Braveheart vs Patriot Essay

Braveheart vs. The Patriot- Compare and Contrast Paper

In this essay I am going to explore and compare the differences and similarities between the movies The Patriot and Braveheart. Both movies are directed by and star Mel Gibson.

Both Braveheart and The Patriot show gruesome war scenes filled with bloody deaths and heroic actions. These scenes were vital to the overall effect of the movies. To capture this correctly, Mel Gibson had to work the camera angle in many different, creative ways. One huge difference that I noticed between the way the action scenes were shot in both movies were the perspectives. In Braveheart, Gibson really got up close and made you feel as if you were in the battle yourself. He showed all the battle scenes from a soldiers point of view which made it all the more enjoyable. Never at one point are you able to see the whole battle at once; only close bits edited together. In the Patriot, Gibson took a more laid back approach. He often shot the fighting scenes from an outside perspective. For example when there is a war taking place in the backyard of Aunt Charlotte's house, the camera doesn't pan in to the battle. Instead, a more wide approach is taken and the whole fight is shown. I think the way the camera angle was placed in Braveheart was more effective because it used more Point of View shots where in the Patriot, the camera angle was more omniscient.

The theme of both movies was generally the same. Both the Patriot and Braveheart were about superior warriors fighting for their freedom from a strong governmental rule. Also, both protagonists were fighting in the revenge of a murdered loved one. In Braveheart, William Wallace was fighting for his childhood sweetheart who had been murdered by the English government because she refused to let them have their way with her. In the Patriot, Benjamin Martin is fighting for his son, who was shot in cold blood by the British for standing up for his brother. Although both themes...