Who can resist a man in kilts?

Rating: 10/10 (16 September 2005)

Mel in a kilt,long-haired, dirty and painted blue--what more could a woman want? No, seriously, this is a great movie, even through many re watchings. I loved the soundtrack, I loved the sets and scenery, I loved the action choreography, I loved the costumes and makeup--you could almost smell the sweaty men! It never fails to make me cry, either.
I also loved the story, and I have to, regrettably, emphasize the term story. There has been so much acclaim for this movie, and it is so universally loved, that it borders on sacrilege to question anything about it. It is undoubtedly one of the most watchable film epics ever made. Mel Gibson really knows how to take a storyline and morph it into a totally absorbing and memorable film experience. I left the theater crying over the loves won and lost, yet exalted by the sheer heroism and hope the character engendered, even in death. It made me want to yell with Mel,"Albanach go bragh!" (Scotland forever!) Having gushed over everything from the look, the sound, the feel,and the virtual smell of the movie,I still have to question just a couple of things. I realize that the screenplay takes a lot of liberties with the historical facts, and to be honest, the historical facts are mostly shrouded in mystery.
Yet, I can't help but wonder why the facts had to be distorted SO much in the name of success at the box office. If in the story, Wallace needed a love interest after his wife died, why did they choose the real historical figure of Princess Isabella of France, yet place her in England and involved with Wallace at the time she was only about 9 years old, still in France, and not even yet married to the Prince of Wales, Edward II?
The romantic plot device of her illicit pregnancy with Wallace's child, and her subsequent revelation of it to King Edward I on his death bed is complete historical nonsense! Good Ol' Longshanks lived on after Wallace's execution for several more years--and I think genealogists would be quite surprised to know that the child who was to become Edward III was sired by a Scottish rebel who had been executed years before Princess (later Queen) Isabella was probably even fertile!!! Oh well! Despite these flaws in historical accuracy, it is still an extremely satisfying movie experience. And besides, I realize I am probably in the minority in even caring about the historical facts.
The obvious fact is that Gibson has taken an obscure Scottish hero, and a period in history, and brought them to life for many who probably never would have heard of William Wallace otherwise. If he has sparked interest and further study on the topic through his film,wonderful. If not, he has without doubt entertained us and touched us with this version of Wallace's story.