Mel Gibson, actor, director, and filmmaker, has made four very successful films that could be loosely based on actual characters in history. In this essay, I will try to review and compare these movies and give insight as to how Mr. Gibson tells a story, and what his movies say about him.
Mel Gibson likes to make movies about heroes. In true Hollywood style, his movies are glorious, bloody epics that show the hero as an underdog who only gets stronger as the story progresses. They are works of art, with scenes full of carefully orchestrated battles, sometimes shown to the viewer in slow motion, with full color, graphic violence. Historically accurate they are not; but beautifully filmed, these movies are great money makers for Mr. Gibson.
In 1995, Mel Gibson starred in, directed and produced his first epic, Braveheart. This movie is loosely based on the life of William Wallace, a warrior who led Scotland in a fight for freedom from England’s King Edward I, who declared himself king of Scotland in the 13th century. As in real life, William Wallace is captured by the English, tortured and killed in a graphic, bloody display of Hollywood special effects. In a beautifully filmed movie, complete with perfectly orchestrated battle scenes, this story is told in a larger than life style that only Hollywood can do. A style fitting a movie that won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
The Patriot, released in 2000, starred Mr. Gibson as an American hero during the Revolutionary War. This character is loosely based on Francis Marion, a military officer during the Revolutionary War. He was known as the “Swamp Fox” because he led raids on the British and invented guerilla warfare. Jeffrey Overstreet, novelist and award winning movie reviewer, writes that “The Patriot is an ambitious epic, exhausting more for the emotional toll than for its running time.” Following the Braveheart formula, this movie is also a display of special effects in its battle scenes, sometimes using slow motion to appreciate the gore.
After The Patriot, in 2004, Mel Gibson directed and produced The Passion of the Christ. It is the story of Christ’s crucifixion told to us through Mr. Gibson’s eyes. Having been raised as a Catholic, Mr. Gibson’s version seems to follow the stations of the cross as they are observed on Fridays during Lent. This movie was also filmed in Aramaic, Latin and Hebrew with English subtitles, to make it seem more realistic. But again, in Hollywood style, the movie is an overly dramatic portrayal of sick and masochistic scenes of torture and pain. Jeffrey Overstreet writes that “his tendency toward excessive force interferes with his attempts at visual poetry.” So the movie, though widely popular, is rated “R” for it’s violence.
Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto was released in 2006. It was also rated “R” because of the violent scenes of torture and killing. It is about a Mayan tribe who try to exist at the end of their civilization’s decline, just before Spanish conquistadors arrive. Filmed in Mexico, using the Mayan language, it also had English subtitles. Beautifully filmed on the Yucatán peninsula, it features breathtaking views of the Mayan world, but the sacrifice scenes make their world seem unrealistic and disturbing.
Gibson likes to represent his characters and their cultures in a negative light so that his viewers can sympathize with them. Emotionally, the viewer connects with the underdog heroes and stays focused throughout the film on these characters to make sure of their triumph at the end. By showing them in such a negative way, Gibson is ensuring his audience will feel sorry for them because they are bullied to the point that they must take revenge on their enemies, and then proceed to kill them all off. The audience wants to see these characters overcome their struggles and win the fights that will ultimately grant them hero status.
The movies Gibson likes to direct and act in appeal to his audiences’ morbid, voyeuristic side. Like coming upon a train wreck, audiences at these types of movies cannot turn away from the hardships his characters must face. In Braveheart, and The Patriot, it is the bloody battle scenes that hold their attention. In The Passion of the Christ, it is Christ’s journey to His own crucifixion, and in Apocalypto, it is the human sacrifices to the god Kulkulkan that hold viewers’ fascination for the horrors his characters must face.
Many reviewers are very critical of Mel Gibson’s works. They claim that these are not historically accurate films, and that timelines are sometimes not correct. What they seem to forget is that Mr. Gibson does not film documentaries, but entertaining movies. His movies appeal to audiences everywhere because of their hero worship. His heroes must face incredible, sometimes horrific odds for survival, but always overcome their tragic lives to rise above all else. As shown by how much money his movies make, Mel Gibson is very popular as both an actor and director of big, epic style movies.
Questions for Further Writing:
Which of Gibson's historical films did you like the best? Why?
What do you make of Gibson's "bending the truth" in order to create an entertaining movie? Is it okay to take a creative license with something as important as history?
Gibson's protagonists always arise victorious in his films. Is that such a good thing? Does the "underdog" always need to win in a movie?
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