There is a good reason that BraveHeart won the academy award that year for best picture – it really was a masterpiece in the historical epic genre. The film is a story that takes place in 13th century Scotland during her struggle to gain independence from England. The main characters along with key battles portrayed in the film were all very historical: William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, King Edward I, The Battle of Falkirk, The Battle of Stirling.
That being said, the story of William Wallace has for centuries been been more “legendary” than historical. The story of the “legend of William Wallace” exploded onto our cultural landscape as Mel Gibson’s, BraveHeart. Gibson’s Wallace was a revolutionary leader characterized by fearlessness, self-sacrifice and a single-minded vision. Wallace was committed to one thing and one thing only, the freedom of Scotland from British rule and tyranny. Wallace as BraveHeart was such a heroic figure, and his battle for freedom is such a compelling story, that it’s easy to overlook the critical sub-plot to the film.
The sub-plot centers on the struggles of a certain Scottish Lord who is the heir to the throne of Scotland, Robert the Bruce. Robert the Bruce is a gifted and capable leader. He admires Wallace and he is devoted to Scotland, but unlike Wallace, he lacks the single-minded vision. Wallace is “black and white” and does not entertain compromise. In contrast to Wallace, the Bruce is cautious, calculating, and at times, conflicted. Robert the Bruce wants to be like Wallace; he wants to lead his people to freedom, but tragically, in a moment of weakness, he ends up betraying Wallace in order to cut a deal with the the king of England.
One of the reasons that I love this film so much is that I really identify with the character, Robert the Bruce, and his struggle for integrity. Like the Bruce, I too admire Wallace for his courage, his passion, and his uncompromising nature, but the reality is that like the Bruce, my life falls well short of the heroic and legendary. I admire the “legend” of William Wallace, but I relate to the story of Robert the Bruce, the man who is still very much in the process of trying to close the gap between his ideas and his actions. I relate to the man who is tired of living constrained by the fears and cynicism of the people around him. In a powerful and defining scene (I couldn’t find that clip), the Bruce’s father is chiding his son saying,”All men lose heart, all men betray”, but Robert the Bruce shouts back at him, “I DON’T WANT TO LOSE HEART!!!” Who among us can’t relate to that struggle?
Historically, as well as in the last scene of the film, Robert the Bruce eventually led Scotland into several strategic battles, which led to Scotland’s freedom and to his ascendancy to the throne. The following clip is a scene that shows some of the contrast between the two men; Wallace confronts the Bruce’s political equivocations, and he challenges him to take his rightful place as the leader and the King of Scotland.