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Author: Qingcha and Junyu (from Douban)
Source: https://www.douban.com/note/792934319/
The film "Braveheart" is a self-written, self-directed and self-acting film by the famous Hollywood filmmaker Mel Gibson, which has been loved by people since its release, so that people will be infected by the "American" spirit of the protagonist wallace while seeing a hero who created a film miracle. Braveheart is an enduring epic of Scottish national heroes. Based on true events that took place in Scotland in the 13th century, it shows the heroic deeds of the medieval Scottish people, led by the national hero Wallace, who fought against the brutal rule of the English nobility and fought for freedom and independence. It was an indomitable spirit of resistance and a great heroic image of perseverance, perseverance, and self-transcendence, and at the same time, it profoundly exposed the true meaning of freedom for man. Wallace's spirit of resistance to fight for freedom also deeply impressed the audience's heart, allowing people to appreciate the unique Bagpipes of Scotland against the tyranny of the King, plaid skirts and picturesque Scottish style. In 1995, "Brave Heart" was released at the 68th Academy Awards, winning five Oscars that year. In the same year, this masterpiece also won the Best Director Award at the 50th Golden Globe Awards. The film not only unfolds a moving historical picture for the audience, but also allows the audience to see a flesh-and-blood screen hero - William Wallace. The film is a new wave approach to repackaging the costume history films that have almost been eliminated by the American film industry, and re-evokes the lost dramatic charm of such films with real scenes of thousands of troops and horses and high and tragic battle shots. Although At the end of the film, William Wallace is put on the execution table, the "brave heart" that Wallace has in the pursuit of freedom and faith not only touches the audience, but also touches the kind Scottish people. In the end, the people of Scotland, inspired by this "brave" force, won the freedom they had longed for.
The film does not follow the traditional routine of portraying Wallace as a hero by nature. On the contrary, the film is shot from depicting his journey from not being brave to being brave, which is more authentic and makes the audience feel more cute about him. In the face of England's tyranny, he only hoped to be able to seize the loopholes in the law with a little cleverness and secretly marry his sweetheart Morran. As the plot progresses, his wife Morren is killed for resisting humiliation, and Wallace kills all the people who killed his wife and the group of British troops, but inadvertently triggers a high emotion of resistance, triggering an uprising, but the uprising is passive. Only in the end, Wallace was inspired by the enthusiasm of the defectors, really began to think about his responsibilities, and saw the inspiring real goal behind the uprising: freedom. At this time, Wallace's soul can be said to be truly sublimated, and at this time he truly has a brave heart. It is also this ardent desire for life that has made a hot-blooded boy; it is also this obligation and responsibility to the people that has made a hero. Historically, George II ordered a ban on plaid skirts from 1 August 1747 to dilute the national consciousness of the Scots. However, the stubborn Scots were indomitable, and by 1782 George III had to lift the ban. In fact, the ban also prohibits Scots from playing bagpipes. But even in such a harsh situation, the Scottish bagpipe art is still tenaciously handed down, which shows the strength of the Will of the Scots.
As soon as "Braveheart" was released, it produced a great sensation. It contains all the elements of a Hollywood blockbuster: a grand epic story; Lingering love; The relentless pursuit of freedom. In addition, the magnificent medieval war scenes and full of characters, as well as the unique Scottish style, make this classic masterpiece. Years later, little Wallace, who grew up, returned to his hometown, breathing in the smell of his long-lost hometown. At this time, Wallace was still an ordinary person. Love life, longing for a life of wandering and uncertainty to be quiet. From then on, he lived the life of an ordinary person who had no quarrel with the world and freedom. When Wallace meets with his old friend Hamis, he refuses to participate in a stone-throwing competition; When [Mellen's] father asked to go to a secret meeting with Wallace, he rejected the old man and said, "I come back home to raise crops, and, God willing, a family. If I can live in peace,I will.” And later when people from neighboring villages came to ask to join Wallace's uprising, Wallace said, "Go home..." These small episodes illustrate Wallace's desire to live a peaceful and free life when he grew up. And it was this desire for a peaceful life that fulfilled Wallace's belief in freedom. With the constant victory of the rebel army. At this time, the Scottish nobles and the English nobles fought a contest in exchange for more interest chips at the negotiating table. On the battlefield of Stirling, the Scottish nobles heard the rumbling of the horses' hooves of England's heavy cavalry and fidgeted. Whether to fight or negotiate, swinging back and forth, hesitating. The true face of the so-called nobility, ugliness and selfishness is exposed. At this awkward moment, Wallace arrived with the rebels. He was calm and composed, and in an impassioned speech he made the mercenaries understand the true meaning of fighting—fighting for freedom. As Wallace said, "... You've come to fight as free men,and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight?... that they may take our lives，but they'll never take our FREEDOM! Such rhetoric is based on an analysis of reality. What a mighty mountain. It must also be mentioned here that Wallace vented his dissatisfaction and dislike for the Rulers of England with a kind of joke and even a bad word, which also ruined the Scottish nobility's desire to retreat from the war. The two passages in the film, one before and one after, one relaxed, one tight and one loose, form a sharp contrast, and also show Wallace's resilience and firm belief as a leader.
The director's choice of light is also very good, such as the part where Wallace Sleeps in the Forest and dreams of Morren, using blue light as the main color of the forest, and then intermittently injecting some scattered white light, and then a blurry figure slowly appears, and the tone of the entire color is always dark blue, swimming away from the dream and reality, complementing the plot. And in the period of Wallace's torture, the director ingeniously chose a cloudy day, such a weather, thin clouds covering the sky, the light is close to the diffuse light, sufficient and not too intense. There are almost no shadow areas in this light, which is conducive to the representation of the subject, especially the overhead shot of Wallace lying on the torture table and being tortured. At the same time, the director also takes into account the cloudy and sunny weather in Britain, which is more real. The reason why the film "Braveheart" can shock our hearts is that it is a cry and desire for the most primitive form of freedom, a spiritual release from the "captivity" of the soul, and a sense of true liberation of the self.
The love factor in the film is an indispensable condition for becoming a Hollywood blockbuster, and it is the two love lines entangled in the film that make this film with deep nationalist and political connotations elevate its viewing point, win word of mouth, and gain market. The first line of love is Wallace's love affair with his wife Morren. The film is described in several sets of shots of two real and two virtual, first real and then virtual, although there is not much ink, but its soul runs through the whole process. First at wallace's father's funeral, the little girl Molen picked a purple flower and sent it to the poor and helpless little Wallace, and it was also with this flower that Wallace grew up to return to his hometown and renewed the frontier with Morran; The second real scene that follows is Wallace and Moran secretly marrying until Molen is killed, which is the fuse of the whole story, which leads the plot deeper. The other two scenes are embodied through Wallace's dreams, when the uprising is victorious, Wallace sleeps in the forest and dreams of Moran, who says to him , "Wake up, Wallace, wake up ..." meant to remind Wallace not to be mistaken by the conspiracy; The most memorable is at the end of the film, Wallace is tortured and dying, and suddenly sees Morren in the crowd, they look at each other and smile, adding a romantic atmosphere to the bloody execution ground... The second line of love is the love between Wallace and the Princess of England played by Sophie Marceau. In order to delay the war and wait for rescue, the King of England sent his daughter-in-law Isabella (a French princess) to negotiate with the rebels. There are three main scenes involving the princess, the first of course is a business-style peace talk, but it makes the princess understand the truth, and at the same time has a heartfelt admiration and love for Wallace; The second time is a typical Hollywood model plot, they are alone in a room, fully venting the sanctity and strength of love regardless of identity, position, and occasion. The third time is at the end of the film, in the face of the grim fact that Wallace was tortured, the princess's unforgettable love for Wallace is vividly expressed, pleading with the "long legs", begging Wallace to take anesthetics, and angrily killing the king... The image of a living woman who is bitter and determined to be righteous jumps on the screen.
The film's classic soundtrack came from the famous composer James Horner, who used Scottish bagpipes, Irish harps and moderate female vocal chants in Braveheart to create such a classic soundtrack in combination with the majestic and exciting style of the American film soundtrack. The soundtrack of the whole film and the plot itself are intertwined and meticulous, which is a good foil to some of the characteristics of the era shown in the film, allowing us to appreciate the vast Scottish Highlands and the heroic Scottish people hundreds of years ago. The Scottish bagpipe is a unique instrument on the highlands and is extremely ethereal. The soundtrack in the film fully rhymes with the role of Scottish bagpipes, with a long artistic conception and a tragic gun. At the beginning of the film, a panoramic shot of Scotland's rolling hills, meandering rivers, and flower-dotted forests can be seen, with empty, melodious Scottish bagpipes. This is the first appearance of Scottish bagpipes, which set off the picturesque beauty of Scotland; The second time the Scottish bagpipes sounded was at the funeral of Little Wallace's father, and the music highlighted the pity and helplessness of Little Wallace at this time; Then, as his fathers traditionally bid farewell to their dead comrades, the Scottish bagpipes sounded for the third time, as bagpipes and minor keys were banned in England, and the use of bagpipes in the film was a silent rebellion; When Wallace and Molen ride together on a horse and bathe in love, the Scottish bagpipes sound for the fourth time, pushing the sweetness of this love to the extreme; When Falkirk lost the First World War, the battlefield was full of dead bodies, and the Scottish bagpipes sounded for the fifth time, setting off the fierceness of the war like hell on earth, and the bagpipes at this time truly became a "summoning song"; In the process of Wallace's torture, the theme song with a very Scottish style rises leisurely, from sadness to sorrow, from sadness to tragedy, the emotion gradually rises, and the climax is like a flood gushing out of the embankment, and the audience's emotions are also moved. At the end of the film, Robert, inspired by the hero, completely broke with his father and led the rebels to continue the hero's unfinished cause, and the Scottish bagpipes finally sounded in conjunction with the theme song, echoing the beginning of the film, while conveying a positive atmosphere.
At the end of the film, Horner organically combines the multiple theme melodies in the film, and at the end of the song, it is brought together in the form of a multi-voice wind seedling ensemble, which shines together and blows the clarion call for freedom. The music of "Braveheart" integrates two distinct temperaments of aesthetic romance and grandeur, and vividly reflects the diversity and integration of Horner's music creation. The film's most appealing soundtrack takes the film to new heights and breadths, and the plot of love and heroism blends with the soundtrack to complement each other perfectly. Not only deepening the theme of the film, but also allowing the two themes to eventually merge into one, the music and the theme of the perfect stage to create a romantic heroism of iron-blooded tenderness. In this age of peace, we don't need to shed blood like Wallace, but we should have a heart like his. A true heart of faith; A heart that strives for a better life; A heart that dares to face itself. Maybe only after watching the film will you understand "Every man dies, not every man really lives." The true meaning of this sentence.
