The Appeal of Historical Films

Historical films are attractive to audiences because it allows them the ability to learn about people, places, and events that they would not have known about unless they stumbled across it in a textbook. Although blockbuster films based on historical events can make learning about history to be exciting, viewers will have the challenge of separating fact from fiction. 

Gerry Everding's article "Historical movies help students learn, but separating fact from fiction can be challenge," shows that historical inaccuracies are woven into these movies to heighten drama and overall audience appeal, thereby giving viewers false information. Films based on history can alter characters and distort the chronology of events, making it 50% more difficult for students to remember which information is correct, the textbook or the film.

So, although Braveheart was indeed an epic tale, Hannu Makinen's blog expertly points our the major inaccuracies of the historical retelling of this Scottish hero and his quest. 

Additionally, the video posted below is a reference that provides accurate historical background on Sir William Wallace and his involvement with the Scottish Wars of Independence. Video credit to DocumentaryFanatic