Mel Gibson admits Braveheart inaccuracies!

**Inchessi** · 29th October 09, 03:10 PM

It is Hollywood. Have they ever produced a historically accurate movie?

**macwilkin** · 29th October 09, 03:18 PM

Originally Posted by Inchessi

It is Hollywood. Have they ever produced a historically accurate movie?

Yes. I can list a number of them. No movie is 100% accurate, but there are some that at least try to get the story right.

T.

**The Guy in the Kilt at UC** · 29th October 09, 04:31 PM

I was not alive at the time, but could someone tell me if Viet Nam was seen as a big quagmire by 1968? I know it was very unpopular eventually, but when did that become the strong opinion that it was. Would it have been enough to leave the country for fear that your son would die in six years?

**thescot** · 29th October 09, 06:17 PM

Originally Posted by The Guy in the Kilt at UC

. . .Would it have been enough to leave the country for fear that your son would die in six years?

Maybe you should ask the mothers whose sons were at Guadalcanal. Or Dunkirk. Or Bunker Hill. Or Fort Sumter. Or any other war site.

It's the alternative that one has to consider when making a decision about whether to go to war or not.

The quagmire was as much a function of the news and politics as it was anything. Only by diciding to win can you win.

**escherblacksmith** · 30th October 09, 06:42 AM

well, this is starting to not go well, back to the topic at hand.

Yes, we all agree that Hollywood does not have a great track record of accuracy. The point of this story is that Mel Gibson is not defending Braveheart as historical. After 15 years. That is the story.

That said, movies can been done with at least an attempt at getting the story right. As a for instance, I believe these are close to the mark:

Gettysburg
Gandhi
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Zulu
Master and Commander.

Now, none of these were 100%, and, frankly, couldn't be. But they reflect an attempt to make a gripping story and be accurate.

And, really, that is all I require, a worthy attempt.

**MuffinMan** · 30th October 09, 07:28 AM

What about Monty Python and the Holy Grail, I seem to remember a college history teacher saying its very tongue in cheek but accurate.

MM

**Jack Daw** · 30th October 09, 07:43 AM

Mel Gibson was only 17 in 1973 when the U.S. draft ended.

**Phil** · 30th October 09, 07:59 AM

I do thnk that the movie sparked an interest in finding out the truth of what really happened. Anyway I think we all know that Hollywood has never been in the business of letting the truth get in the way of a good story. Look at the movie U-571, a total tissue of lies from beginning to end.