Blu-ray Review: Braveheart (1995)

It's clear throughout Braveheart that it is very much Mel Gibson's baby. Gibson's typically Australian antagonism towards the English, continued in 2000's The Patriot, is given plenty of airing here. Taking on the unenviable task of both starring in and directing (for the first time) this monstrous, "they don't make 'em like this any more" three-hour epic, Gibson's lion-maned William Wallace dominates the film. The actor's Scottish accent may have been the subject of some ridicule since, but Gibson nails the essential charisma and physicality demanded by the part; you can understand why men would follow him into battle, and factor that the leading men in some subsequent historical pictures such as Alexander and Kingdom of Heaven have struggled to emulate. In the light of his subsequent directorial effort The Passion of the Christ, precursors in Gibson's direction can be identified, and indeed, the theme of heroic, selfless sacrifice is central to both, even if it takes up more of the running time in The Passion. (Wallace is even attached to a crucifix for the climactic torture sequence.)

Gibson's on-screen opposite number, King of England Edward I, alias "Longshanks", is given deliciously despotic villainy by Patrick McGoohan, who is able to imbue even the most unremarkable of lines with menace and darkly hilarious wit. Lumbered with the most difficult arc, which he never quite manages to pull off, is Angus Macfadyen as Robert the Bruce, who, surprisingly considering his fame as one of Scotland's greatest kings, veers from wimp to turncoat with daddy issues before finding a bit of backbone for the conclusion.

One of the film's defining characteristics is its muddily authentic, overwhelmingly brown colour palette. In fact, it was in large part dictated by mother nature; the Scottish weather was reliably horrendous for much of the shoot and the rain-soaked look was unavoidable, but ultimately hugely beneficial. It has been the film's primary legacy; now every historical film worth its salt tries to emulate the visual verisimilitude. (Peter Jackson was definitely influenced by the film when he shot some minor little independent movie called The Lord of the Rings.) Also distinctive is James Horner's celtic-inflected score. Horner has, often justifiably, been criticised for laziness and recycling of themes in different films, but this is one of his defining works and now seems inseparable from the film it accompanies - a true sign of a score's success.

There are several missteps along the way. A late romantic liaison between Wallace and Sophie Marceau's French princess rings false, as the catalyst for Wallace's whole campaign is his undying love for his murdered wife, and is unnecessary (apparently a test audience wanted more romance). Meanwhile, the decision to shoot both the film's two major battles simply on an uninteresting flat field is clearly a concession to budgetary and logistical concerns - the battle of Stirling Bridge is notably bridgeless! - but is nevertheless disappointing. Admittedly, their impressive scale and lack of CG embellishment enhances their impact.

Braveheart is a lot of things: beautifully shot, impressively mounted, muddy, borderline homophobic. One thing it certainly isn't is historically accurate, which is the main reason for the vitriol it is sometimes subjected to. The film's opening voiceover cheekily tries to deflect the criticisms of fictionalisation by saying that history is distorted as it is only written by the winners, but that excuse simply doesn't cut the mustard given the wanton mutilation of recorded fact on show. The far more important question, though, is whether a film succeeds as a film within its own right, divorced from trivial extra-textual debates. In Braveheart's case, its difficult to argue that it doesn't possess a wild, untamed power; even its harshest critics must agree that it achieves its goals of being stirring, wilfully melodramatic entertainment.



Release Information
Country: UK / Region: B / Version: N/A / Discs: 2 / Distributor: 20th Century Fox

Presentation
John Toll's cinematography regularly makes for stunning Blu-ray releases (The Thin Red Line comes to mind), and with this billed as a "Cinematographer-approved HD master" the results are suitably splendid. Surprisingly for a film with such a muddy, misty look, clarity is absolutely exceptional and the colours pop with life. This is easily one of the best-looking 1990s films I've seen on Blu-ray. The DTS-HD soundtrack is also up to the task, especially in the battle scenes, when the pounding horse charges and clash of steel rattle around the room.

Extras
Rather more definitive than the previous DVD "Definitive" edition, this release with a decent array of extras spread over two Blu-ray discs. Mel Gibson's commentary is rather hesitant at times but quite amiable and funny. The main feature on the second disc is "Albu Gu Brath!", a 50-minute Making Of in three parts, further complemented by "A Writer's Journey" (20 mins) and "Tales of William Wallace" (30 mins). There are a bunch of archival interviews with the cast, and finally an interactive (though limited) feature in which you can examine some of the real Wallace's greatest battles.

It's worth noting that the UK (from Fox) and US (from Paramount) releases differ, with a slightly different array of extras and DTS-HD vs. TrueHD sound. They seem roughly equivalent, however.



Summary
All together now... "FREEDOM!" Braveheart has its detractors but it's certainly a stirring adventure film with a commendable scope, covering a period of history not often depicted on film.