Braveheart: Difference between revisions

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Wallace starts as a [[Call to Agriculture|simple farmer]] who [[Refusal of the Call|only wants to live a peaceful life]] with [[The Lost Lenore|his beloved wife Murron]] (Catherine McCormack), despite [[You Killed My Father|his father's death]] at the hands of the English. Unfortunately, he stops a rape of his wife by marauding English soldiers, and after the evil English magistrate executes her in retaliation, Wallace continues the spiral of revenge and soon the other villagers rise up as well. As the whole of Scotland is drawn into the rebellion against England, Wallace takes command of the Scottish army to kick ass... for FREEDOM!

 

 

* [[Anti-Hero]] ([[Sliding Scale of Anti-Heroes|Type V]]): Steven the Irishman.

** Wallace is a Type III [[Anti-Hero]].

* [[The Blade Always Lands Pointy End In]]: Done in the ending sequence with Wallace's claymore.

* [[Blood Is the New Black]]

* [[Bonnie Scotland]]: Cheesy pish abounds. Scortash people are portrayed like complete Iron Age throwbacks but they cannae help tha'selves, ken!

* [[Brave Scot]]: Of course!

** Scots had not used woad (blue battle paint) for a millennium or so and would not use kilts for several more centuries.

*** Probably partially justified as the Scots were likely wearing the woad in homage to the ancient Picts who also managed drive a foreign aggressor (The Romans) from their lands.

** Edward I and the members of his court spoke French, not English; this could be written off as part of the [[Translation Convention]], except that the Queen and her lady are shown speaking French.

*** This is actually mildly justified, as Edward greatly encouraged his nobility to speak in English and to identify as Englishmen. He was the first of the Normandy descendants to be properly labelled as a truly 'English' Monarch. While French was still the [[Stealth Pun|Lingua Franca]] of the day and of his court, his efforts were beginning to change that trend.

** The Scots won their independence at the Battle of Bannockburn after an English army had arrived to lift the Scottish siege of Stirling Castle, not after Robert the Bruce changed his mind about a peace parley.

** Bagpipes were not outlawed in 13th-century Scotland.

** The makers were very nearly sued by the Scottish government for this one. Robert the Bruce did NOT betray Wallace, and in fact is considered a much bigger hero than Wallace ever was (and guess what, the name "Brave Heart" was actually given to Robert, NOT Wallace). Portraying him as Wallace's betrayer is considered a worse crime than every other problem with this movie combined.

* [[Doomed Moral Victor]]

* [[Dramatic Unmask]]: Robert the Bruce, while fighting on the English side.

* [[The Dung Ages]]

* [[Epic Flail]]: how Wallace exacts revenge on Mornay.

* [[Evil Chancellor]]: Craig is this to Robert Bruce

* [[Expecting Someone Taller]]: At the Battle of Stirling:

'''Scottish Soldier #2''': Can't be. Not tall enough. }}

** Possibly a [[Shout-Out]] to the historical Wallace, who was probably at least 6'8". Mel Gibson, in contrast, is only about 5'8".

** [[The Chick]]: Murron in the beggining, then Princess Isabella (also a [[Sixth Ranger]])

* [[Friends All Along]]: The Scottish and Irish troops.

* [[Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death!]]: The rousing speech.

* [[Go Out with a Smile]]

** Not really a foreign language, seeing as how they're Scottish.

** But they're speaking English the rest of the time...[[Translation Convention|wait...]]

*** Not quite. Medieval Gaelic was still, at this time, the language of the nobility and Wallace was a minor Scottish noble, after all. Then again, his family's origins were ''Norman'', or possibly French. Nobody really knows for sure...

* {{spoiler|[[Heel Face Turn]]: Robert The Bruce.}}

** No, he throws him out the window for annoying him. Being his son's lover was only tangentially related.

** And what a kickass [[Kick the Dog]] moment that is. Patrick McGoohan is vicious in this movie.

* [[Man in a Kilt]]: Although plaid kilts were introduced only three centuries later.

** And the Scottish didn't wear them until much later than that (and even then, they were typically saffron or brown, not plaid).

* [[Memento MacGuffin]]

* [[Memetic Badass]]: William Wallace becomes one [[In-Universe]], promptly [[Lampshaded]]:

'''William Wallace''': Yes, I've heard. Kills men by the hundreds. And if HE were here, he'd consume the English with fireballs from his eyes, and bolts of lightning from his arse! }}

* [[The Middle Ages]]

* [[Smug Snake]]: Practically every single British character, except [[Magnificent Bastard|Longshanks]] and [[Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain|Prince Edward]].

* [[Sociopathic Hero]]: Steven the Irishman.

* [[Throwing Your Sword Always Works]]

* [[Unwanted Spouse]]

* [[We Have Reserves]]: The [[Trope Namer]], in this case referring to Longshanks' justification, when called for one, for calling the archers to fire in the middle of a heated infantry battle -- granted, his own troops would be hit, but so would the Scots.

** Also used with sending the Irish conscript infantry in first.

* [[You Remind Me of X]]: Version 3. Wallace tells Isabella he was secretly married to Murron. "I don't know why I tell you now except I see her strength in you."

 

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[[Category:Film]]