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Mary of Scotland (1936)
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Overview
User Rating:
Writers:
Release Date:
28 August 1936 (USA)
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Tagline:
One of the greatest love stories of all time... brought to the screen in throbbing glory by a wonderful cast of stars! more
Plot:
The recently widowed Mary Stuart returns to Scotland to reclaim her throne but is opposed by her half-brother and her own Scottish lords. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
1 win
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NewsDesk:
Walter Hill: The Hollywood Interview
(From The Hollywood Interview. 9 September 2009, 12:07 AM, PDT)
(From The Hollywood Interview. 9 September 2009, 12:07 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Mary meets Elizabeth!
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Katharine Hepburn | ... | Mary Stuart | |
| Fredric March | ... | Bothwell | |
| Florence Eldridge | ... | Elizabeth Tudor | |
| Douglas Walton | ... | Darnley | |
| John Carradine | ... | Rizzio | |
| Robert Barrat | ... | Morton | |
| Gavin Muir | ... | Leicester | |
| Ian Keith | ... | Moray | |
| Moroni Olsen | ... | John Knox | |
| William Stack | ... | Ruthven | |
| Ralph Forbes | ... | Randolph | |
| Alan Mowbray | ... | Throckmorton | |
| Frieda Inescort | ... | Mary Beaton | |
| Donald Crisp | ... | Huntly | |
| David Torrence | ... | Lindsay |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Mary, Queen of Scotland (USA) (working title)
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Parents Guide:
Runtime:
123 min
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Language:
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Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Victor System)
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Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The play opened in New York City, New York, USA on 27 November 1933 and had 248 performances. The title role was played by Helen Hayes and the cast also included Moroni Olsen, who repeated his role as John Knox in the 1936 film version, Edgar Barrier (Lord Douglas), Ernest Cossart (Lord Throgmorton) and George Coulouris (Lord Burghley). The play was written in blank verse.
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Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When an overzealous Bothwell pulls at the window bars of his cell, the prop bars move.
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Movie Connections:
Featured in Directed by John Ford (1971)
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FAQ
A Note Regarding SpoilersHow many times did the real Mary of Scotland marry?
What was Mary of Scotland doing in France?
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The directors cannot refrain from showing the two queens together in one scene.Charles Jarrot -whose movie is inferior to John Ford's- did the same in 1972.And however,they never met ,not a single time during Mary's captivity.But John Ford's scene is useful for people who know little about the Virgin Queen.It's sure that Mary's childhood in France was a nice one even though her reign was short as king François II's wife.On the other hand,Elizabeth lived in fear when she was a child for her bloody sister wanted to get rid of her.
The first past begins in Scotland ,and France is only evoked in Mary's memories.This first part is the most satisfying historically speaking:Darnley's and Ricci's murders are well directed by Ford,and the town criers who ,every ten minutes announce "It's eight'o clock!All is fine!" shows his sense of humor.Biggest flaw is the little part of James Stuart, aka"the bastard" aka Maurey:This man is really the stringman,who plays a prominent part in the queen's downfall,holding Mary like a puppet on a string,travelling to France when rebellion begins -he was not here when Mary was imprisoned in Lochleven-,just coming back to reap the benefits (regency he had lost when his sister came back).
Frederic March is a fine actor,but his Bothwell is not credible.Bothwell was a hairy brute ,not the romantic chivalrous fair knight we see here.Mary's abduction remains a mysterious part because the historians have no documents of what really happened.Mary's captivity in Lochleven-where she at last understood how James Stuart fooled her -and her extraordinary escape -worthy of Hitchcock's suspense-lasts barely 30 seconds on the screen.
Ditto for Mary's captivity in England.When she arrived,she was in what we would call "under house arrest" today.Only during her last year,when they discovered a plot,she was taken to the fortress of Fotheringay (a wonderful Fairport Convention song by the way),she was really a prisoner in the modern sense of the term.And she had a whole floor for herself though.
The trial is unsatisfying.At the time,Mary did not care for Bothwell anymore,she was longing to become a martyr of the Catholic cause.She did not know that the pope did not take her seriously .The scene with Donald is pure romantic fiction.
All in all ,and even if the things fall apart a bit in the second part,the movie is magnificently enhanced by Hepburn's presence and Ford -they said they had a love affair on the set- lovingly films her.I've been told that the scene between Bothwell and the queen on the tower was filmed by KH herself.