Nothing else mattered.” Why Mel Gibson focused on story and character over historyĪccording to IMDb, the film’s screenwriter, Randall Wallace, had very little historical information to work with on the film’s subject when writing the screenplay. In an article for The Herald citing why she didn’t like it, writer Alison Rowat commented that “In Mel’s Scotland the English were nasty and irredeemable and the F-word was worth suffering and dying for.

Historians believe Wallace’s father, slain in the film when Wallace was a boy, would have actually been alive during his revolt.ĭespite being widely beloved by most audiences, not everyone loved the film.The title of “Brave Heart” was used to refer to Robert the Bruce, not Wallace.The scene of The Battle of Stirling Bridge is missing a depiction of the actual bridge near which it took place.Scholars dispute whether this was actually practiced, citing a lack of evidence. Edward Longshanks invokes the right of “Jus Primae Noctis” by Edward Longshanks, giving him the right as a medieval noble to legally have sex with any woman below his social class.‘Braveheart’ had multiple historical inaccuracies Mel Gibson on the set of ‘Braveheart’ | Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty ImagesĪccording to The Scotsman, there were numerous historical inaccuracies present in Braveheart, including: However, while the film tells a stirring tale of Scottish folk hero William Wallace’s bravery and revolution, it’s not 100% historically accurate. Gibson knew this, but it didn’t bother him very much. The 1995 Mel Gibson masterpiece was a hit with critics and moviegoers alike. When it comes to historical dramas, they don’t make them any better than Braveheart.

Is brave heart based on a true story