Braveheart (1995)

“Would you be willin' for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take... OUR FREEDOM!” “Alba gu bràth!” (“Scotland Forever”). Do you know what movie features that famous quote from? It’s from Director Mel Gibson’s 1995 epic historical action drama BRAVEHEART. The film is based on the true story of William Wallace (Mel Gibson), a 13th Century Scottish man and patriot, who rallies his fellow countrymen into liberation with the English and to overthrow King Edward I aka “Longshanks” (Patrick McGoohan – ITV’s Secret Agent aka Danger Man). The film also stars Sophie Marceau (007 – The World is Not Enough) as Princess Isabelle of France, Angus Macfadyen (Cradle Will Rock) as 17th Earl Robert the Bruce, Brendan Gleeson (28 Days Later) as William’s often short-sighted but thinks with his fists childhood friend Hamish Campbell, Catherine McCormack (Spy Game) as William’s wife Murron MacClannough, David O’Hara (The Departed) as the fearless Irishman Stephen, James Cosmo (Highlander) as Hamish’s father Campbell the Elder, Peter Hanly (BBC’s Ballykissangel) as Longshanks’s homosexual son Prince Edward of Wales, Ian Bannen (Ghost Dad) as Robert’s father The Leper, Tommy Flanagan (Smokin’ Aces) as Morrison, Alun Armstrong (The Mummy Returns) as Mornay, Michael Byrne (Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade) as Smyth, John Kavanagh (The Black Dahlia) as Craig, Stephen Billington (Resident Evil) as Prince Edward’s lover Phillip, John Murtagh (Rob Roy) as Lochlan, Richard Leaf (The Fifth Element) as the Governor of York, and Brian Cox (Manhunter) as William’s uncle and Roman catholic priest Argyle Wallace. I’ve heard about this movie since it came out when I was six years old. I grew up watching Mel Gibson in other films such as the LETHAL WEAPON movies, and I would never see BRAVEHEART till I was 22. This was Gibson’s second film as Director after 1993’s THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE and originally was to direct and co-produce BRAVEHEART only, but finally agreed to star in it as well after he couldn’t decide who would be the right choice for Wallace. American stuntman Mic Rodgers, who was also Gibson’s stuntman from 1984 to 1997, was the stunt coordinator for the battle sequences, including the Stirling battle sequence, which features Gibson saying the famous “Freedom” speech, was shot with nine cameras within a period of six weeks between mid-July and August 1994. Filmed entirely in Scotland and Ireland for five months between June to October of 1994, BRAVEHEART was released on May 24th, 1995. Although the film was at #7 at the box office opening weekend with $2,642,460, and grossing over $75,609,945 worldwide, BRAVEHEART was nominated for 10 Academy Awards at the 68th Academy Awards in 1996, but only won five awards: Mel Gibson for Best Director, John Toll for Best Cinematography, Lon Bender and Per Hallberg for Best Sound Editing; Peter Frampton, Paul Pattison, and Lois Burwell for Best Makeup, and Best Picture. I have seen other historical epic movies such as GLADITATOR, SPARTACUS, and ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES, I found BRAVEHEART to be very entertaining and I really loved James Horner’s music for the film. I add BRAVEHEART to that list of historical epics I’ve seen. And if you haven’t seen it, I recommend it.