Braveheart Vs History

own liking because of the nature of these stories. This is only one of many reason, however, that can attract a filmmaker to the Middle Ages. Another reason is more ideological and academic in nature, which can found in the film Braveheart. Mel Gibson's Braveheart displays a way to introduce historical events to the present day though the use of imaginative history and film adaptation. Lawarence Raw's book reviews of several medievalism texts, Imaginative History and Film Adaptations, proposes the idea that there could interdisciplinary work between filmmakers and historians (in particular medievalists) which could lead to a more comprehensive understanding of medieval history and the importance of adaptation. History is argued, through
The film does not possess the more light-hearted adventure style of storytelling that the folk story aspects of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves did and instead opts for a more gritty and tragic tone throughout the film. The violence throughout the film is bloody, gory, and sudden which is more representative of what the battles that William Wallace would have looked like in real life. There are moments during the Battle of Stirling Bridge where men's hands are cut clean off their arms and fly towards the camera, spraying blood from the wound. While this is a bit biologically inaccurate, the shock and feeling of illness that this visual provides the audience helps immerse them in the reality of what the violence during this time period would have looked like. In a sense, some of the fictional aspects of the film actually make the film feel more accurate to the viewer than they would actually be, with a similar amount of effectiveness that a historian's work would. However, the film's historically accurate feel, reimagining of history, and impact on culture extends further than its aesthetic
While this is true of the film, the historical and cultural impact it had on Scotland and William Wallace cannot be denied. Wallace had always been an important figure in Scottish history, but he had lost of his significance over time until Braveheart was released in 1995. Despite the film being American made, it sparked a resurgence in Scottish nationalism, a heightened reverence towards William Wallace, and a vote in 1997 on the devolution between Wales and Scotland which led to the creation of a Scottish Parliament (the first one in over 300 years) which, coincidently, fell on the 700th anniversary of Wallace's victory at Stirling Bridge. In the build up to this vote, the Scottish press was littered with Braveheart references and the Aberdeen Pres and Journal worded their report on the vote as such, "The vote to give Scotland its first parliament in 300 years came on the 700ths anniversary of 'Braveheart' William Wallace's victory over the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge." This demonstrates that Braveheart, regardless of its historical accuracy, had a qualitative impact on Scotland and the perception of William Wallace after its release. The film reintroduced the legend of William Wallace to a younger generation of people and that impact lead to a greater