Braveheart
US (1995): Action/Historical/Romance
A stupendous historical saga, Braveheart won five Oscars®, including Best Picture and Best Director for star Mel Gibson. He plays William Wallace, a 13th-century Scottish commoner who unites the various clans against a cruel English King, Edward Longshanks (Patrick McGoohan). The scenes of hand-to-hand combat are brutally violent, but they never glorify the bloodshed. There is such enormous scope to this story that it works on a smaller, more personal scale as well, essaying love and loss, patriotism and passion. Extremely moving, it reveals Gibson as a multitalented performer and remarkable director with an eye for detail and an understanding of human emotion. The film is nearly three hours long and includes several plot tangents, yet is never dull. This movie resonates long after you have seen it, both for its visual beauty and for its powerful story. (Amazon.com)
10 nominations, 5 Awards
· Best Picture of the Year 1995: Mel Gibson, Alan Ladd, Jr. and Bruce Davey, Producers (Icon Productions/Ladd Co., Paramount)
· Best Achievement in Directing 1995: Mel Gibson
· Best Achievement in Cinematography 1995: John Toll
· Best Achievement in Makeup 1995: Peter Frampton, Paul Pattison and Lois Burwell
· Best Achievement in Sound Effects Editing 1995: Lon Bender and Per Hallberg
· Achievement in Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen) 1995: Randall Wallace
· Achievement in Costume Design 1995: Charles Knode
· Achievement in Film Editing 1995: Steven Rosenblum
· Achievement in Music (Original Dramatic Score) 1995: James Horner
· Achievement in Sound 1995: Andy Nelson, Scott Millan, Anna Behlmer and Brian Simmons