Braveheart (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
by Mel Gibson
List Price:
Our Price: $6.15
You Save: $8.79 (59%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $2.98 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Mel Gibson, Patrick McGoohan, Sophie MarceauDirector: Mel Gibson
Brand: Paramount
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: AC-3, Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 177 minutes
Published: 2007-12-01
DVD Release Date: 2007-12-18
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Reviews of Braveheart (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
DVD Review: Movie Review for English Class
Summary: 5 Stars
Critique of Braveheart
Mel Gibson's Braveheart is an epic film that brings to life the struggle of the thirteenth century Scotts. The people of Scotland rallied behind a brave man, William Wallace (Mel Gibson), to try and gain their freedom from the English. The film is filled with combat, strong will, love, and even a little humor. Not only is the story line unforgettable but also the cinematography and details of the movie are impeccable. The acting and scripting are masterful. The special effects utilized in the battle scenes are extremely graphic although very well done. Braveheart won countless awards in 1996, the most prestigious being Best Picture and Best Director at the Oscars. Mel Gibson was not only the leading role in this film, but also the director and the producer. Braveheart is not for those faint of heart yet many would enjoy the energy and excitement of the battlefield because the movie was made skillfully.
Throughout the entire film the cinematography plays an important role. Even at the very beginning when the camera soars over the green hills, the audience begins to appreciate the wondrous land of Scotland. The land is green and untouched by modernity, which is perfect for the setting of the story. Scottish bagpipes play in the background as the camera dips and dives over the vast mountain ranges. All this beauty is one of the reasons why the Scotts fight so vehemently to protect their heritage and homes and freedom.
The camera also plays an important role portraying the characters' emotions. It slows down and zooms into the actors' faces so that the audience is able to see the pain, love, or sadness. Mel Gibson did a wonderful job selecting actors for his movie. The actors he chose are so good that one can truly see the emotions running through their minds in their eyes. The suburb acting is what makes this movie extraordinary. Mel Gibson, in addition to his good looks, does an amazing job as Scottish rebel leader William Wallace. Not only does he inspire the loyalty of his troops with his speeches, but the audience is motivated as well. Wallace's two chief lieutenants, played by Brendan Gleeson and David O'Hara provide a much needed humorous break to the constant fighting.
Strong actresses play both of the women that capture Wallace's love. Catherine McCormack performs the role of Wallace's wife and true love, Murron. The beautiful Sophie Marceau portrays Princess Isabelle. Both of these characters are women of strong will, especially for the time period. Murron's affection for Wallace is tangible in the genuine way she looks at him and her devotion to marry him in secret. She takes a huge risk by defying the English's barbaric orders to bed a bride on the first night of her union. McCormack does an amazing job showing the sincerity and purity of that love. Their relationship, unfortunately, ends in tragedy, which in turns fuels Wallace's (Gibson) fire for revenge on the English. This event signifies the start of a revolt led by Wallace.
The thirteenth century style of fighting was hand-to-hand combat; as a result, the battle scenes are extremely graphic. One can see limbs and heads chopped off, throats slit, and of course all the blood is included. This movie is not for those who go faint at the sight of blood. However, the special effects are done exceptionally well. Many horses were also used in the battle scenes. Using animals is difficult but it gives the movie a feeling of authenticity. In addition, thousands of extras were used in the battle scenes as well as peasants in the villages. The droves of soldiers are well organized just as a true army would be. As one the English archers send a rain of arrows on the Scottish, which demonstrates the superb directing abilities of Gibson.
I have only a few negative critiques of this film. The first is the length of the movie. The film runs two hours and fifty-nine minutes. The film does a good job keeping the attention of the audience, yet at the end one starts to loose interest. It is one battle too many. One becomes dull to all the gory fighting and it does not stir up the same feelings of suspense that the earlier ones did. However, the film finishes strongly with the scene of Wallace's execution. Wallace courageously screams "freedom" despite torture and imminent death. Secondly, it is difficult to follow the historical events and players the first time watching Braveheart. There are many different noblemen both Scottish and English to keep track of. This becomes easier with the subsequent viewings.
Braveheart, a memorable film, connects the audience to the struggle of the thirteenth century Scotts for freedom. The leader of the revolt, William Wallace (Gibson), inspires the viewers as well as the discontented Scottish clans to his cause, freedom. This film has strong themes of love, self-determination, and fortitude. The skill of the cinematographers and actors is remarkable and takes this movie to the award-winning level.
Works Cited
James, Caryn. "FILM REVIEW: BRAVEHEART; The Splashy Epic Finds New Life in the 13th Century". The New York Times. February 2, 2008 [...]
Reed Business Information. "Braveheart Movie Review". Variety 100. February 2, 2008 [...]
Description of Braveheart (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
Mel Gibson directs and stars in this Academy Award-winning epic based on the life of legendary thirteenth century Scottish hero William Wallace. Returning to his homeland following the death of an heirless king, Wallace (Mel Gibson) finds the political landscape precarious. Edward the Longshanks, King of England (Patrick McGoohan), has captured Scotland's throne and threatens the freedom of all Scottish people, as tyrannical policies instituted by the English plague the Scots. Initially, Wallace is content to stand by the wayside, yearning for the simple life of building a home and raising a family. However, when the woman he loves (Catherine McCormack) suffers a cruel fate at the hands of English soldiers, Wallace takes a stand against the new rule. With his fierce patriotism and determination, he gathers an amateur but passionately rebellious army. Although this makeshift force may be outnumbered by the English troops, their desperation and love for their land surpass any military maneuvers, as evidenced in the film's breathtaking battle sequences.Mel Gibson's Oscar-winning 1995 Braveheart is an impassioned epic about William Wallace, the 13th-century Scottish leader of a popular revolt against England's tyrannical Edward I (Patrick McGoohan). Gibson cannily plays Wallace as a man trying to stay out of history's way until events force his hand, an attribute that instantly resonates with several of the actor's best-known roles, especially Mad Max. The subsequent camaraderie and courage Wallace shares in the field with fellow warriors is pure enough and inspiring enough to bring envy to a viewer, and even as things go wrong for Wallace in the second half, the film does not easily cave in to a somber tone. One of the most impressive elements is the originality with which Gibson films battle scenes, featuring hundreds of extras wielding medieval weapons. After Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky, Orson Welles's Chimes at Midnight, and even Kenneth Branagh's Henry V, you might think there is little new that could be done in creating scenes of ancient combat; yet Gibson does it. --Tom Keogh
Bestsellers in DVD
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops:
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg)
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
Terminator 2 - Judgment DayLions Gate; Release date: 2009-05-19; DVD
Best price: $6.00
Price in other shops:
300 (Single-Disc Widescreen Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2007-07-31; DVD
Best price: $2.94
Price in other shops:
Troy (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2005-01-04; DVD
Best price: $3.92
Price in other shops:
The Last of the Mohicans (Director's Expanded Edition)Fox; Release date: 2001-01-23; DVD
Best price: $8.98
Price in other shops:
The Last Samurai (Two-Disc Special Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2004-05-04; DVD
Best price: $0.94
Price in other shops:
Dances With Wolves (20th Anniversary Edition)Release date: 2011-01-11; DVD
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops:
The Patriot (Special Edition)Sony; Release date: 2000-10-24; DVD
Best price: $6.46
Price in other shops:
Forrest Gump (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)Paramount; Release date: 2001-08-28; DVD
Best price: $5.86
Price in other shops:
Saving Private Ryan (Single-Disc Special Limited Edition)Paramount; Release date: 1999-11-02; DVD
Best price: $5.86
Price in other shops:
Gladiator (Single-Disc Widescreen Edition)MCA; Release date: 2003-08-19; Published: 2003-08-01; DVD
Best price: $5.54
Price in other shops: