Mel Gibson's Braveheart: Film Analysis

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Recommended: National Identity and its Elements

Countries vary in multiple ways. Some are big, some have mountains, some have dictators, some are as old as time. One thing that remains constant is the cultural pride and need for national identity in each. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, pride is the “delight or elation arising from some act, possession, or relationship.” Therefore, it can be inferred that cultural pride is the love, appreciation, and elation for where a person comes from and the practices of that culture. For example, Americans take pride in everything that has been invented and accomplished in America. Hispanics take pride in the traditions of their ancestors like “Day of the Dead.” The Scottish take pride in their heritage, and they traditions and didn’t appreciate England taking over their land and forcing them to change their way of living in the 1290’s. National identity is important because it is what makes countries unique from one another. If humans didn’t have their own personalities, every person would be the same, despite their different body shapes and features. Likewise, if countries didn’t have their own identity, what would make them different? The film Braveheart showed the strive Scotland had to form their own national identity. However, films that are fictionalized have many effects. Fictionalized films focusing on national identity can act as a demagoguery and cause political movements. Even though the film Braveheart provides a good example of cultural pride and the strive for national identity, it does not accurately portray the Scottish rebellion of England; moreover, many historical films don’t accurately portray historical events.

Misconceptions, Inaccuracies, and Film

While Braveheart gives multiple lessons regarding i...

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...s a different perspective of the world around them. Studying what makes countries different and their different backgrounds will also help students form credible opinions of history, economy, and politics.

Works Cited

Gibson, Mel, dir. Braveheart. Perf. Mel Gibson, Patrick McGoohan, Sophie Marceau. Icon Entertainment International, 1995. DVD.

“History vs. Braveheart.” Angelfire. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

Innes, Ewan J. “The Scottish Wars of Independence.” ScottishHistory. 1995. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

"Pride." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.

“The Real Story: Braveheart.” SmithsonianChannel.com. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

“The Wars of Independence.” EducationScotland. Web. 24 Mar. 2014

“William Wallace.” Angelfire. Web. 1 May 2014.

“William Wallace Undiscovered Scotland: The Ultimate Online Guide.” Undiscovered Scotland. n.d. Web. 1 May 2014.

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