This 28 minute film serves as a companion to the feature film Braveheart. Mel Gibson discusses his interests as a filmmaker, some personal film favorites, and explains how some scenes were made. Most interesting are the scenes involving the special effects, which were utilized specifically for the scenes featured in this short documentary: The battle scene effects. The detail Gibson offers regarding the mechanical horses, and the role they played in one battle scene illustrates the effort, money, and time involved in bringing the creative process to life. However, it seems such a paltry DVD companion to a 3 hour film though, especially when over 90 hours of footage was filmed on one battle in the film alone. ** of 4 stars.
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CitizenCaine21 April 2004
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SimonJack14 March 2016There's no plot as such to a documentary short such as this. Rather, it's a look at the craft of movie-making and the specifics of some of the production of the film, "Braveheart." This is an interesting film from that standpoint. It accompanies the DVD that was issued with the movie on DVD after this documentary was made in 2000.
The title given on my DVD is "A Filmmaker's Passion: The Making of Braveheart." It includes short interviews with some of the cast and crew. Other reviews discuss the mechanical horses used in "Braveheart." This shows how they were used, and also how the scenes were shot with the raining arrows. "Braveheart" Director and actor Mel Gibson explains that the challenge for any epic film of this nature is to make it appear realistic without anyone getting hurt. So, we see some of the movie craft that made that possible in "Braveheart."
Another interesting aspect here is an interview with the screenwriter Randall Wallace. We never learn if William Wallace, the hero of "Braveheart" and larger than life real hero of Scotland, was a distant relative of the writer's. But he admits that he had never heard of the Scottish hero before taking on the movie project. He went to Stirling, Scotland, and saw the 220-foot tower monument to Wallace. The writer hints at the extensive fictitious accounts in the movie. With very little historical details recorded anywhere about William Wallace, the movie story was based more on legends which are part of the Scottish lore.
Anyone who has wondered how such large battle scenes are staged should enjoy this look behind the scenes of the movie. Besides the mechanical, stunt work and special effects, this film shows the location shooting and how so many extras could be coached into making the realistic battle scenes. That part of the film was shot in Ireland, and the producers were able to use an entire reserve unit of the Irish army. Some 1,500 Irish soldiers were used for the battle scenes.
This short mentions that the shooting in Scotland was near Inverness. They didn't know when they chose it that it was supposedly the rainiest place in Europe. But, Gibson said that helped add to the realism, and we see some of the scenes that were shot in the rain.
For movie buffs who like to know how some films are made, this documentary is a very good look at the craft of movie-making and the work on the movie, "Braveheart." -
psb19821 March 2004I thought Mel Gibson's 'Braveheart': A Filmmaker's Passion provided a good insight into how the movie was made.
It had some good interviews with the leading actors in this epic film and also showed how some of the scenes were filmed.
The scene with the horses and the English soldiers charging during the Battle of Stirling, before becoming impaled by the shiltrons was cleverly conceived. As well as the scene involving the arrows raining down on the Scottish army.
Overall, it's a good 30-minute extra that comes with the Braveheart DVD. -
scrabo3928 April 2007where do i start?? accents?? there where Irish,Australian,northern Irish,oh yes,i think i spotted a Scottish one,but i may be mistaken!! historically correct?? nothing in this so called film comes anywhere close to being historically correct!! the director needs to take a long hard look at himself!! anti-English claptrap from start to finish!! please don't believe everything you see people!! read a few books,then make your mind up!! i only wish Mel had done that before making this comic book history nonsense!! (well,thats my opinion!!) :O))) while it will appeal to the gullible and nationalist mindset,it is nothing more than pulp fiction cinema!!