DVD Review: Braveheart (Special Collector's Edition)

By Adnan Tezer Dec 19, 2007, 0:32 GMT

Mel Gibson directs and stars in this Academy Award-winning epic based on the life of legendary thirteenth century Scottish hero William Wallace. Returning to his homeland following the death of an heirless king, Wallace (Mel Gibson) finds the political landscape precarious. Edward the Longshanks, King of England (Patrick McGoohan), has captured Scotland\'s throne and threatens the freedom of all Scottish people, as tyrannical policies instituted by the English plague the ...more

Mel Gibson’s Braveheart remains a sweeping epic in the grand sense of old Hollywood sword and sandal films. The Academy Award winning Best Picture of 1995, which also garnered Gibson a Best Director statue, has aged well after 12 years and remains a breathtaking spectacle in every sense.

For those who are interested in how this epic came to the screen as well as the real life stories of Wallace and Robert the Bruce, this double dip is well worth the investment.

The film loosely chronicles William Wallace, the legendary Scottish warrior who led his nation into battle against the English. Wallace remains the most hailed hero of Scotland because of his great courage, bravery and military intelligence. Before Braveheart was released in 1995, not many in the United States were aware of the Wallace legacy.

It’s important to know that much of Braveheart is myth and sometimes outright cinematic whimsy. In 1280 A.D. Edward I of England (Patrick McGoohan), known as "Longshanks," has occupied much of Scotland, and his oppressive rule there leads to the deaths of William Wallace's father and brother.

Years later and after Wallace (now played by Mel Gibson) has grown up with his uncle (Brian Cox in a wonderful cameo) outside of Scotland, the Scots continue to live under the harsh thumb of Longshanks' cruel laws. Wallace returns, intent on living as a farmer and avoiding violence.

Wallace reconnects with his childhood love Murron (Catherine McCormack) and the two marry in secret to avoid the prima nocte decree the King has set forth. After Wallace beats up a group of English soldiers attempting to rape Murron, the village Sheriff publicly cuts her throat before Wallace is able to save her.

An enraged Wallace, with the assistance of his fellow townsmen, slaughters the English soldiers at the encampment, killing the sheriff in the same manner that Murron was killed. He then orders the burning of the local English fort, and unintentionally kindles a Scottish rebellion fighting for freedom from the oppressive English.

News of the rebellion spreads quickly, and hundreds of Scots from the surrounding clans volunteer to join Wallace's militia led by his childhood friend Shamus (Brendan Gleeson) and the appropriately named Mad Stephen (David O’ Hara).

Wallace leads his army through a series of successful battles against the English, including the Battle of Stirling in 1297 and the sacking of the city of York. However, he is betrayed by the Scottish nobility and defeated at the Battle of Falkirk.

He then goes into hiding. Meanwhile, Princess Isabelle (Sophie Marceau), whose husband Prince Edward (Longshanks's homosexual son and heir) ignores her, meets with Wallace as the English King's emissary.

They later become romantically involved, one of the many historical liberties the film takes.  Still believing there is some good in the nobility of his country, Wallace eventually agrees to meet with Robert the Bruce (Angus MacFayden). He is caught in a trap set by the elder Bruce (Ian Bannen) and the other nobles, beaten unconscious, handed over to the English Crown and publicly executed.

Gibson stages every moment with a sure handedness that one would not expect from a sophomore directorial outing. After directing the smaller scale The Man Without a Face, Gibson would catapult himself into the big leagues of directing with Braveheart.

Whether it’s the quiet beauty of a sunset between Wallace and Murron or the savage, primordial moment of battle, Braveheart does not ring a false note emotionally or physically. Gibson wisely surrounded himself with a top notch cast and crew that brought out the best in each other. 

Gibson gives perhaps his greatest performance as Wallace as he is able to bring the man’s humanity and love out early so as to balance with his unspeakably savage desire for revenge and Scottish freedom. Much like his iconic Martin Riggs from the Lethal Weapon films, Gibson imbues Wallace with a charming, flamboyant devil may care attitude that can turn relentlessly violent when needed to.

At the time of the film’s release, Gibson’s star was never brighter. It’s doubtful that given his recent problems, the public would’ve responded as well to Braveheart had it been released today for the first time.  

McGoohan makes his Longshanks one of the truly reviled cinematic villains in recent years. Both McCormack and Marceau bring a gorgeous yet elegant presence to their respective roles as Murran and Queen Isabella; the women in Wallace’s life. 

When Wallace remarks that Isabella reminds him of Murran, you believe him. Angus McFayden’s Robert the Bruce effectively shows a man caught between his father’s own twisted desires and his own.

John Toll’s gorgeous, lush cinematography captures the green beauty of open Scottish land and the hot blooded thrill of battle.  The battle scenes which everyone remembers, especially the infamous Battle of Stirling with the “They’ll never take our freedom” speech remain amongst the best ever put on film and revolutionized the art of filming authentic violence. They are gory, violent and uncompromising. Using thousands of extras, Gibson is able to project large scale warfare on screen without ever losing the audience. 

Oliver Stone should’ve had this film on a loop when he was making Alexander as his battle scenes, while visually exciting, leave one confused. In Braveheart, Gibson wisely takes you with him into battle and makes sure that you understand the strategy at play. The sheer rush of anticipation when the Scots and the English rush each other will have you feeling as if you are in the middle of the battle.

James Horner’s sweeping, bagpipe-laden score, arguably his best, can alternately bring you to tears one moment than get you in an adrenalized, passionate mood wanting blood the next. 

The first disc contains the film and the imported commentary track by Gibson from the 2000 DVD release. It is full of historical information and insight from Gibson, who is at his fun loving best and free with his praise for all who contributed to the film.

It’s fascinating to hear him talk about the length of time and difficulty in filming the epic battle scenes and he even accuses Spielberg of ripping off some of his filming techniques in the battle scenes for Saving Private Ryan. 

More importantly he admits the historical inaccuracy of certain subplots including the prima nocte angle at the beginning of the film and the complete “cinematic whimsy” of the subplot involving the Princess and Wallace. If you have never heard of defenestration, you’ll learn about it here. 

The second disc contains the new features. There is the 21 ½ minute A Writer’s Journey focusing on writer Randall Wallace, the 30 minute Tales of William Wallace which details the real life exploits of Wallace and Robert the Bruce, 14 ½ minutes of Archived Interviews with the Cast of Braveheart and the 50 minute Alba gu Brath! The Making of Braveheart. 

The latter is easily the best feature of them all as it shows a present day Mel Gibson reflecting on the shoot while intermixed with archived footage from the shoot and interviews. Much of the featurette focuses on the grueling editing process that Gibson and Editor Steven Rosenblum went through as well as filming the epic battle sequences. For anyone interested in the real ins and outs of filming during pre and post production, this is a must see. There is also a photo gallery and two theatrical trailers.

The modest success of Braveheart’s U.S. theatrical run combined with its monumental worldwide theatrical success and its continued endurance on home video and DVD opened the door for future modern sword and sandal epics like Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Troy, Alexander and 300. Braveheart remains the best of these as its ferocious heart, cinematography, battle choreography, superb performances and sure direction sets it apart.

Braveheart (Special Collector's Edition) is now available at Amazon. As of yet, this version of the DVD is not available in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.