The folks in Scotland have a love-hate relationship with one of the planet’s most popular actors. I realize Mel Gibson has been fighting with a lot of different groups and individuals in the last few years, but he remains very popular and is still a box office draw. Mel’s come a long way from the young handsome Road Warrior and the kooky character from the Lethal Weapon movie series.
The good people in Scotland thank Mel on a daily basis for making Braveheart. The Scots are proud of their history, convoluted as it is, and like to show off their various stories to the world. That this movie helped to multiply the Scottish tourism industry almost singlehandedly and did so at a time when a shot in the arm was desperately needed, also helps.
The Scottish coal industry, like everywhere else, was dying a slow death for several reasons. Instead of trying to hang on and squeeze every penny from a soon to be defunct industry and blaming political opponents for the demise like America did, the British decided to move ahead with clean energy and deal with the results, including loss of jobs and a giant hit to the economy. Margaret Thatcher is still very unpopular for that decision.
The increase in tourists from the rest of the world looking for blue-faced warriors screaming, “freedom, freedom,” became noticeable and the country’s unemployed began to find job opportunities being tour guides, bartenders, and historic reenactors. That’s when some of the problems arose.
Gibson’s historic telling of the William Wallace story captured the imagination of everyone who saw it but proved in bad need of a fact checker. Not usually a problem, most people worship the myths of their own country’s history without too much emphasis on accuracy. The Scots are a little more interested in making sure the story is told correctly. And Braveheart wasn’t even close.
To begin with, Mel’s hero, William Wallace wasn’t the real Braveheart. That nickname was reserved for the national hero, Robert the Bruce. In addition to that, things like blue face paint and kilts were not synchronized with history. Blue=faced warriors disappeared several centuries before Braveheart, and kilts weren’t invented until well after the time William Wallace lived in Scotland.
Without question, my favorite Braveheart story involved a statue erected in memory of Wallace by a local group near Stirling Castle. During the ceremony unveiling the statue, it quickly became obvious to all that Mel Gibson rather than William Wallace was carved for posterity. At least Philadelphia’s Rocky statue was supposed to be Sly Stallone.
Locals were outraged. Vandals (not the ancient barbarians but local hooligans) immediately began to deface the statue. In desperation, the authorities erected a fence to protect Mel’s version of Braveheart from having his nose chopped off bit by bit. To protect further damage, a fence was erected. The stirring sight of a defaced national hero fenced in for his own protection with the base of the statue reading “Freedom” is just too ironic for words. The statue was finally removed in 2008.
At least Outlander portrays the Jacobite rebellion in the Highlands as it truly was.
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