directed by Mel Gibson
USA 1995

*Note: Paramount has not issued any statements regarding Braveheart appearing on HD DVD, but the new extras created for this DVD release are in anamorphic widescreen (like the extras offered by the two-disc special edition of Face/Off). It also looks like a new video master was created. Therefore, I’m guessing that an HD DVD will street in 2008.

As with
Titanic, Paramount has US/Canada rights while Fox has the rest of the world. Adjust your HD DVD and Blu-ray plans accordingly.

Braveheart is a curious cinematic experience for me.

Mel Gibson crafted a rousing, old-fashioned epic with big, sweeping emotions. I tried very hard to avoid crying, and I succeeded up until the very end. Then, Gibson’s voice uttered the epilogue:

“In the year of our Lord 1314,
Patriots of Scotland, Starving and Outnumbered,
Charged the Fields of Bannockburn.
They fought like Warrior Poets.
They fought like Scotsmen.
And won their Freedom.”

I lost it and sobbed through the end credits. The epilogue is as poetically simple and powerful as those Warrior Poets must’ve been. Not knowing much about Scottish history, I figured that the epilogue might’ve meant that the Scottish warriors perished.

After watching the movie, I found out that the epilogue should be understood literally--Scotland actually achieved independence from England for a short while because of the Battle of Bannockburn. This fact only heightened my appreciation of the movie because Gibson and writer William Wallace were able to turn dusty history into something lyrical.

Not so good was learning that the French princess played by Sophie Marceau actually went to England three years after William Wallace died. The movie is littered with numerous other inaccuracies. I’m someone who’s easily annoyed by factual errors, but I also realize that a fictional dramatic narrative takes liberties in order to flow smoothly.

I’ve seen Braveheart so many times that I know what the next music cue will sound like as I’m watching the movie. This is true even while I was watching this new two-disc special edition, which was the first time I’ve viewed the movie in about two or three years. My familiarity with Braveheart has made me noticed how peculiar it is--it’s one of the sloppiest major motion pictures ever (especially for one that won an Oscar for Best Picture and was nominated for Best Editing), yet its strengths completely negate its huge faults. The continuity errors during the Battle of Stirling are appalling.

1) A young guy gets shot with an arrow twice--exactly the same way. This is either literally the same take used twice or two different takes of the same action (probably the former).

2) There is almost zero continuity with regards to Mel Gibson’s movements while he’s charging across the field to fight the English. He starts off with a pickaxe, he runs across the field reaching for the sword on his back, he runs with his arms pumping at his sides, he runs while brandishing his sword, he runs with empty hands again, and he runs raising his sword above his head.

3) The extras sometimes just stand around not knowing what to do. The audio has people shouting or screaming, but the extras’ mouths are closed. Or they stop fighting, look around for someone to give them instructions, and then half-heartedly swing their weapons before dropping their arms to the side.

4) There are several shots of swords hitting people with the actors reacting as if they’re hurt, but clearly, the swords didn’t cut into them.

Sharp-eyed viewers will notice other editing errors, of which there are too many to list here. Yet, like I already wrote, the movie’s strengths--its energy, conviction, and lush music score--make it easy to gloss over the historical inaccuracies and error-riddled editing.

I find it impossible, however, to reconcile my reaction to the movie with my feelings about Mel Gibson the man. My good friend and editor Gary Tooze has encouraged me to watch movies without regard to anything outside of the TV frame, but I’ve told him that as movies are not made in vacuums, they should not be viewed in vacuums. Braveheart is clearly an expression of Gibson’s traditionalist Catholic sentiments, from praying in Latin to being tied down in a crucifixion position. The Patriot and We Were Soldiers, though directed by others, also espoused Gibson’s Catholicism (i.e. large families). All of this would not be so troubling had Gibson not made The Passion of the Christ and went on a drunken tirade accusing Jews of starting every war in history. The Passion and his drunken tirade basically summed up Gibson’s disturbed psyche--just look at the sadism to which he subjects his characters in just about every one of his movies beginning with Lethal Weapon.

I can not recommend Braveheart without feeling pangs of guilt and disgust. However, I will admit that Braveheart is a powerful motion picture. Buy it if you’re able to watch movies with blinders over your personal moral judgment.*

Yunda Eddie Feng

 

*Ed. Note: I admire Eddie's passion but I don't read the gossip tabloids and was not privy to the details of Mr. Gibson's behavior. However, I feel that whatever actor/director Mel Gibson says while he's drunk shouldn't detract from your enjoyment, or critique, of his film(s). These opinions should remain mutually exclusive, IMHO. I don't care to know about the filmmakers personal prejudices, bigotries or political leanings, unless, of course, they preach into his or her narrative. Then I will judge them based solely on that expression - hopefully being adult enough to filter the content as positive or negative of my own accord. Eddie and I strongly differ in this regard. Personally speaking, I have no intention of blindly following whatever or whoever the popular news magazine's 'flavors of the month' may decide to prey upon. In conclusion, I refer you to our 'Quote of this Week" HERE.

Gary Tooze

Posters

Theatrical Release: 24 May 1995

Reviews    More Reviews  DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Paramount (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition) - Region 1 - NTSC

Big thanks to Yunda Eddie Feng for the Review!

DVD Box Cover

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Distribution

Paramount

Region 1 - NTSC

Runtime 177 min
Video

2.40:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 5.90 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate

Audio DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 2.0 surround Spanish
Subtitles Optional English, French, Spanish
Features Release Information:
Studio: Paramount

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 2.40:1

Edition Details:
• audio commentary by Mel Gibson
• A Writer's Journey
• Alba gu Brath! The Making of Braveheart
• Tales of William Wallace
• archival interviews with the cast
• photo montage
• 2 theatrical trailers

DVD Release Date: December 18th, 2007
slim double keepcase with cardboard slipcover

Chapters 22

 

Comments:

Video:
I no longer have the one-disc release, but it seems to me like the movie has been given a new color-time pass. Blues and reds are much stronger than I remember, which means that oranges and browns are also more vividly “rusty” than I anticipated. This is a sharp and generally detailed 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, but there are some light speckles throughout the entire running time.

Audio:
I was very surprised by how robust the DD 5.1 English track is. I don’t know if the movie’s audio mix was “sweetened”, but the music score sounds much fuller and richer than I expected it to be. Roaring fires sound appropriately menacing, and the movie clearly deserved its two Oscar nominations (and one win) for sound; pay close attention to the sequence with William Wallace quietly riding a horse into a village on his way to a surprise attack on an English garrison. The myriad sound effects show how effective a movie can be without any dialogue distracting viewers from the pleasures of pure visuals.

You can also watch the movie with DD 5.1 French and DD 2.0 surround Spanish subtitles. Optional English, French, and Spanish subtitles as well as optional English closed captions support the audio.

Extras:
The sole extra on Disc 1 is Mel Gibson’s audio commentary (ported from the first DVD release). There are long gaps as Gibson was not yet entirely comfortable with recording an audio commentary at the time, but he provides funny anecdotes and gently sarcastic comments about other violent epics following his lead.

All of the other extras are on Disc 2. The previous DVD release had one of those made-for-cable fluffy featurettes. That featurette has been replaced by several new mini-documentaries. These mini-docs mix new footage with footage from the fluffy featurette as well as previously un-seen footage.

In “A Writer’s Journey”, Randall Wallace talks about the genesis of the project and how the movie basically jumpstarted his film career.

“Alba gu Brath! The Making of Braveheart” is a three-part documentary that covers the movie from pre-production to Mel Gibson talking about viewers’ responses to the movie today.

“Tales of William Wallace” is a half-hour overview of some of the legends about William Wallace.

Next up is a collection of archival interviews with various members of the cast.

Finally, you get a photo montage and two trailers. The first trailer uses James Horner’s music for Patriot Games (a Paramount release), and the second trailer hilariously uses music from Speed (a Fox release).

--Miscellaneous--
You don’t get a chapter insert this time around, but early copies should have a cardboard slipcover.

As the color timing has been changed significantly and as the one-disc DVD has a featurette that’s not on this new set, big-time fans may want to own both editions. Casual fans will be plenty pleased with the new two-disc version.

 - Yunda Eddie Feng

 



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DVD Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

Distribution

Paramount

Region 1 - NTSC




 

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