BRAVEHEART [DVD]

Last weekend I decided I’d like to see Braveheart on DVD so I went off to visit my local HMVirginMVCCorporateWhore Megastore and was surprised to find that they did not have it. Strange, I thought, here is a film that is five years old and has been on every TV channel in the world already and must be prime fodder for DVD featuring, as it does, large noisy battles and one of the world’s most famous stars. A little further investigation revealed that in fact Braveheart is not due out in Region 2 until later this year. What the hell is wrong with Corporate Whoredom in this country? I mean I can understand why they want to hold up the release of films that are still playing in cinemas, even though I disagree with the policy, but how can they not get their act together to release such highly popular films as this when other markets must be exhausted by now? It’s just such a stupid, stupid, pointless policy that only encourages viewers to hack machines and spend their tax money in other countries. Well stuff the lot of them, I say.

One week later I had my DVD from those friendly people in Canada.

(BTW – did you know that DVD Dynamic and others will now export "adult" films to the you in the UK if you so desire? Following the recent BBFC rulings there is now no barrier in theory to getting "hardcore" films. The DVD-Debate site has even checked this out with HM Customs who have confirmed it is true. Now if we could only get the BBFC to stop hacking bits randomly out of non-porno films our part of the world would be a better place).

The Film:

It’s good. In many respects it’s better than I remember from seeing it in the cinema.

Mel Gibson plays William Wallace and the story basically tells how he is politicised, raises an army and begins to win against the English, even pushing back their forces as far as York. But in the end he is unable to get the support he needs from the Scottish nobility and his revolt falls apart. Wallace is hung drawn and quartered after his capture but, of course, the idea of freedom lives on.

Gibson is very good in the part and plays with utter conviction. My only reservation here was that he leaves his highland village aged about ten and returns aged forty although you would expect him to be in his twenties. He remains looking forty for the remaining years of his life too. But it is difficult to get around the fact that in showing someone’s life you have to use different actors – if you have too many it gets confusing. I’m no expert but his accent sounds pretty good to me too.

The casting is convincing throughout especially with the grizzled and weathered warriors who always mange to look as they really know how to handle themselves. Special mention must go to Patrick McGoohan who is perfect as Edward Longshanks. The cold and calculating way in which he manipulates everyone around him is played to the maximum and you believe that this man could really dominate his family and his court through shear force of will.

Gibson also directs and it is difficult to find fault in this. The battle scenes are some of the best ever seen on screen though I do not know how much of this is down to the second unit direction rather than Gibson. Whatever, it is impressive.

As a viewing experience I do feel the third act is a little disappointing as the rebel camp falls apart and Wallace is betrayed and captured and this section could have been trimmed down a little. But that’s just a minor point. Some people have noticed historical inaccuracies and moaned about them. For instance Prince Edward’s French wife was apparently only about six years old at the time she is portrayed as an adult having it off with Mel in the film. Well, it’s a good sub-plot in the film so it doesn’t trouble me at all.

The other glaring inaccuracy is the fact that Wallace’s warriors wear woad into battle although this practice died out long before. To this charge I’d like to say I just don’t care. When you see the warriors woaded up you just know that this is right. Even if woad was not used at the time it should have been! Painting your face to make yourself look fierce in battle has always been practiced and always will. Whether it is woad or mud or red paint that is used it is psychologically right. The woad is one of the masterstrokes of the film for me.

DVD Specific Features:

This widescreen anamorphic version gives a beautiful picture and the rain-swept landscapes are terrific. You don’t lose the panorama of the battles and they are still very effective on a widescreen TV set. The 5.1 surround sound is excellent throughout though I was more impressed by the farmyard sounds early on the film than the effects in the battles.

There is a very good "making of" documentary which is strong on which films and styles influenced Gibson. There is a very interesting section on how mechanical horses were built and used in the scenes where the cavalry charge is defeated by warriors with long poles and plenty of explanation of how the battle scenes in general were handled. Much better than the usual fluff you get in the supplementary materials.

There is a feature-length commentary by Gibson which I found interesting but not riveting. In fact I still haven’t listened to the whole thing yet.

Overall this package is difficult to find fault with (and film is excellent too).

Review based on a Region 1 disc.

Home | Reviews | Reputations | Contact the Lizard