Braveheart – Blu-ray Disc Review

September 9, 2009 – 8:04 AM - Posted by: Danielle Byington

Tags: Brian Cox, Catherine McCormack, James Cosmo, James Robinson, Mel Gibson, Paramount, Patrick McGoohan, Sandy Nelson, Sean Lawlor, Sean McGinley, Sophie Marceau

has an average rating of 8.4 on IMDb
1080p in AVC MPEG-4 on a 50gb disc
Dolby TrueHD 5.1
are over 2 hours & partially HD
–
– 1995
– 177 Minutes
– Paramount
–
This uses 42.8GB for the movie out of 45.2GB total.

Overall Verdict – Recommended

Buy it for $22.49 @ Amazon.com

— Review written by: Danielle Byington —

The Movie Itself is the second film that Mel Gibson directed, with the writing credit of Randall Wallace.

The story revolves around the myth/history of Scotsman, William Wallace (Mel Gibson), who we first encounter in his childhood. Scotland is mostly occupied by the dreadful rule of King Edward I (Patrick McGoohan) of England, and as Scotsmen rebel against the English invasion, many lose their life; including William‘s father and brother. William is taken in and raised by his uncle, and returns to his childhood village to start a family and live as a farmer, not wanting involvement in the rebellion.

William has his eye on a girl from his childhood, Murron (Catherine McCormack), and after an evening with her, Wallace proposes. The two marry in secret to avoid any scenarios that may result from the primae noctis, a law that offers the bride’s virginity to those in authority before she sleeps with her husband. The two are still portraying their marriage silently in the days after, and while visiting his wife in the village, Wallace stops attacking Englishmen from raping Murron. Instructing her to run to a meeting place, Wallace stays and fights the English authorities he has rescued his wife from, but then realizes that she has not made it free. Captured by the English sheriff, Murron is murdered, and Wallace retaliates against all of the stationed Englishmen, accompanied by fellow Scotsmen.

Knowing that they will face charges for their acts, Wallace and Scotsmen from the village dress in the English uniforms of the guards they have just murdered so that they may gain access into the fort of the local English authority. Once inside, the men set the fort ablaze, making for huge hopeful news that spreads quickly across Scotland, and sends many more volunteers to Wallace‘s side, as many Scotsmen now have faith in the belief of their rightful freedom from the harsh laws imposed by King Edward I. The now believing Scotsmen follow Wallace, who leads them to victory through a number of battles against the opposing English, with the exception of a defeat caused by two Scotsmen who betray Wallace. After this defeat, Wallace attempts to stay low, as many people now know of him. He avenges himself and the lose his militia faced by murdering the two Scotsmen who betrayed him, and makes small organized attacks to help Scotland to its deserved freedom step by step.

In closing, the movie is generally highly acclaimed, with good reason; great performances, nice production efforts in the period setting, and a great layout of the story of the myths/history surrounding the heroic protagonist. Though, the film has definitely been poked at about its historical inaccuracies, to which you have to wonder why critics would even bother with that, being that Hollywood would only fictionalizes history all of the time. The main point lying within this film that must have won so many audiences over is the undying theme of believing in and fighting for what is right, which is thoroughly conveyed in this story; whether historians like it or not. Overall, it has been and will continue to be a worthy and notable film, earning a “4.5 Star Rating“.

Video Quality on this release is in full 1080p using the AVC MPEG-4 codec on a BD-50 (50 gigabyte, dual layered Blu-ray Disc) in the 2.40:1 aspect ratio. The look of this Sapphire Series release is certainly impressive, taking into consideration that this was a 1995 film. This film of course has a specific time and location setting with the intention to take viewers to Scotland, 1200 A.D., which definitely exhibits the production efforts put forth, as every piece and part now has the best opportunity yet to shine within the picture. There is significant detail seen in the well-done costumes of the Scottish commoners, as well as the more elaborate adornments of the English royalty, and also, on an even wider scale, the filming locations (which are both Ireland and Scotland). The other usual subjects of definition quality also stand out nicely, including the semi-matted strands of hair on William Wallace, and beard stubble in actors, not subdued by the still present film grain.

The color palette here is mostly neutral, maybe a hint towards the ashy side, really giving the crisp feel of a 1200 A.D. Scottish exterior, with really vivid and lush green foliage landscaping the setting, and that ashy gray tint seen in a lot of the scenes from the almost always drizzly climate. The black level is certainly solid for a majority of the film’s runtime, though this does fluctuate from time to time (which will be discussed below); however, the scenes graced with inkiness appear to have a balanced sharpness, enhancing definition, and further complimenting the bold saturation of the vivid color palette. Fleshtones are accurate, whether it’s the fair complexions of Sophie Marceau and Catherine McCormack, or the more rugged darker tone of Mel Gibson portraying William Wallace.

As mentioned above, there are a few moments that the nice balance in the video quality fluctuate slightly, and though they are not huge flaws, they are still worth noting. IMDb claims the use of Panavision Cameras, and more importantly, C-Series and E-Series Lenses. This is possibly what created the variation in video presentation, as a majority of sources/cinematographers note the popularity of the C-series in the fact that they are lightweight, though present less contrast and sharpness in the final product compared to the use of other lenses. On the other hand, the E-Series offers a sharper picture, and saturation of the color palette may be more intense. Whether it is from the variation in quality provided by the lenses used, or simply the Hi-Def transfer’s original source material, the lesser-than scenes appear reminiscent of a not-so-clean television broadcast, with less sharpness, duller color palette, and a black level that harnesses gray tones and even a bit of salt & pepper film grain. Though, within its very clean look, definition and clarity on this release is fairly high, more so at particular points than others, though I would still declare that this is certainly one of the better looking Blu-ray releases of a mid-90′s catalog title, cutting close to a half of a star higher in its final grade, though in the end earning itself a “4 Star Rating“.

Audio Quality on this release is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround. Scenes outside of battle sequences are mostly fulfilled by a great presentation of the original music composed by James Horner, who has worked with director Mel Gibson on his other films, and also has an extensive list of credentials. The Celtic sounds of Scottish Highlands certainly fulfill the soundscape from all around, and even the soft strikes deep drums make for subtle bass presence. The score does intensify as it accompanies climatic scenes, and in these moments further compliments a well-done job of the audio track. Action sequences are honestly what takes the cake for the audio on this release, with the clanking of melee weapons popping up from multiple channels, the roaring of the battling militants filling the front channels and even the rear channels, and just as mentioned above, the score is more robust with some thundering bass presence. Dialogue is presented clearly from the center front channel, and never requires cranking to be audible, nor is it ever subdued by other elements of the audio track. Overall, this 5.1 mix does this Sapphire Series release justice, and earns a “4.5 Star Rating“.

Bonus Materials on this release are presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition (supplements will be noted), using Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo.

Disc 1:
• “Commentary by Mel Gibson“
• “‘Braveheart’ Timelines” (HD) features an interactive menu of fiction, production, and history timelines, allowing you to scroll through and select preview clips that give further information to the respective selection.

Disc 2:

• “Battlefields of the Scottish Rebellion” (HD) is another interactive menu, presented as a map and timeline that allows you to select from four battlefields, which will then open a window displaying a summary of historical facts regarding that battle.
• “‘Braveheart’: A Look Back” (HD, 1 hour) is divided into three chapters consisting of reflections of the film’s production, including interviewing with Mel Gibson, and several other members of production.
• “Smithfield: Medieval Killing Fields” (HD, 25 minutes) is a discussion with historians regarding the location on the outskirts of London that marks the place of death of William Wallace, as well as numerous others through out history who faced torture, death, and violence. Definitely a thoroughly detailed supplement pertaining to the film.
• “Tales of William Wallace” (SD, 30 minutes) is a historical documentary about the facts versus myths surrounding the heroic figure.
• “A Writer’s Journey” (SD, 21 minutes) interviews writer Randall Wallace as he discusses his inspirations for the story.
• “Theatrical Trailer 1” (HD)
• “Theatrical Trailer 2” (HD)

Blu-ray Disc packaging:

Screenshots:

NOTE: The full-sized 1920×1080 files are in a .PNG file format and uncompressed. Bare with the slow loading times, keep in mind these files are at least 1MB (1 megabyte) in size each.

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