Mel Gibson Freedom Movies
“History is written by those who have hanged heroes” Robert
the Bruce (Angus McFadden) in Braveheart.
Mel Gibson is a singular talent whose personal troubles denied
us as an audience some great work over the past decade or so. Gibson has a character actor’s versatility
combined with leading man looks and sensibilities. As both an actor and director he has a taste
for challenging characters and period based epics that tell violent stories. During the peak of his popularity in the late
1980s to the mid-2000s Gibson starred in and/or directed many innovative and
yet accessible films.
As an audience member I can usually separate an actor’s
personal lives from their work (ie I can still enjoy Kevin Spacey’s work in
House of Cards and Superman Returns but it does help that he plays a lot of
villains). However I was distressed both
by Gibson’s anti-Semitic remarks and some vicious voicemails that were made
public years ago. Without knowing the
man personally I can surmise this may be a result of both his alcoholism and
having a father who has strong anti-Semitic views to the degree that he is a
Holocaust denier.
Two of Gibson’s films highlight the struggle for freedom
against British rule. Braveheart (1995)
focuses on the First War of Scottish Independence in the late 13th and
early 14th centuries. The
Patriot (2000) tells a story of a father and son fighting the Revolutionary War
in South Carolina. In both films Gibson
plays widowers who are leaders in their respective struggles. Gibson’s character in Braveheart truly
existed. Benjamin Martin, Gibson’s
character in The Patriot, is loosely based on several real life men of the
time. Gibson directed and starred in
Braveheart but was only an actor in The Patriot. Below I examine several aspects of each film
including the characters and the technical accomplishments that I putting up to
a vote. At the end of the discussion I
will tally up a winner.
As always spoilers abound:
Mel Gibson character:
Both leading character refuse to get involved in their struggle until it
affects their family personally. Wallace
is looking toward a future and which is taken away when his wife is killed for
resisting sexual assault by one of the local English guards. When Wallace first attacks the soldiers who
killed his wife I think he is planning to die himself but his compatriots help
him. This quest for revenge grows into
wanting freedom for Scotland. Wallace is
both educated but relentless in battle.
As he is passionate he sometimes makes big mistakes but is quite
memorable. Wallace burns a building full
of people alive just as the English do in The Patriot and sends the king the
head of his nephew. Benjamin Martin is
more layered. He fights less out of
revenge than out of a desire to protect his family after Tavington, a British
colonel, shoots one of Martin’s sons for trying to free his brother. However when Martin fights he can be equally
brutal though he tries to keep this side of himself in check. Martin is more strategic and though he does
want to kill Tavington, he is willing to bide his time, never losing sight of
the greater cause. Both characters have
some of Gibson’s trademark humor (Martin is unable to build a chair, Wallace
throws stones at people’s heads).
Although Wallace is more memorable I find the more nuanced Martin a more
compelling character. Gibson’s
performance in the scene when Martin is leaving the crying Susan, comforting her, and clearly anguished when she
is not looking is a strong detail any parent of young children can relate to. Winner: The Patriot
Supporting Characters:
The strongest aspect of The Patriot is the relationship between Martin
and his oldest son Gabriel, played by Heath Ledger. Sadly both Ledger and Sky McCole Bartusiak, the
actress who played Susan passed away at a young age. Gabriel is young and idealistic and his
disagreements with his father, who is desperate not to lose any more family
members, are a key piece of the first half of the film. Gabriel’s death comes when he tries to
emulate his father by scalping the man who killed his wife. Angus McFadden plays Robert the Bruce, a
Scottish noble caught between his father’s desire to protect his name, by
selling out to Longshanks, and his personal desire to work with Wallace. The scene where Wallace discovers Robert’s
betrayal is heartbreaking and takes Wallace’s spirit temporarily. Brendan Gleeson as Hamish (Wallace’s best
friend who slugs Wallace no less than three times in the film) and David O’Hara
as Stephen lend loyal support to Wallace (and even attend his execution to let
him see a friendly face in the crowd). In
this contest I have to deduct some points from Braveheart for the homophobic
treatment of Longshanks’ son Edward II.
Braveheart depicts Edwards II as weak seemingly because he is gay. Every other man in the film is willing to
fight for his cause so I find this depiction tasteless. Winner: The Patriot
Antagonist: In The
Patriot, Tom Wilkinson is solid as the real life General Cornwallis who, for
most of the film is trying to lead a principled campaign. However the true villain is the sociopathic
Colonel Tavington, played by Jason Isaacs.
Tavington’s mercilessness is reluctantly used by Cornwallis to combat
the unusual tactics presented by the militia.
Tavington destroys just about anyone who opposes him, though why he
leaves Benjamin alive after shooting his son right in front of him can only be
explained by the need for final boss battle.
Although the final fight is contrived it is satisfying. In Braveheart Patrick McGoohan is scheming
and vicious as Edward Longshanks.
Longshanks is dismissive of Wallace but the film is hurt a little by the
fact that the two men never meet. This
was probably more historically accurate but the film otherwise rarely concerned
itself with that. Longshanks’ death
while listening to Wallace scream “Freedom!” is fitting. Winner: The Patriot
Script: Scriptwriters always have a challenge with period
pieces as they have to make the language sound authentic while still being
accessible to modern audiences. Many
films set in other countries have dialogue in English whether or not it would
actually have been used. There is also a
stigma against subtitles that comes from a general assumption that American
audiences do not like to reach subtitles.
Gibson has challenged this by using subtitles extensively in his foreign
set period films The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto and both were successful. Randall Wallace’s dialogue in Braveheart,
though not the Old English used during the late 13th and early 14th
centuries sounds appropriate and captures the big emotions (They may take our
lives but they’ll never take our FREEDOM) and the banter between the members of
Wallace’s army. The film also humanizes
the legend of Wallace. Robert Rodat, who
also wrote Saving Private Ryan, provided the script for The Patriot. The dialogue sometimes seems like it was
placeholder with lines that were meant to be replaced (ie “Sounds good”, “He
tried; It didn’t take”). The plotting
sometimes seems a little too convenient, for example how does Martin’s unit find
out about the attack on the church? Winner: Braveheart.
Continuity: In both films once the Revolutions start the
characters do not age in either film despite several years passing in each,
with the exception Longshanks. In
Braveheart when the then late 30s Gibson first appears he looks a little mature
for Wallace who is at that point supposed to be about 15 years younger. However as the struggle lasts for years
Gibson’s maturity is ultimately fitting.
In The Patriot Benjamin Martin’s kids do not age at all which probably
works for clarity but is problematic as the film lasts for about seven years. Chris Cooper’s character mentions his wife is
pregnant in the midst of the struggle but says she has just given birth after a
couple of years has passed. Winner:
Braveheart
Score: The late James Horner’s score for Braveheart is
melodic and uses bagpipes. My favorite piece
is the romantic theme that first plays when Murron gives William a flower when
his father is buried. The score was so
popular a second disk with more traditional Scottish music was later released. Although Horner was known to reuse his music
(his score to Titanic is similar) it is still very effective. John Williams provided a somber brass score
for The Patriot, which was a change for director Roland Emmerich who had used composer
David Arnold for his previous three films.
I cannot blame Emmerich for his lack of loyalty. If you can get Williams for your historical
epic, do so. Winner: Braveheart. Although Williams has the greater pedigree
Horner’s score is far more memorable and is the one I hum for a couple of days
each time I see the film.
Cinematography: Cinematographer John Toll, who won as an
Oscar for Braveheart (and for Legends of the Falls the previous year) uses grey
lenses to emphasize the notorious Scottish rainy weather. The natural landscape adds to the romance in
the first act and gives scope to the struggles later. The expansiveness of the Battle of Stirling
demands to be seen on the big screen.
There is one shot in the Battle of Stirling in which the English and
Scottish reach each other where the strict formation of the lines turn to chaos
as they clash. The same shot is almost
parodied in the Battle of Falkirk as the Scottish and Irish suddenly stop and
greet each other. On The Patriot
cinematographer Caleb Deschanel’s (father of actress Zoey) frame often appears
sunlit, which may fit the idea of the beautiful America the militia are
fighting for but works against the intensity of their skirmish. In the controversial scenes when the kids
help Benjamin shoot the redcoats or the aftermath of the fire in the church everything
looks sunny and bright. This approach
feels more appropriate to some of the more fairy tale like films that Deschanel
has worked on such as National Treasure and It Could Happen To You. I do like Deschanel’s use of slight slow
motion in the scene where Gabriel and several of the militia, attack the
Redcoats camp. Notably Benjamin, who we
need alive in the climax, is not present.
The action is always clear and easy to follow. The shots of the cannonballs working their
way through the legs of the soldiers is impressive. The low angles of Benjamin’s narrow escape
from being beheaded as he looks at the American flag is inventive. Gibson used Deschanel on his own The Passion
of the Christ so he was clearly impressed.
Still for all the Patriot’s craftsmanship I prefer the ruggedness of
Braveheart. Winner: Braveheart
Direction: Prior to Braveheart Gibson had only directed one
small film, The Man Without a Face (which I have not seen), but of course had
starred in many. I am amazed that in his
just second film Gibson was able to pull off such a massive production while
also starring which means he would have to work with his team to figure out how
to best tell the story and then step in front of the camera and play this
fierce war leader. Braveheart has some
of the bloodiest medieval battle scenes ever put to film and Gibson is able to
make sense of everything. When Wallace
almost accidentally attacks Mornay at the end of the Battle of Stirling it
foreshadows Mornay’s later betrayal.
Gibson navigates the delicate local politics of the Scottish clans and
the nobles deftly. Gibson the director makes
his lead actor suffer in the film’s climax in which Wallace is put to three
types of medieval torture (hung by the neck but not killed, then stretched out
by being lifted by ropes in four directions, and then either castrated or
disemboweled-or both-but Gibson wisely shows some restraint and does not show
exactly what is happening). Wallace’s
death by beheading while looking at his friends and what appears to be Murron
summoning him to join her (hence his smile).
Rolan Emmerich, with his writing and producing partner Dean Devlin, directed
the sci-fi films such as Stargate and Independence Day. Those films were popular but deemed somewhat
light. The characters are more types
than fully developed people. Then the
team made Godzilla, which was an atrocious film with no narrative thrust that audiences
and critics despised. The Patriot feels
like an attempt to curtail some respectability.
Emmerich’s craftsmanship, staging and strong sense of where to place the
camera make every scene interesting but he seems uninterested in finding the true
heart of the rebellion. There is far too
much focus on Tavington’s personal crusade against Martin when there are many
other stories to tell. Winner:
Braveheart
Love Interest: Catherine McCormark plays Wallace’s wife,
Murron. Murron is portrayed lovingly,
always moving slowly in a soft light (Gibson later used the same effect in
Hacksaw Ridge with Dorothy, Desmond’s wife).
The effect is slightly surreal, clearly meant to indicate how Wallace
views her, although it does deny us of her perspective. The romance between them relies on music,
warm looks and horse rides. I think if
Braveheart were released today there would be no second romance between Wallace
and Princess Isabella played by Sophie Marceau, which occurs long after
Murron’s death. Although the chemistry
between the actors is strong enough the relationship seems more defined by
audience expectations at the time since there are two attractive people on
screen. Additionally it makes Wallace
look stronger if he can woo the Princess of Wales and Isabella’s affection for
him drives her assistance to him.
However Isabella is a worthy enough character that I would believe she would
assist Wallace on principle alone.
Isabella’s most interesting scenes are in which she asserts herself. The idea that Wallace would have fathered the
next potential king or queen of England through Isabella makes little sense but
allows for satisfying gasp from Longshanks.
If this unlikely scenario had occurred Edward II might have had Isabella
killed since he probably never had sex with her himself. In The Patriot Joely Richardson’s character Charlotte
is clearly just there to be a love interest for Benjamin and has almost nothing
to do except carry a blanket that presumably hold’s Benjamin’s baby in the final
scene. It was not unusual in those times
for widowed people to remarry the siblings of their late spouses but Charlotte
is given almost no character of her own.
Benjamin’s character fighting for his family is more than enough. Ann
and Gabriel’s romance has more promise to it, in part due to their youth and
Ann bright smile. Winner: Braveheart
Cultural Impact:
Braveheart won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best
Director and is considered one of the most influential films of the past couple
of decades. The film is heavily quoted
and most film fans see William Wallace as a cultural icon. The Patriot, though it was successful at the
box office, has not had the same effect though it is still aired on television
frequently. The Patriot is probably best
known for launching the career of Heath Ledger which led to some fantastic
performances in Brokeback Mountain and The Dark Knight before he died at age
28. Winner: Braveheart
Braveheart wins by 7-3. Gibson’s presence in
The Patriot both helps that film but also hurts due to his association with a
far greater film with a similar theme.
The Revolutionary War has been difficult to dramatize and the only truly
memorable screen story about it was the HBO miniseries John Adams, based on
David McCullough’s book. In conclusion,
Braveheart ***** The Patriot ***
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