Great battles, good jokes, poor history

Rating: Null/10 (5 March 2002)

I've just enjoyed watching this film on TV again. Not up to the standard of films like El Cid (1961), Cyrano de Bergerac (1990) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962), but definitely worth watching, with great battle scenes, good jokes and a solid 'story'.
Is it history? No. Does that matter? I think so. No historical or biographical film can ever be accurate in every detail - you can only fit so many characters and events into 3 hours. But to claim to be historical, as Braveheart does (see the end credits), a film must get the broad sweep right. If you want to make a film about a real character like William Wallace then you have to stay closer to the facts. If you want to make a fictional patriotic epic, then you make up a character and place him in a historical context - like Ivanhoe.
I guess my real worry is that many people expand their limited understanding of history through watching films. I've spoken to people who now 'know' that American sailors helped win WWII by capturing an Enigma machine from a German submarine.
And one last note. The character of Isabella of France would be worth a movie all on her own. She married Edward II. Had to vie for his attention with Piers Gaveston. Had 4 children. Was sent to France to negotiate with her brother Charles IV. Refused to return. Hooked up with another French noble. Invaded England. Installed her son as Edward III. Ran the country for a few years while he came of age. Had her husband murdered and several rivals executed. Fell out with her son. Negotiated a huge allowance, and lived very comfortably before retiring to a convent. And people say real history isn't interesting enough.