The Story So Far..

Hey guys. I basically cranked this one out with no idea what I was writing at first, but out of it all I managed to get what I think is a pretty solid thesis statement: The principal contemporary themes of the film, parallelism between William Wallace, a Scottish man from the fourteenth century, and the Scottish of 1995, and emphasis on Scottish pride are the main reasons for such an emphatic reaction by the Scottish. To clarify, I am writing on Braveheart and its impact on the Scottish people, examining the specifics of why they were more affected by the film than other cultures were. My research was mostly background information about the era and about some groups involved, but I did get some specific articles on the impact that Braveheart had, and I use those throughout my paper. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure where else I want to take this paper; I know I need to make it longer, and I know I might not be detailed enough in my writing, I just don’t know what to add so that I can add more value. So my questions for this are:

What can I do to add more to this paper? Or is the paper sufficient as-is?

Does my paper flow well? Do I use proper grammar, etc?

 

Research 10: The English Don’t Get It

Crumley, Jim. “The English Don’t Get It.” New Statesman 125.4311 (1996): 19. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Mar. 2014.

This article discusses a similar topic to one of my other sources, however, it provides some different information, and doesn’t focus on the political details as much. It does focus on one thing in particular, however: The English Don’t Get It. This theme is repeatedly seen and stated in the article, and the writer elaborate on how the English don’t get it.

This article is another good source for me, particularly with regards to the circumstances in Scotland, such as the rise of Nationalism, the influence of Braveheart as a catalyst for these movements, and also some examples of how popular Braveheart was with the people. I’m not quite sure how I’m going to use all of this information yet, but I know a lot of the info in this article is going to come in handy.

Research 9: An interview with the Director

Gallagher, John Andrew, and Sylvia Caminer. “Interview With Mel Gibson.” Films In Review 47.5/6 (1996): 31. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Mar. 2014.

This source is, rather obviously, an interview with Mel Gibson on Braveheart, as well as some other subjects. He talks about how he became to be involved with the film, then how he came to be director and actor.

This interview was really great for me to find. It’s great to get all this information from Mel Gibson’s perspective, to try and get a better impression of the movie, how it was made, and possibly some other tidbits of information. It also helps me with what kind of audiences he was considering when he directed this film, as well as some of the processes behind the scenes of making the movie.

Research 8: Historical Knowledge as of 1996

“William Wallace’s Adventure Through Time.” British Heritage 18.6 (1996): 42. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Mar. 2014.

This source basically cross-references all of the events in Braveheart with the known facts about William Wallace. It goes into a lot of depth, providing great detail, and tries to put the pieces together. Unfortunately, the only thing that seems to have been historically accurate is the fact that Wallace was a brilliant military leader. It actually includes some information about why Mel Gibson wanted to make this movie, which could be useful.

This article is basically to address the counter-arguments that may be posed, particularly regarding the lack of historical accuracy. Even with all the information presented in the article, there is still a lot of information that is not known, however, some of the things that are known are not present in the movie, or are else distorted for the sake of making a good movie.

Research 7: Academy Awards Results 1996

Sterritt, David. “Oscar wore plaid: `Braveheart’ wins 5.” Christian Science Monitor 27 Mar. 1996: 12. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Mar. 2014.

This entire article is in essence, all about the Academy Awards. Who was in contention for each award, who won which award, and some comments regarding most of the winners. There also were some comments at the beginning, regarding the opinions of movie-goers and critics, on the award winners as well.

Really, this article is solely for the purpose of showing how good of a movie is, or at least to the general population. Braveheart was nominated for ten awards and won five awards. The fact that it took home five Academy Awards is significant, especially considering that  two of the awards were major awards; best picture and best director.

Research 6: More on the Scottish National Party

Mad Macs At The Movies.” Newsweek 126.17 (1995): 44. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Mar. 2014.

This article discusses the impact of Braveheart on the Scottish people. It also discusses the rise in popularity of the Scottish National Party, as a result of the film, and how they are taking advantage of it.

Despite its lack of length, this is still a valuable source for me for a few reasons. First off, it provides me with the Scottish reception of Braveheart, which was extremely positive, and also why they might have liked it. It also give me the impact of Braveheart on the Scottish people, particularly the fact that it was so well-received that it caused a rise in support for the Scottish nationalist party to about 30% support from the population. It also hints at some possible reasons why the Scots are so discontent with their lot right now, the North Sea oil conflict in particular, and also how the Scottish national Party is taking advantage of Braveheart.

Review 5: The Other Side of the Coin.. For the Sake of Objectiveness

Howe, Desson. “Braveheart.” Washington Post 26 5 1995, n. pag. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.

This review provides a summary of Braveheart, along with comments that are none too kind. Howe seemed to have a problem with every facet of the film, believing every part of the film to be way overdone.

Really, most of the reason why I want to use this is because it basically tears Braveheart a new one. I do not agree with this man in any manner on what he said, but this is a research paper I am writing, and so I must make sure I have all sides. This article is one of the aforementioned articles that pointed out the historical inaccuracy of the movie, as well as the fact that there is little known about Wallace. However, based on his writing, I’m not sure that Howe truly knows this, because all of his criticisms are based upon the fact that everything is way overdone. I do not think he can judge what is realistic and unrealistic, as he has nothing to go on, and his argument is therefore invalid. However, this article provides me with an insight into the mind of a negative critic, as well as a few other things.

*I realize I went on a rant but this guy’s review really ground my gears

Research 4: Historical Accuracy is Important.. For Some Reason

Ebert, Roger. “Braveheart Movie Review.” rogerebert.com. Ebert Digital LLC, 24 5 1995. Web. 5 Mar 2014.

This is again, partly a summary of the film. However, it is presented in a different form, and provides some comments that are quite different and provide a different insight. Ebert also some structures it differently, in that he prefaces his plot summary with some comments about William Wallace, some historical context, and pointing out that this film was not meant to be historically accurate.

While this is yet another positive review for Braveheart, it has some different elements to it that make it important, such as the noting of historical accuracy. This is not the only review I have read that has pointed out the lack of historical evidence to back up Gibson’s film, but it is one of the few that acknowledges that there is hardly any information known about Wallace, and also that Gibson’s intention was not to create a historically accurate film, but a movie of action and story. This has helped me conclude, along with some other reviews that I have read, that historical accuracy seemed to be ridiculously important to reviewers when they viewed this film, despite there being no claim that it was historically accurate and there being hardly any information on Wallace.

Research 3: Insights and Definitions

James, Caryn. “Braveheart; The Splashy Epic Finds New Life in the 13th Century.” New York Times 24 5 1995, n. pag. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.

The critic of this review, James, provides what is for the most part, a summary. He describes the plot of the movie, comments on certain elements of it, and gives his opinion at the end of the review.

This review is a good source for me for a few reasons. First off, It provides me with a nice succinct plot summary so that, should I forget a certain part of the movie, I can simply read over this article rather than skim through the movie. It also provides me some of the opinions of a reviewer of that time, providing me with what they found to be good about the movie, and some of the qualms that even someone with a positive reaction to the film had. Lastly, it gives me a definition of what over-the-top and extravagant were considered back then, through the examples of such provided therein.

Research 2: A Theme and Some Background

Ryan, Desmond. “The Highlands, The ‘hood Moor Is More: Mel Gibson and His Epic Scottish Fling.” Inquirer[Philadelphia] 24 05 1994, n. pag. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.

The writer, Ryan, gives a brief summary in the middle of his critique, but for the most part, he chooses to focus on other elements. In particular, he covers some of the back story of the movie, such as the way in which Gibson decided to direct the movie, using thousands of people to fill his marvelous battle scenes, and also a brief summary/commentary on Gibson’s history in film, connecting his previous characters to William Wallace. However, he also identifies some flaws in the movie, such as Wallace’s eloquent speeches on freedom seeming quite modern, and also pointing our that the film conveys the contemporary theme that power corrupts.

This article should be useful to me in showing one of the ways in which Braveheart set it apart. It also points out some elements that might appeal to the people of today, such as one of its contemporary themes, possibly causing people to be more receptive of it.