There is a scene at the start of 'Braveheart' that depicts the hanging of Scottish noblemen at the hands of the English at the Barns of Ayr. The screenplay for 'Braveheart' took its framework and a lot of its story beats from the Blind Harry poem, which was, itself, exaggerated at best. It was an old-world Hollywood historical epic of the highest order, complete with extreme violence, a touching love story, and a lot of rousing dialogue about war and freedom. 'Braveheart' was an enormous box office hit in 1995, and won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, and Best Sound Design at the Academy Awards. This Wallace guy was happening.Īrguably most recognizable to modern audiences is the 1995 feature film about Wallace called ' Braveheart' written by Randall Wallace (no relation), and directed by and starring Mel Gibson.

Henty wrote 'In Freedom's Cause: A Story of Wallace and Bruce' in 1885. Sir Walter Scott wrote 'The Story of Sir William Wallace' in 1928.

Jane Porter wrote a romantic novel about Wallace in 1810 called 'The Scottish Chiefs.' Felicia Hemens wrote a celebrated poem about Wallace at The Battle of Falkirk called 'Wallace's Invocation to Bruce' in 1819. Robert Burns wrote the lyrics to a hit song in 1793 called 'Scots Wha Hae wi Wallace Bled.' The 19th century was lousy with works about Wallace. None of this is subtly conveyed, but it sure is effective.William Wallace would serve as inspiration for several major works of poetry, lit, and film over the centuries. Even though they lose the battle, their loyalty to the cause and each other will eventually ensure the survival of the United States. The final push into the fort is a suicide run, but this is about the country’s survival, not theirs. Within seconds, it’s a sprint to the walls, where the men can take some semblance of shelter in the sand. The regiment has been warned in advance that it will endure heavy casualties amid hellish combat, so the perversely serene start - it’s basically a light jog along the ocean - throws us a little. James Horner’s music swells as Matthew Broderick delivers a rousing speech, and the charge is on. They assemble on the beach, beyond the reach of enemy artillery but still well within view of the ominous fortification they hope to breach. Later films like “Paths of Glory” and “Gallipoli” drive home the insanity of WWI with greater complexity, but Milestone’s film remains the most pitilessly direct takedown of the conflict.Įdward Zwick’s moving account of the Massachusetts 54 th, the second African-American regiment sent to battle in the Civil War, climaxes with the men leading the charge on the Confederacy’s valuable beachhead, Fort Wagner. Machine gun fire and mortars tear countless soldiers to pieces those lucky enough to survive the run get the pleasure of diving into the enemy’s trench, where men stab, bludgeon and strangle one another in a tight-quarters life-or-death struggle. There are only so many historical liberties filmmakers can take to prettify trench warfare, and to what end? It is, however, the perfect conflict against which to set an antiwar film, and few movies have shaken up the world like Lewis Milestone’s adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s “All Quiet on the Western Front.' The horrifying sequence of French soldiers charging through No Man’s Land into the German trenches is remarkably brutal for its time. While Hollywood history is lousy with World War II films, the studios have been understandably less enthusiastic about the Great War.

Braveheart hold the line