I’m not including a spoiler alert for this movie because I’m sure that everybody who was interested in this movie has already seen it and they know what happens. If that’s not the case with you, you might want to put off reading this post until after you’ve seen the movie.
#2: Braveheart, starring Mel Gibson as William Wallace. Released in 1995.Plot Synopsis (from Amazon.com): “William Wallace is a Scottish rebel who leads an uprising against the cruel English ruler Edward the Longshanks [during the 1200’s], who wishes to inherit the crown of Scotland for himself. When he was a young boy, William Wallace's father and brother, along with many others, lost their lives trying to free Scotland. Once he loses another of his loved ones, William Wallace begins his long quest to make Scotland free once and for all, along with the assistance of Robert the Bruce.”
William Wallace starts out as a Scotsman who doesn't want to fight, but when an English officer murders his wife, he finds all the motivation he needs. He organizes men to fight against England with the hope that the Scottish clans will unite under a man named Robert the Bruce, who is the rightful heir to the throne of Scotland. But Bruce sees little hope in uniting the clans and he is fearful of dying in the process. When Bruce complains to Wallace that the people of Scotland won't follow him even though he is the rightful heir to the throne, Wallace says, “Men don't follow titles, they follow courage.”
I replayed that part of the movie over and over the first time I saw it. I thought about that line a lot over the next few days. I wrote it down. And then I thought about it some more. Wallace was so right. Courage is like a magnet. When we see it, we can’t help but be attracted to it. It doesn’t erase fear, but somehow it prompts us to rise above it.
Wallace also utters these quite truthful words during an exchange with Bruce: “Every man dies, not every man really lives.” That line gave me goose bumps…and I wrote it down as well because it was so true. Most of us seem to refrain from living the life we know we should live because we are afraid, but the grave, as they say, is the great equalizer. So why not live while we have the chance?
And finally, we have this speech from Wallace, given to his men shortly before they head into battle with troops from England that heavily outnumber those in the Scotland army:
“Sons of Scotland. I am William Wallace…I see a whole army of my countryman here in defiance of tyranny. You come to fight as free men and free men you are. What will you do without freedom? Will you fight?”
“No, we will run. And we will live.”
“Ay. Fight and you may die. Run and you’ll live. At least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now would you be willing to trade all the days form this day to that for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they may never take our freedom!”
I love the countenance of the men in the army at this point. It completely changes from one of cowardice to one of utter bravery. When faced with a clear choice, they are up for the challenge. Wallace was somebody who saw the big picture and he knew that when a man is a coward in his younger years, he has no respect for himself in his latter years.
As you know, Wallace was eventually set up and he lost his life. But Scotland rallied around his martyrdom and they won their freedom. I cheered during this movie, and I cried. I was challenged during it, and I was invigorated. It set me on a course to learn more about the real life William Wallace. From what I can tell, the movie took some liberties with his character, but it captured the essence of who he was. And that makes him one of my all-time favorite heroes.
Previous posts in this series:
#3, Notting Hill
#4, Rocky
#5, Elizabethtown
#6, Luther
#7, Serendipity
#8, Message in a Bottle
#9, A Walk to Remember
#10, In Love and War
