January 23, 2004

Based on Very True Events
The Bruce

I have been reading the Discussion Forum here with some interest. I enjoy the opinions expressed, generally, whether I agree or not. One thing has prompted me to add to the melee. There have been a few references to "Braveheart."
Frodo_Lives is right to say it is "based on very true events." Being familiar with those events it might be more fairly described as a loose re-imagining. People who comlain about how PJ changed the original material to create a movie for all, should check out the facts on William Wallace. They would see how a story can be butchered. The LoTR movies look laudably verbatim in comparison.
Someone questioned whether the Roherim charge at Helm's Deep would have succeeded against the orcs' pike. They based their doubt on what they had seen in "Braveheart." The events depicted at the Battle of Stirling were pure fiction. If pike was so effective against horse then the cavalry charge would have died as a military option in 1297. It wouldn't have taken the introduction of the machine-gun to warfare, in 1914 to do it.
I'm glad I got that off my chest. Thanks for reading.