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 (Vanessa Redgrave), who was named Queen of Scotland when she was only six days old, is the last Roman Catholic ruler of Scotland...

Plot Keywords:

Queen | Queen Elizabeth I | 1500s | Historical | Scotland

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Vanessa Redgrave	...	Mary, Queen of Scots
Glenda Jackson	...	Queen Elizabeth I
Patrick McGoohan	...	James Stuart
Timothy Dalton	...	Lord Henry Darnley
Nigel Davenport	...	James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell
Trevor Howard	...	Sir William Cecil
Daniel Massey	...	Robert Dudley
Ian Holm	...	David Rizzio
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 | 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:

Released the same year as the mini-series _"Elizabeth R" (1971) (mini)_ in which Glenda Jackson also played Queen Elizabeth I.

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)

Some License With Facts But It Captures the Mood and the Personas...

I've read a lot of the other reviews of this movie and have to add my two cents here. Anybody critical of Glenda Jackson's portrayal of Elizabeth I is just plain wrong! If there is such a thing as reincarnation I suggest that Elizabeth came back as Glenda...not only were many of her lines historically accurate but Glenda has captured the conflict, the caprice, the indecisiveness, the intellect, the willpower, shrewdness and the brilliance of Elizabeth. Her portrayal of England's greatest queen is matched only by her own portrayal of the queen in "Elizabeth R." I guess that a trained shakespearean actress, like Glenda has been immersed in all things Elizabethan and reflects the time in general. Vanessa Redgrave, although a bit too old for the role of Mary in the earlier part of the movie did a good job at capturing Mary's character as well. The movie does well to illustrate the contrast between the women and why one was so successful, the other not. It takes license with history in that Elizabeth and Mary never met and Mary's captivity was almost two decades long. In my view one contrast, whether intentional or not, is that Mary is made to be a much more sympathetic character than Elizabeth--it seems to stress the womanliness of Mary and coldness of Elizabeth and it does quote the historically accurate line about her being barren, I think to reinforce this unfortunate contrast. Elizabeth was far more complex than portrayed and Mary was close to being an empty-headded ninny, at least in the political sense. The movie has beautiful scenery and some great shots. Well worth the watching.