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Braveheart: My Favorite Historically Inaccurate Movie
Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story.
In 1995, Mel Gibson directed and starred in the film Braveheart. The film followed the story of Scottish hero William Wallace's fight to win Scotland's independence from England. A patriot, Wallace wanted to see his homeland free from the dominance of the evil English king, Edward Longshanks. In the end, he pays the ultimate price and becomes a legend.
The film is well-made, with epic battle scenes, great costuming, and a good story. This was peak Mel Gibson, before he got into some of his legal and personal issues, and he was on top of the world at the time. Braveheart was a hit, winning the Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director. Scotland saw an influx in tourism and a resurgence of nationalist movements. The film is still considered one of the best ever made.
However, for all the accolades, the film has some problems. Historians had a field day picking apart the anachronisms and historical inaccuracies in the movie. Some issues are minor, while others drastically attempt to rewrite history.
One of the main issues regarding the inaccuracies is the source material Randall Wallace, the screenwriter, used for the screenplay. His primary source was a 15th-century poem by Blind Harry called…
