Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)

Director:

Charles Jarrott

Writer:

John Hale (original screenplay)

Release Date:

29 March 1972 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | History

Tagline:

They Used Every Passion In Their Incredible Duel!

Plot:

Mary Stuart, who was named Queen of Scotland when she was only six days old, is the last Roman Catholic ruler of Scotland...

Plot Keywords:

Queen | Scotland | Catholic | Execution | 1500s

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Vanessa Redgrave	...	Mary, Queen of Scots
Glenda Jackson	...	Queen Elizabeth
Patrick McGoohan	...	James Stuart
Timothy Dalton	...	Henry - Lord Darnley
Nigel Davenport	...	Lord Bothwell
Trevor Howard	...	William Cecil
Daniel Massey	...	Robert Dudley
Ian Holm	...	David Riccio
Andrew Keir	...	Ruthven
Tom Fleming	...	Father Ballard
Katherine Kath	...	Catherine De Medici
Beth Harris	...	Mary Seton
Frances White	...	Mary Fleming
Bruce Purchase	...	Morton
Brian Coburn	...	Huntly

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some violence.

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm prints)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (re-rating) (1998)

Filming Locations:

Alnwick Castle, Alnwick, Northumberland, England, UK

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Vanessa Redgrave had to learn the title song "Vivre et Mourir" phonetically because she could not speak French.

Goofs:

Factual errors: James VI of Scotland and I of England was born in Edinburgh Castle, not the Earl of Bothwell's estate. Mary was born at Linlithgow Palace.

Quotes:

Mary, Queen of Scots: [Mary is blindfolded, she kneels and stretches out her arms] Into your hands, O lord, I place my spirit.
[the axe goes high up and comes down, there is a slicing sound. The shot changes to Elizabeth, distressed]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Prince of Space (#9.16)" (1997)

Great!

This movie is great! A classic! This is a MUST see if traveling to Scotland. It may take a few liberties with history, but the story line is intact and accurate. The film takes the viewer from Mary as a teenager in France, through her turbulent reign in Scotland, to her death in England. Mary is unapologetic for her faith or her actions, sorry only that she is imprisoned and prevented from seeing her son, who is a pivotal person in the evolution of Great Britian. Redgrave is wonderful and Jackson does her role very well, despite reviews to the contrary. The scenery is lush and the set depicting of the era. This movie needs to be release on DVD as soon as possible.

It is VERY DIFFICULT to find on VHS ANYWHERE and is prohibitively expensive on e-bay.