The document discusses the dangers of using Hollywood films like Braveheart to study history. While films can spark interest in a historical topic, they often distort facts and simplify narratives to appeal to broad audiences. Braveheart in particular commits many factual errors in its portrayal of William Wallace and 13th century Scotland. Historians warn that movies should not replace rigorous study of history through academic books and documents, but can at most introduce viewers to topics to pursue further research on.

1. Hollywood & History
What are the dangers of using Hollywood films to study
history?

2. Hollywood & History: the “Woad
Warrior”
“You have to be incredibly naïve to look at any one
movie, and view that as being the gospel anything. I
know I don’t. But I also know that--let’s not
be naïve--some people do.”
THESIS: Braveheart fails to portray
Tom Hanks
accurately either the period or its people.
It tells us more about modern times than
13th century Scotland. Most Hollywood
movies distort the past; they do not
replace reading history.
Braveheart . . . purports to tell the story of
the great Scottish patriot, William
Wallace, and commits as many historical
errors as can be contained in 170
minutes . . .
George MacDonald Fraser, The Hollywood
History of the World (1996)

3. Hollywood & History:
the “Woad Warrior”
A sampling of errors (small & big):
1) Gibson versus Wallace: Wallace was a giant, Gibson is short
2) Lowland Scots: no kilts, no woad, no way!!
3) Murder of his beloved: pure fiction
4) Wallace & French princess: fictional romance
5) Scots & Irish: anachronistic Celtic solidarity
6) Scottish nationalism: anachronistic medieval “nationalism”
7) The “Noble Savage”: a popular myth from the 18th century
8) William Wallace: not a commoner, hence Sir William Wallace

4. Hollywood & History:
the “Woad Warrior”
Mel Gibson becomes Braveheart
becomes Mel Gibson (memorial to
William Wallace, Stirling, Scotland)

5. Hollywood & History: the “Woad
Warrior”
Its cargo of historical nonsense aside, Braveheart is not a very
good film . . . The awful thing is that countless millions,
including some Scots even, will accept it as historic truth.
Well, this Scot found it embarrassing and vaguely insulting--to
history, to Scotland, and to William Wallace.
George MacDonald Fraser, The Hollywood History of the World (1996)
The difficulty is this. The truths of the movie tend to be clean
and pure and powerful and simple. And history never is;
history is complex, muddy, difficult. Movies make good guys
too good, bad guys too bad. They adopt narrative lines that
are too simple, all in an effort to reach a broad audience . . .
You know, this emphasis on simplicity and power and
immediately hitting your audience means that the movies are
much too simple compared to the past.
Mark Carnes, Lehrer News Hour (1998)

6. Hollywood & History
What useful purposes do Hollywood movies serve for the study of history?
Television and movies are a major source of information now. It’s not
books. It’s not what they learn in the classroom. And I think what
happens is our perception of ourselves and our understanding of the past,
are being distorted for the purpose of reaching a larger audience.
Steve Gillon, University of Oklahoma & The History Channel
Well, I hope that the public realizes that you can’t have blockbuster
documentaries; that you’re never going to find a film that is absolutely
true, and that if you’re going to make it appealing to the general audience,
you’ve got to do some compromising . . .
I hope that people use movies as a vehicle to then go and learn more--if
they see a movie, they’re fascinated by the subject, they’ll use that as an
opportunity to maybe, you know, read a book or maybe look at an actual
documentary, rather than just trust what they see on the big screen.
Don Lynch, Lehrer News Hour (1998)

7. Hollywood & History
What useful purposes do Hollywood movies serve for the study of history?
Television and movies are a major source of information now. It’s not
books. It’s not what they learn in the classroom. And I think what
happens is our perception of ourselves and our understanding of the past,
are being distorted for the purpose of reaching a larger audience.
Steve Gillon, University of Oklahoma & The History Channel
Well, I hope that the public realizes that you can’t have blockbuster
documentaries; that you’re never going to find a film that is absolutely
true, and that if you’re going to make it appealing to the general audience,
you’ve got to do some compromising . . .
I hope that people use movies as a vehicle to then go and learn more--if
they see a movie, they’re fascinated by the subject, they’ll use that as an
opportunity to maybe, you know, read a book or maybe look at an actual
documentary, rather than just trust what they see on the big screen.
Don Lynch, Lehrer News Hour (1998)