Braveheart (2 Disc Set) (UK)

I first saw Braveheart in 1995 at a charity based Cinema in harwich, Essex called the `Electric Palace`. The screen is small and the sound is only a slightly muffled stereo. Not a great start you might think?

Well it blew me away, I was engrossed and completely enthralled and well I went to another cinema a few days later to watch it again.

Braveheart is the incarnation of everything that can be good about Hollywood, and unfortunately what can be bad. But thankfully mostly Braveheart is just a good old fashioned epic. yes it`s historically incorrect, but it is also hugely emotional (sometimes a bit corny) and evoking. It certainly effects me each time I watch it and I never get tired of it.

This DVD transfer seems to be excellent right up there with the high quality transfers of recent times (private ryan, fight club). My only gripe is that I can`t see the need for it to be spread over two discs as the second disc is just a 30 minute documentary, why they couldn`t have put it on the main disc i don`t know.

Marvellous?

the first time i saw braveheart was on an imported laserdisc about four years ago.this was also about the time when dolby 5.1 had just become available on us home recievers-it was incredible then,but with the advent of anamorphic enhancement and more affordable av gear,its now better than ever.
mel gibson manages to do the business both on and off camera,showing his versatility as both a director and actor.the film retains a wonderful period setting thanks largely to the superb costume work and authentic scottish accents,and whilst the scenery is a little drab and green,the widescreen cinemascope picture lends suitable scale to the sweeping camera work and forceful battle scenes-talking of which....
its not often that you get to see so many men getting butchered,but the battle scenes in braveheart are a veritable abatoir of blood and guts.chapter 11 has to rank as one of the most slickly executed battle scenes of any war movie-no holds barred and superbly executed throughout.as far as audio and picture go,fox havent put a foot wrong with the transfer,with a rock steady and crisp image that will flatter any tv,and the dolby digital soundtrack is awesome throughout,being both engaging in the subtle moments and unnerving during the big fight moments,chapter 11 has you literally surrounded by the noise of swords,dying men and crunching bones-and the james horner score remains atmospheric and memorable right to the end.
politically unsound it may be,but come on,who watches a piece of movie making as good as this to nit pick,braveheart will stand out as one of the best warrior flicks ever and rightly so-not even the lousy `extras`disc lets this down.buy and enjoy one of the finest pieces of film from the last millenium...

Quite simply, a masterpiece of filmmaking. The movie tells the story of the life of a son of scotland, William Wallace. After certain events shatter Williams life, He decides to stand up against the cruelty of the English soldiers who are ruling scotland. He gathers support and slowly takes his revenge.

With beautiful scenery, exciting battle scenes and a powerful and emotional storyline, this movie is an instant classic and truly does deserve its Oscars.

The picture and sound are superb and make this a fantastic presentation. I still have my VHS copy of this movie in great condition and did not hesitate buying it on dvd. There arent that many extras apart from the documentart on disc 2 and a commentary. For a 2 disc set, I expect much more. The second disc seems wasted.
Overall, I dont think we will see another edition of this dvd soon so I would grab it now. Its a must own.