Page 2 - Braveheart:
Fiction and Nationalism Con't
After it received ten Oscar nominations, Braveheart headed back to theatres
in early 1996 for a second run. Braveheart secured Mel Gibson's status
as an all-time movie star and gained respect for his production company, Icon
Pictures, when it walked away with five Academy Awards, including Best Director
for Gibson and Best Picture. The Oscar boost during the second theatrical release
allowed the movie to finish paying its bills and turn a profit.
Since Scottish history is less widely known in America, few early critical reviews
of Braveheart pointed out the historical inaccuracies. After the film garnered
media attention because of its Oscar considerations, scholars began to analyze
the movie for its accuracies and inaccuracies. Both Randall Wallace and Mel
Gibson readily admitted using dramatic license in their interpretation of history.
Gibson was never shy about admitting that he had added healthy doses of fictitious
dramatic elements to the story.
William Wallace, who lived in the 14th century, would not have worn kilts, which
did not appear in Scotland until the 17th century. There is no record of an
illegitimate child born between William Wallace and the Princess Isabella, although
the Scottish poet Blind Harry, who composed the epic poem 'Wallace' about a
century after William Wallace's life, may have influenced screenwriter Randall
Wallace. In his poem, Blind Harry had Wallace and King Edward Longshanks' wife
involved, which had no historical basis either.
Historians consider Edward II a wimp, because his wife Princess Isabella and
her lover usurped the throne from him. They even considered Edward so unthreatening
as to leave him alive and unimprisoned, but there is no evidence of homosexuality
on his part, as portrayed in the movie. This additional characterization received
protests from gay rights' activists, essentially because of the film's tone
of satisfaction when Edward I pushes his son's lover out a window.
Edward I, known as the Longshanks because of his long legs, spent much of his
reign at war, subjugating both Wales and Scotland through brutality and fear.
While he crushed Welsh rebellion, the Scottish rebellion would win out following
his death. Other inaccuracies in the film changed the locations
of battles and the chronology of events of the Scottish resistance.
Interestingly, historians and scholars in America and England criticized Braveheart
movie not for its treatment of the English, but for how the film had revised
and manipulated history and been praised for its dramatic elements. In the years
following its release, publicity around the movie continued and contributed
to a renewed interest in Scottish independence. Although debates had been going
on for years over the reopening of Scotland's Parliament, Braveheart's
appeal gave the efforts a needed boost.
On July 1st, 1999, the BBC's (British Broadcasting Company) coverage of the
Scottish Parliament's first session since 1707 included music from the film
played during the broadcast. An Internet webcast arranged by the Scottish government
was hosted from William Wallace's statue at Stirling with the help of the webmasters
of MacBraveheart
. In London newspapers articles covering the event alluded to Braveheart's influence
in revitalizing Scottish nationalism.
