The mid-1990s witnessed a flourish of interest in Scottish history. The film "Rob Roy" starring Liam Neeson was released in April, 1995, followed by "Braveheart" starring Mel Gibson, in May. I saw both films in theatre.
I loved the battles, drama, and romance in "Braveheart". It won the Oscar for Best Picture, although criticism has mounted over the years, with respect to its historical inaccuracies. Still, it encouraged me to learn the actual history, by making me care.
I'd already made plans to spend the summer in Paisley (near Glasgow) that summer, and was interested to learn that most Scots enjoyed the film, although snickered at it (mostly the accents, and the casting of Gibson as William Wallace).
My time in Scotland kicked off an abiding interest in everything Scottish. I got the chance to see a fair bit of the country, and met lots of interesting people. (I even learned to appreciate Irn-Bru, but wouldn't touch black pudding or haggis).
The following year saw the release of "Trainspotting", starring Ewan McGregor, set in Edinburgh. By that time, I was living in Montreal, and saw the film at Cinema du Parc, a wonderful repertory cinema (still in operation).
Netflix's "Outlaw King", released in 2018, tells the story of Robert the Bruce, and a similar film (intended as a sequel to "Braveheart") premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival in 2019, but a wider release, planned for 2020, was canceled.
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