectacular.
General Douglas Macarthur gave a speech in Japan upon seeing the look of hope escaping his troops, Gen Mac told of his aunt who was attacked by a mountain lion the beast's jaws clenched her neck... she fought back and carried the scars of that attack on her neck till the grave. General Douglas Macarthur's aunt was The Great Grand Daughter of a Scottish Earl
Loved your reaction to Braveheart shanelle and only one word comes to mind and that's "FFRRREEEEEDDDOOOMMM". Also I've said it before and I'll say it again us Scots will make you an adoptive Scots lassie one of these days because your Scottish accent is doing just nicely, so your doing well with it lass.......your doing well with it.
Being of Scottish ancestry I waited for this film to hit the theaters and saw it 5 times. This is a Great film, Theatrically. Historically it is full of inaccuracies. Kilts were not a the a garment during Wallace's time. Battle at Sterling was in fact at Sterling Bridge. As the English was bottle necked crossing the bridge, the Scots annihilated them. Wallace never met the Princess of Wales. She was all of 13 when Wallace was executed. King Edward Longshanks lived almost 2 years after Wallace. Yes, Hamish is Brendan Gleeson, Mad-Eye Moody. A better Scottish film is Rob Roy staring Liam Neeson, Jessica Lang. It was released 1 month before Braveheart. Also saw it 5 times.
I saw it on the first date with the woman who is now my wife. We arrived early ti the theatre and thought we were late and walked in during the torture scene at the end of the movie. Because his wife shows up in the crowd, I was never so shocked at a movie death in my life.
As far as saying “why didn’t his friends do anything?”, the 2 men (who were wanted criminals as well) were surrounded by armed guards at a public torture, with dozens if not a hundred or more people who (initially) were thirsting for his torture & death, in a place that was guarded and protected. What could they have done? Possibly today we are so inundated by fantasy or comic book superhero scenarios that viewers expect/hope for unrealistic, fairytale endings. Although there are plenty of historical inaccuracies in the film, it is true that Wallace was tortured and executed. Changing his death into an impossible “happy ending” would have made the film less powerful as well as removed one of the more important historical aspects of the film.
I don't care what any historian or film snob says, Braveheart is one of the most inspiring and Powerful movies ever made. It just shows you how great of a filmmaker Mel Gibson truly is. Unfortunately since he decided to be more honest and truthful than Hollywood wanted, he is a black sheep and subject to a lot of ridicule. But the movie stands the test of time. It will continue to stand the test of time. It will outlive all of these critics and even Mel Gibson
Saw this with my high school sweetheart. Didn't realize it was rated R til after we'd been dropped off, and neither of us had IDs. Oops! Luckily the lady selling tickets either believed the evidence of our class rings, or just didn't get paid enough to care. (I actually was 17, my boyfriend might have been just a little shy of it ...) I was inspired to dress as a warrior from Braveheart the following Halloween, which basically meant I bought a few bucks' worth of plaid cloth to wrap around me, and slathered on some blue face paint.
Great movie. Another great historical movie that came out the same time but was overshadowed by this movie success is Rob Roy 1995 with Liam Nisson.. Also there is the great movie The Count Of Monte Cristo 2002
Although I loved this film I don't think is can be called a great historical film due to its vast inaccuracies. I'm half English half Scottish and my Scottish farther absolutely hated this film due to its inaccuracies from Wallace relationship to a princess that was around 5 years old at the time. To the awful depiction of Robert the Bruce. A very entertaining fimn but historically inaccurate
When they cut off his... yk what (egg plant) during the torture in front of all the people, just before he screams freedom- always makes me feel immense physical and emotional pain.. Love this movie so much. First time watching your reaction, I will be watching many more!
This was the first soundtrack i ever bought! This was the background for many of our Dungeon N Dragons games lol. Also, Sophie Marceau(french queen)....my first love!
