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:

According to a 1974 interview the role of Mary was intended for Geneviève Bujold. She turned it down after refusing to be typecast in movies about English queens and this led to a major fallout with Hal B. Wallis.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: In the film, Queen Elizabeth I of England travels to the north of England to meet Queen Mary of Scotland. In recorded history, this meeting never took place - the two queens never met in their lifetimes. However, it is stated in the film that the meeting is secret, and never mentioned even to Elizabeth's closest advisors. This explains how such a meeting could take place, but not be recorded historically.

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)

What a magnificent film!

Even though Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I, Queen of England never met, this is a brilliant film. Vanessa Redgrave is perfect in the role of Mary. She is such a wonderful actress. She plays the Scottish Queen in all her arrogance and deviousness. She looks and sounds magnificent throughout. Glenda Jackson is magnificent as Elizabeth I. She is so powerful and such a clever actress. What a great loss it is that she became a politician. Her great scene with Redgrave must be one of the classics of acting between two great actresses. Timothy Dalton is great as the devious and weak fop Lord Darnley and Nigel Davenport is incredible as the rugged Earl of Bothwell. The casting gets better with Trevor Howard as William Cecil, Ian Holm as David Rizzio and Patrick McGoohan as the half-brother James Stuart. Katherine Kath is suitably odious as Queen Catherine de Medici and Vernon Dobtcheff is highly suitable as the Duke of Guise, Mary's manipulative Uncle. Robert Fox is absolutely right as John Knox. The script is very clever, the scenery magnificent and the costumes incredible.