Call me sentimental. But the scene where William Wallace (Mel Gibson) discovers that he has been betrayed by Robert Bruce (of spider watching fame) on the battle field, gets me every time. The look of futility, of defeat, is a rare one, but a defining moment in the film.
A question: would we appreciate the struggles of William Wallace and his band of merry Scotsmen if he were just a typical, dirty medieval figure in a stinking hovel? I suspect it is Mel Gibson’s portrayal which elevates Wallace to a heroic status outside his native Scotland, where he is a legend.
Braveheart, produced and directed by Mel Gibson, touches on the best things that lie in us all, without being clichéd in its treatment. It is the retelling of a historic event, set in the 13th century. It first sketches the childhood of Wallace and the annihilation of his family by the English. At that time, the Scottish nobility was mostly in league with the English powers-that-be, grabbing what favours they could, from them. The common man, however, suffered cruelly under the weight of English rule (sounds familiar?) and the indignities imposed on him.
For instance, the ruling noblemen had the right to deflower all the peasant brides on his land. When Wallace comes back to his village “all growed-up”, well educated by the standards of the time, this law leads him to marry his lady love, Murron, in secret. An act which costs her her life, and spurs Wallace on to become a crusader for Scotland’s freedom.
Also woven in is a little history of the Plantagenet kings of England, Edward the First, the Prince of Wales (later Edward the second, made famous by a play of the same name by Marlowe) and the Princess of Wales, played by the arrestingly beautiful Sophie Marceau.
The story thunders on as Wallace’s freedom struggle gains momentum and almost succeeds – if it weren’t for the vested interests of the Scottish nobility. Along the way, one sees Robert Bruce, nobleman born, wrestle with his conscience and slowly emerge to take his place in history as the liberator of Scotland.
Old fashioned values reign supreme. Valour. Patriotism. Heroism. And a good dose of down-to-earth humour. The soundtrack is just sublime. I have seen the other so-called epics of recent times – titanic, gladiator and none of them are a patch on this one.
Watch it for Mel Gibson. Watch it for the beautiful countryside. Watch it for the goosebumps it gives you.