BRAVEHEART – Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau – d: Mel Gibson
Braveheart (1995)
Direction: Mel Gibson
Screenplay: Randall Wallace
Cast: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Angus Macfadyen, James Robinson, Brendan Gleeson, Peter Hanly, Ian Bannen, James Cosmo, Catherine McCormack, David O’Hara, Brian Cox
Mel Gibson in Braveheart
Synopsis:
In the 13th century, William Wallace (Mel Gibson), aka Braveheart (in this film), leads the Scottish against English forces in order to attain freedom for his people.
The Pros:
- Production values that an estimated $50-70+ million could buy in the mid-1990s. (Much of this paean to Scottish nationalism was actually filmed in Ireland, thanks to tax concessions granted by the Irish government.)
- It ends.
The Cons:
- After watching Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, I thought no other best picture Oscar winner could possibly be more mind-numbingly bad. I was wrong.
- Randall Wallace’s conventional (and unhistorical) screenplay meanders aimlessly, with little thought to character development, psychological insights, or anything that would humanize the cardboard characters (dark villains, shining heroes) shown on screen.
- As a director, Mel Gibson displays a misguided passion for graphic violence; one that instead of vilifying war merely makes it tedious.
- Gibson is badly miscast as the Scottish warrior: his accent is poor, his love scenes are unconvincing, and his Jesus-like martyrdom is appallingly self-glorifying.
- The way Wallace and Gibson depict Edward II — played by Peter Hanly as a pathetic, hissy-fit prone swisher — says more about them than about the English monarch.
- It doesn’t end soon enough.
In Sum:
- Braveheart is only for aficionados of gory battle sequences, as Mel Gibson’s pseudo-historical epic has precious little else to offer.
5 Academy Award Wins
Best Picture: Mel Gibson, Alan Ladd Jr., Bruce Davey
Best Director: Mel Gibson
Best Cinematography: John Toll
Best Sound Effects Editing: Lon Bender, Per Hallberg
Best Makeup: Peter Frampton, Paul Pattison, Lois Burwell
5 Academy Award Nominations
Best Original Screenplay: Randall Wallace
Best Film Editing: Steven Rosenblum
Best Original Dramatic Score: James Horner
Best Costume Design: Charles Knode
Best Sound: Andy Nelson, Scott Millan, Anna Behlmer, Brian Simmons
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Tags: Braveheart, Film Reviews, Mel Gibson, Oscar 1995, Oscar Movies, Randall Wallace, Sophie Marceau
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Interesting, I`ll quote it on my site later.