Braveheart- A look at the many sides of the film

Filmsite.org states the following for war genre films:
Themes explored in war films include combat, survivor and escape stories, tales of gallant sacrifice and struggle, studies of the futility and inhumanity of battle, the effects of war on society, and intelligent and profound explorations of the moral and human issues.

Bravheart has many of the necessary elements to be an action-oriented war film. The most recognizeable aspect of the film, in regards to what Filmsite mentions, is Wallace's uncanny ablility to escape or avoid altogether situations that may cause his death. He survives numerous battles and at least two assassination attempts due to the influence he had over people. However, there is a theme of male-bonding in the film, when Wallace and his lieutenants are sitting around the fire eating, and they feel comfortable enough to make racy jokes about one another.

Historical Events

Also, the film makes reference to many historical events in the film, such as the Battle of Stirling Bridge between the armies of England and Scotland. In the film, the battle takes place nowhere near a bridge, being as it would have been to hard to film such a big battle in such a restricting setting. Also, the "battle" was more of an ambush of the english, not an instance where the two armies lined up facing each other and charged, according to wikipedia. There are a number of historical inaccuracies in the film. These inaccuricies resulted from the flim being changed in order to give the movie a better outcome. The details may also have been altered due to the fact that the basis of the film is from a poet named Blind Harry, who wrote the poem some time after Wallace's death. Whatever the reason for these inaccuracies, they remain in the film nevertheless, altering the perception of many who view the film, obscuring their knowledge of histroy.

The article on Bravheart can be viewed at this web address :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braveheart