How the epic film "Braveheart" was filmed

Exactly 20 years ago, on May 24, 1995, the film Braveheart, starring Mel Gibson, was released for the first time. The film, directed and produced by Gibson himself, collected five Oscars, a Golden Globe Award and a dozen more prestigious film awards and became one of Hollywood's iconic historical films. In this issue we will tell you how this epic picture was shot.

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1. An epic historical film about Scottish folk hero William Wallace and his lifelong struggle against the British. The script for the film was written by a debutant in a big movie and the namesake of the hero Randall Wallace, based on known historical facts, as well as a poem by the medieval Scottish bard Harry the Blind.

2. William Wallace was a small farmer by birth, studied in Europe and led a rebellion of peasants and warriors against the humiliating power of the British. He was a brilliant strategist and managed to win several decisive battles, was devoted to his country and died with the word "Freedom!" on the lips. He became a legend and a symbol of freedom-loving Scotland. Hollywood simply could not pass by such material.

3. When Mel Gibson was offered the role of Wallace, he initially hesitated, believing that he was too old for this role. Instead, he expressed a desire to direct the tape. Then the studio set a condition: Gibson would be allowed to take the director's chair if he agreed to the role of Wallace. The decision was fateful: "Braveheart" won five Oscars, two of which (as a director and as a co-producer) went to Gibson. A two-handed sword, with which he starred in the film, a few years later was sold at Sotheby's for $170,000.

4. The film was shot in Scotland, and one of the rainiest places in the country was inadvertently chosen for filming: in six weeks of filming, there were only three sunny days here. The ever-gloomy weather, according to the director, helped to recreate a certain - gloomy and harsh - atmosphere on the screen. Part of the location filming took place in the ancient medieval castles of Scotland and Ireland, and real descendants of Wallace acted as extras in the film.

5. According to eyewitnesses, during the filming of "Braveheart" Gibson walked around the set with a mysterious book called "How to make an epic movie." The book was not real - the director just wanted to play a trick on his colleagues. However, at the end of filming, Gibson himself could write such a work: "Braveheart" was created with a truly epic scale.

6. The Battle of Stirling alone was filmed for a month and a half. For this scene, 90 hours of material were filmed (hardly a hundredth part was included in the film). Soldiers from the Irish equivalent of the National Guard were involved in the battle scenes, 3,000 horsemen were involved in the filming, and 6,000 costumes were sewn for the film. According to the director, despite the abundance of complex stunts, none of the actors, extras or stuntmen were seriously injured. There were bruises, abrasions and even one broken ankle, but no more.

7. To save money when filming the battle, Mel Gibson used panoramic shooting. He lined up the entire extras in one row, and when editing, he simply mirrored the picture. We can say that the actors in this episode were preparing to fight with themselves.

8. Initially, Gibson asked Warner Brothers for money for Braveheart. The company agreed, but on the condition that the actor star in Lethal Weapon 4. Mel refused. But three years later, in 1998, he nevertheless played in the final part of the cult action movie.

9. The mechanical horses used in the film were so realistically rendered that animal rights activists began to make claims, not believing that "none of the horses were harmed in the filming." Then Mel Gibson offered to show the doubters working footage of dangerous scenes with animatronic horses and pay five dollars to anyone who recognized the fake. As far as is known, not a single five-dollar bill has left Gibson's pocket.

10. After the film's release, Gibson was often asked questions about the film's historical accuracy. Recognizing that some details are not true (for example, the love story of Wallace and Isabella is completely invented by the screenwriter - in those years, the future princess was still a girl, and she married Edward only three years after Wallace's execution), the director emphasized that Wallace's life had long been became a legend, almost a myth. And the myth does not lose any freedom of interpretation - especially when it comes to a historical blockbuster.

11. Shot for $70 million, the film grossed over $200 million worldwide, with three-quarters of the money coming from outside the US. The film was nominated for 10 Oscars and received, as already mentioned, five of them. In addition to Gibson, the awards went to cinematographer John Toll, make-up artist and visual and sound effects team.