If there is one thing Mel Gibson has done well over the years, it is spectacle – and he proved it in 1995 with his Oscar-winning epic BRAVEHEART, which he directed as well as starred in.
Based on the life of Scottish rebel William Wallace, the film chronicles his life from childhood, from losing his father in battle to being raised by his uncle Argyle (Brian Cox, THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT, MANHUNTER).
After time away, he returns home to Scotland where he marries his childhood love Murron (Catherine McCormack) in secret, but Edward Longshanks (Patrick McGoohan, THE PRISONER, ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ) has enforced the old custom of prima nocta where a noble can have sex with a newly-wed wife on her wedding night. Murron is murdered in response to her physical attack of resistance, prompting Wallace to seek revenge and then raise an army in rebellion against Edward, leading to a conflict at Stirling….
Both emotionally involving and visually spectacular, with a sweeping score from the late James Horner (TITANIC), BRAVEHEART proved a worthy box-office addition, gaining momentum and critical appreciation as the years have moved on. The Battle of Stirling scene features one of Gibson’s best ever speeches (scripted by Randall Wallace, PEARL HARBOR) and some of the most intense in-camera action ever filmed. Winner of Five Oscars in total at the 1996 Oscar ceremony.