mary queen of scots is a 2013 swiss period drama directed by thomas imbach .

it is his first film in english and french language starring the bilingual french actress camille rutherford .

the film portrays the inner life of mary , the queen of scotland .

the film is based on austrian novelist stefan zweig 's 1935 biography , mary stuart , a long-term bestseller in germany and france but out of print in the uk and the us for decades until 2010 .

the film was first screened at the 2013 international film festival locarno and was later shown at the 2013 toronto international film festival .

mary queen of scots ( 2013 film )

loves of mary queen of scots , the - 1923 silent film about the ill - fated queen .
heart of queen , the - 1940 ( also known as
mary queen of scots
and
das herz der königin
) german film about the life and loves of mary queen of scots .
margot robbie has officially signed on to join the cast of mary queen of scots .
mary , queen of scots looks delightfully insane | birth . movies . death .
this short film , one of the first to use camera tricks , depicts the execution of mary , queen of scots .
adelaide kane is mary , queen of scots in the pilot episode of ' reign . '
who ? : veteran english actress vanessa redgrave played the title role in the 1971 film mary , queen of scots .
mary , queen of scots - 2018 saoirse ronan stars as mary and margo robbie stars as elizabeth i .
remake idea : mary , queen of socks . same film but cast are socks .
mary , queen of scots - 1971 glenda jackson as elizabeth and vanessa redgrave as mary in this tale of rival monarchs .
who ? : irish actress saoirse ronan is to appear as the queen in the new film , mary queen of scots . it is expected to be released in 2014 .
anna boleyn - 1920 german made silent film about the second queen of henry viii .
there are no featured audience reviews yet . click the link below to see what others say about mary queen of scots !
reviewed at locarno film festival ( competing ) , aug . 13 , 2013 . ( also in toronto film festival — special presentations . ) running time : 120 min .
reign a strain of melancholy amid the giddiness : adelaide kane plays the young mary , queen of scots , on thursday night on cw .
friday 16 | 8 | 2013 · 11 : 00 · palavideo · sub . english
gunpowder , treason and plot - 2004 tv mini series covering the stories of mary queen of scots and her son james and the gunpowder plot of 1604 .
in the past , american actress scarlett johansson has been linked to a role as the queen of scots .
enjoyed it but being a mary queen of scots fan i didn ' t think they kept true to the history of her . soundtrack was also one of the worst i have heard running through a film .
i’m sorry if i sound disrespectful toward “mary , queen of scots . ” it is , after all , based on genuine british history .
the story of mary stuart gets another cinematic workout in mary queen of scots from swiss director thomas imbach , who adapts austrian author stefan zweig ’s biography mary queen of scotland and the isles into an intimate and serious - minded biopic that never quite gets into the head of the protagonist .
virgin queen , the - 1923 black and white silent film . diana manners stars as elizabeth i
thursday 15 | 8 | 2013 · 23 : 00 · la sala · sub . english , french
during the sixteenth century , the catholic mary , queen of scots engages in over two decades of religious and political conflict with her cousin , the protestant queen elizabeth i of england , amidst political intrigue in her native land .
switzerland , france · 2013 · dcp · color · 120 ' · o . v . english / french
subscribe to trailers : urltoken subscribe to coming soon : urltoken subscribe to indie & film festivals : urltoken like us on facebook : urltoken follow us on twitter : urltoken tiff ( 2013 ) - mary queen of scots trailer # 1 - camille rutherford movie hd a queen who lost three kingdoms . a wife who lost three husbands . a woman who lost her head .
historical dramas can be fun if you approach them in the right spirit , and i enjoyed “mary , queen of scots” a lot more than “anne of the thousand days . ”
australian actress adelaide kane is to play mary , queen of scots in a new us drama . but she is not the first actress to portray the troubled royal .
the film follows the true story of mary stuart ‘s attempt to overthrow her cousin queen elizabeth i , only to find herself condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution .
there are a lot of not very good biographies of mary stuart . john guy’s biography on queen of scots : the true life of mary stuart is probably definitive for scholarly works . but if you’re not up for 600 + pages , try rosalind k . marshall’s much shorter mary queen of scots : truth or lies ( kindle edition ) , which focuses on answering the key questions about this famous but somewhat misunderstood woman .
mary , queen of scots , ranks among the most gripping figures in the romantic imagination , and she’s no stranger to artistic license , including stefan zweig’s 1935 psychological imagining , “maria stuart . ” thomas imbach’s adaptation of the zweig , “mary queen of scots , ” tries hard to capture the character of a woman torn between duty , love and realpolitik , yet [ … ]
over many years film - makers have been drawn to the real - life story of mary stuart , who became queen when she was just six days old .
screenings wednesday 14 | 8 | 2013 · 14 : 00 · palexpo ( fevi ) · sub . english , french
this article was amended on 19 august 2013 . an earlier version said that stefan zweig ' s book on mary stuart was out of print . this has been corrected .
since 1971 film - makers have tried to emulate the oscar - winning success of mary , queen of scots , starring vanessa redgrave and glenda jackson as the tragic scottish queen and her nemesis , elizabeth i . aborted later attempts include one by hollywood ' s actress - producer scarlett johansson and british director alexander mackendrick .
the trailer for mary , queen of scots appeared quietly online yesterday . and no , it ' s not for that upcoming cw television series . this film looks insane in the absolute best way possible , which is probably why it was picked as an official selection for this year ' s toronto international film festival .
in february 2013 , the cw announced its order of a pilot for a tv series based on the life of mary , queen of scots , created by stephanie sengupta and laurie mccarthy , and produced by cbs studios . part of the reason mccarthy chose mary stuart as the subject is because of her life history and multiple husbands , which makes her story
sexier
. the pilot was directed by brad silberling , with sengupta and mccarthy as the writers and executive directors ; sengupta left the team in may 2013 , leaving laurie mccarthy as the sole showrunner . on february 9 , 2013 , it was announced that australian actress adelaide kane would be playing the main character .
like biographies about elizabeth i , there are a lot of not very good biographies of mary stuart . john guy’s biography on queen of scots : the true life of mary stuart is probably definitive for scholarly works . but if you’re not up for 600 + pages , try rosalind k . marshall’s much shorter mary queen of scots : truth or lies ( kindle edition ) , which focuses on answering the key questions about this famous but somewhat misunderstood woman . the trial of mary queen of scots : a brief history with documents ( bedford series in history & culture ) is a short classroom textbook that addresses her trial and execution and offers the primary sources for those events .
dorothy vernon of haddon hall - 1924 mary pickford stars and directs in this early film set in elizabeth ' s reign .
white queen , the ( tv mini - series ) - 2013 series about the women of the wars of the roses ( featuring margaret beaufort and elizabeth woodville , among others ) based on philippa gregory ' s novel .
even as its reception was mixed , “mary queen of scots” provided a telling example of what , if anything , defines a typical locarno movie . carried by camille rutherford’s tender and individualistic performance , the movie finds mary in an uneasy cold war with the queen of england . though some audiences found imbach’s treatment of the material to suffer from an unearned brooding quality , “mary queen of scots” features an appealing reworking of familiar contents : while in many ways a traditional period drama , its time - shifting structure and dreamlike narration manages to critique the very strictures of the genre .
mary , queen of scots doesn ' t have a release date as of yet , so if you ' re heading to tiff , you can catch it in september . speaking of september , can this movie play fantastic fest ?
although she did apparently remain a virgin all her life , elizabeth was fond of meddling in the sexual lives of others . “mary , queen of scots” is largely concerned with this aspect of her reign , and that no doubt explains why it was made .
' a modern woman , passionate and fragile ' : camille rutherford as mary in thomas imbach ' s film .
when knighthood was in flower - 1922 the second film version of the story of mary tudor and charles brandon . silent and in black and white .
when knighthood was in flower - 1908 the first version of the tale of mary tudor and charles brandon . a silent , black and white short film .
also seen in : hanna , in which she played a teenage assassin opposite elizabeth i actress cate blanchett , and the 2013 movie the host .
reign was announced on the cw ' s 2013 autumn line - up on may 10 , 2013 , placing it in the thursday timeslot following the vampire diaries , its biggest hit in young women demographic . the show had its series premiere on october 17 , 2013 , in the u . s . in canada , the series airs a day earlier on m3 in simulcast with the cw on ctv two and on ! e canada .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
lady jane - 1986 helena bonham carter stars as the tragic queen of nine days .
exclusive : fast - rising british actor jack lowden has been set as the male lead in working title and focus features ’ mary queen of scots . lowden will take on the role of lord darnley opposite saoirse ronan , who is playing the eponymous royal , and margot robbie as her cousin , queen elizabeth i .
the film takes place from november 16 , 1560 to february 8 , 1587 .
the duration of a film . so long the movie goes on and on when you finish it .
the 22 - year - old is the latest in a long line of film and television stars to portray the queen , who was born at linlithgow palace in 1542 .
mary , queen of scots , ranks among the most gripping figures in the romantic imagination , and she’s no stranger to artistic license , including stefan zweig’s 1935 psychological imagining , “maria stuart . ” thomas imbach ’s adaptation of the zweig , “ mary queen of scots , ” tries hard to capture the character of a woman torn between duty , love and realpolitik , yet the very nature of the monarch’s often inconsistent behavior trips him up — that , plus a weak lead and an ambiguous relationship to the notion of costume drama . if not for mehdi dehbi’s high - wattage charisma , imbach’s “ mary ” would soon be forgotten .
the main international competition contained a mixture of fiction and non - fiction , traditional narratives and experimental film .
queen elizabeth - 1912 sarah bernhardt stars as the queen in this silent movie . also known by the french title les amours de la reine élisabeth
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
a short film depicting the execution of mary , queen of the scots . mary is brought to the execution block and made to kneel down with her neck over it . the executioner lifts his axe ready to bring it down . after that frame mary has been replaced by a dummy . the axe comes down and severs the head of the dummy from the body . the executioner picks up the head and shows it around for everyone else to see . one of the first ' camera tricks ' to be used in a movie .
other actresses to have portrayed mary in films include zarah leander in the heart of a queen ( 1940 ) and magda sonja in maria stuart ( 1927 ) .
so the film essentially inverts the relationship between the execution of mary stuart and the spanish invasion . the actual invasion was a reaction to mary’s execution , whereas in the film , the execution is part of the scheme to set up the invasion . what the film gets right is the broad sequence of events , showing how the babington plot led to mary’s death , which in turn led to the armada war . with the exception of the detail about the pistol being unloaded as part of a deeper plot , the film’s changes to history are mostly in the way of simplifying the complex details of the plot and making the narrative clear to the audience . in that sense , i think this part of the film works better as history than elizabeth does . but as we shall see next time , there are other problems with etga .
the film fails to come together as anything beyond rudimentary , and that failure is distinctly directorial .
a strong candidate finally arrives thursday night . “reign” is a cw drama about the tumultuous teenage years of mary , queen of scots , which may be all you need to hear . but there’s more ! would it surprise you that mary’s ladies in waiting are named greer , kenna , aylee and lola ? it sure would have surprised the french court in 1557 .
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so i was on netflix the other night and it suggested that i watch reign , the cw show about mary queen of scots . and i thought , “ok . let’s give it a try . how bad can it be ? ” the answer is , it can be pretty darn bad .
mary queen of scots spends her childhood in france and is meant to become queen of france . however , her ailing husband dies and the young widow returns alone to scotland , a country devastated by war . elizabeth has just become queen of england , for mary she is like a twin sister to whom she can open her heart . mary weds again and gives birth to an heir to the thrown . her second husband , lord darnley , proves to be a weakling . when mary finds the love of her life , the earl of bothwell , she has darnley murdered and marries bothwell . horrified by this deed and the blind passion that motivated it , both the nobles and the people of scotland spurn her . to avert a bloody battle , mary is compelled to give up her beloved bothwell . in desperate straits , she turns to elizabeth for help . in response , the queen of england imprisons her . after 19 years spent in a golden cage , mary finds release at last : elizabeth sends her to the block .
mary queen of scots spends her childhood in france and is meant to become also queen of france . however , her ailing husband dies and the young widow returns alone to scotland , a country devastated by war . elizabeth has just become queen of england , for mary she is like a twin sister to whom she can open her heart . mary weds again and gives birth to an heir to the thrown . her second husband , lord darnley , proves to be a weakling . when mary finds the love of her life , the earl of bothwell , she has darnley murdered and marries bothwell . horrified by this deed and the blind passion that motivated it , both the nobles and the people of scotland spurn her . to avert a bloody battle , mary is compelled to give up her beloved bothwell . in desperate straits , she turns to elizabeth for help . in response , the queen of england imprisons her . after 19 years spent in a golden cage , mary finds release at last : elizabeth sends her to the block .
overall , the assembly of the film is rather plain , with only the occasionally dissonant score from russian composer sofia gubaidulina a standout .
also seen in : morvern caller , david cronenberg ' s 2012 film cosmopolis and synecdoche , new york .
mary stuart , named queen of scotland when she was six days old , is the last roman catholic ruler of scotland . her cousin elizabeth tudor , queen of england and her arch adversary , has her imprisoned at age 23 . nineteen years later , mary is executed , removing the last threat to elizabeth ' s throne . the two queens ' contrasting personalities make a dramatic counterpoint to history .
mary was queen regnant ( meaning she ruled in her own right , and not because she married a king , which makes her super fierce ) of scotland from 1542 to 1567 , and went on to become queen consort of france when king henry ii arranged for her to marry his son , the dauphin francis . but she was only queen in france for a year - - francis died .
that risk of a generational dumbing - down assumes , of course , that any of those children actually slog their way through this ludicrously written , dully cast , anachronistic blunder , which churns mary queen of scots though the cw gossip girl blender . all poor mary wants to do is marry her handsome prince and rule scotland and france combined , while kicking off her shoes now and then to dance , dance , dance ! why is everyone so mean to her ?
marie stuart ( which is the french spelling of her name ) was born in december of 1542 , the only surviving child of king james v of scotland and his french wife mary of guise . the scots and the french had for centuries maintained a traditional political alliance based on mutual hostility to england . starting in the 14 th century , it had been very convenient for france to be allied with scotland , because whenever the english invaded france during the hundred years’ war , the french could count on the scots invading england . for that reason , the two countries maintained what the scots termed ‘the auld alliance’ .
also seen in : 1966 ' s blow - up , 2007 film atonement and bbc drama call the midwife .
although the film has not yet been given the green light , it is likely to begin production later this year .
mary and her besties . note the distinct lack of sleeves or anything else to suggest the 16th century
mary was put on trial in 1586 , based on a bond of association passed by the privy council in 1584 . this bond , which mary among many others signed , allowed for the execution of anyone in the line of succession ( read : mary ) who was aware of any plot to kill the queen , even if they were not actively involved in the plotting . parliament followed this up with an act of association that provided for the execution of anyone who stood to benefit from a plot against the queen . so despite mary’s insistence that she was not subject to english law , and despite the fact ( or rather because of the fact ) that she was allowed neither legal counsel nor defense witnesses nor access to the evidence against her , mary was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death .
execution of mary stuart , the - 1895 directed by thomas a . edison , this is one of the first movies ever made .
blackadder part ii - 1985 miranda richardson plays a delightfully demented queen elizabeth i in this comedy series .
the 26 - year - old actress is set to portray england’s queen elizabeth , according to variety .
i didn ' t find this film as bad as everyone had made out , but i would caution that those looking for a cookie cutter version of mary ' s story will need to reconsider as you really . . .
there were many who believed mary to be the rightful heir to the english throne . when henry viii ' s eldest daughter mary i ( so many marys ! ) died , the crown went to the next heir in the line of succession : elizabeth i , her sister . but there were several catholics who believed elizabeth to be illegitimate ( she was the daughter of henry viii and anne boleyn , the latter of whom was labeled a traitor and beheaded , with elizabeth ' s birth declared illegitimate ) and mary , queen of scots , to be the rightful heir as the eldest daughter of henry viii ' s eldest sister .
in one of the film’s nicest touches , the catholic queen of scotland constantly writes letters to her cousin and rival , the protestant elizabeth i of england , in which she confesses her fears and hopes . the letters can be heard in voice - over and the figure of elizabeth becomes an almost spectral presence that haunts mary , as the english queen’s ambassadors bring along a new painted portrait of their ruler with every reply they convey ( they never met in real life ) . mary’s favorite courtier , the puppeteer rizzio ( mehdi dehbi , giving the film’s standout performance ) , also uses dolls of the two rival queens for his improvised plays , literally turning the complicated political games into child’s play ( and bringing those who ' ve forgotten their high school history lessons quickly up to speed ) .
seven seas to calais - 1962 italian film with the full cast of elizabethan characters . rod taylor as sir francis drake , irene worth as elizabeth i .
marie’s father died of a fever less than a week after marie was born , and as his only legitimate child , she then became queen . henry viii of england , seeing an opportunity to break the auld alliance , proposed that marie wed his son edward when she turned six . the scottish regent initially accepted the offer , but by july of 1543 , the deal had broken down and the scots renewed the auld alliance . in response , henry’s forces invaded scotland , hoping to seize the young queen . this invasion , which was nicknamed the ‘rough wooing’ , failed , but made clear to the scots that it was quite risky for them to keep mary where the english might grab her .
perhaps the biggest change that the film makes , however , comes immediately after the execution . philip ii of spain declares war on england , and walsingham suddenly realizes that philip was behind the whole plot in the first place . , because the spanish king has been reading mary’s correspondence . babington’s gun was unloaded so that elizabeth would survive , execute mary and give philip the justification to invade . walsingham begs the queen’s forgiveness for misunderstanding the whole situation , and elizabeth admits that she has erred in executing mary .
the film , which had its world premiere on home turf at the locarno film festival , will be released in november in germany and switzerland and will also be shown in toronto as a special presentation . it should especially appeal to history channel - type broadcasters .
crowned the queen of scotland before she was a year old , mary added to that pedigree when her first husband became france’s king and she became queen consort in 1559 . despite that auspicious start , things didn’t go well from there . she later married her first cousin , lord darnley , a bad match that ended with his murder .
nine days a queen - 1936 ( also known as
tudor rose
and
lady jane grey
) an early telling of the tale of jane grey , that begins with the death of henry viii .
a queen who lost three kingdoms . a wife who lost three husbands . a woman who lost her head .
ioana ruxandra bratosin played the queen as a young girl and clemence posey as the royal in her adult life .
kane auditioned when she was filming a recurring role on the third season of mtv tv series teen wolf . when kane got the part , the teen wolf writers wrote her character leaving the series . kane is part scottish on her mother ' s side , and did research on the historical mary stuart in preparing for the role . torrance coombs was announced as having been cast as sebastian , one of the leading characters , in march 2013 . sebastian is an original character created for the show , so coombs didn ' t have as much research in preparation for the role , though he faced the challenge of changing his performance from that in the tudors , another historical tv series he ' d been involved in . alan van sprang , who was cast as henry ii of france , modeled his performance after bill clinton . in november 2013 , amy brenneman was announced as having been cast as mary stuart ' s mother , mary de guise , a role that initially went to brenneman ' s private practice co - star kate walsh , who was unable to commit due to conflicting filming commitments . toby regbo was cast as dauphin francis in march 2013 .
apparently mary , queen of scots is too boring for series creator laurie mccarthy , so she constructs a ridiculous love triangle around young , dumb mary and hires an actress who thinks teenage girls aren ' t into , you know , being educated . that ' s why they ' ll accept a wafer thin slice of sugary stupidity like ' reign ' and the united states can continue its precipitous slide down the intelligence rankings of first world countries . well , that ' s what i got out of the pilot , anyway . oh , and nostradamus is a hunk . twitter
from swiss director thomas imbach ( whom i had never heard of , but now immediately want to watch his other films ) , the film takes a dark and unsettling look at the life of mary stuart , aka mary , queen of scots . i am so in love with this utterly bonkers trailer , with the large title cards proclaiming the film ' s tagline :
a queen who lost three kingdoms . a wife who lost three husbands . a woman who lost her head .
by the time it gets to that last line about losing her head , my fist was pumping . the trailer calls to mind the work of lars von trier , but there ' s also something in the tone and composition that reminds me of the trailer for salo . it ' s creepy and kind of off - putting , the way people just quietly glare toward the camera , and how the lead actress , camille rutherford , looks like a woman who has lost her damn mind . i look forward to having a weirdo double feature of this and blue jasmine .
glenda jackson , another well - known actress of stage and screen , played mary ' s cousin , elizabeth i .
a biography of the doomed monarch whose devotion to her cousin elizabeth i , and her duty to her country left her executed . through evocative visuals , the film examines her return to scotland , the exhausting struggles between catholics and protestants , her marriage to lord darnley , and her relationship with the earl of bothwell . thomas imbach s film presents a queen who lost three kingdoms , a wife who lost three husbands , and ultimately , a woman who lost her head .
ah , but reign , the cw ' s newest
historical
drama , is so relentlessly bad , so passionately inept , that in july the network felt compelled to defend to critics its right to take the story of mary , queen of scots , and turn it into something immune to facts ( because facts would make it boring to teenage girls ) and maintain that interpreting history as nonsensical teen pabulum was the god - given right of creator and executive producer laurie mccarthy .
a biography of the doomed monarch whose devotion to her cousin elizabeth i , and her duty to her country left her executed . through evocative visuals , the film examines her return to scotland , the exhausting struggles between catholics and protestants , her marriage to lord darnley , and her relationship with the earl of bothwell . thomas imbach ' s film presents a queen who lost three kingdoms , a wife who lost three husbands , and ultimately , a woman who lost her head .
when mary finally discovers the joys of intercourse with the man who would become her third spouse , the earl of bothwell ( sean biggerstaff , too puny to be credible as a queen’s sex god ) , she suddenly becomes a lioness willing to defy anyone that comes near her and a woman who’s more than ready to defend her right to marry him ( and , supposedly , have more of that magnificent sex , for once a narrative necessity the film rather oddly shies away from ) . but this kind of passion or clearly readable psychology that translates into action is absent for most of the rest of the film , including , quite crucially , on the battlefield in the last reel ( otherwise modestly but effectively staged ) .
shakespeare in love - 1998 joseph fiennes stars as the bard himself . dame judi dench plays the older queen elizabeth i .
virigin queen , the ( tv mini - series ) - 2005 bbc drama with anne - marie duff as elizabeth i .
so you might understand why mary may have been a little crazy . the english throne was a point of contention between mary and elizabeth i , and it didn ' t end well , to say the least .
stage director josie rourke is helming the film which is penned by house of cards creator beau willimon and based on the 2004 biography by john guy , the true life of mary stuart . working title’s tim bevan and eric fellner , and debra hayward are producing . shooting is understood to be starting this summer .
two uk productions are still at early stages , but a swiss film - maker has beaten them to it with a sympathetic psychological portrait set to be an art - house hit . zurich - based thomas imbach has directed , produced and co - written the film , with camille rutherford playing mary , which has been singled out for this season ' s festivals at locarno and toronto .
as part of a maiden public film screening at the salon indien , on december 28 , in paris , auguste lumière pivots the centre of attention around his baby daughter , as he tries to feed her from a spoon .
the historical babington plot involved a catholic effort to assassinate elizabeth and replace her on the throne with her catholic cousin mary i of scotland , who had been captured and held in genteel confinement in england for 19 years . walsingham understood that mary was the focus of numerous plots , since as elizabeth’s closest living relative she was naturally a factor in catholic plots to remove elizabeth . her letters show that mary was extremely well - informed about multiple conspiracies , but elizabeth was deeply reluctant to take action against mary . since mary was a crowned queen in her own right , executing her would provide precedent for executing elizabeth , and it would undermine the mystique that elizabeth felt was essential to her rule . walsingham tried without success to get his queen to take decisive action about her cousin .
private lives of elizabeth and essex , the - 1939 bette davis plays elizabeth i and errol flynn is the dashing earl of essex . also known as
elizabeth and essex
and
elizabeth the queen
like elizabeth , etga intertwines the story of elizabeth i’s love life ( or lack thereof ) with a story about a catholic plot to depose her and walsingham’s efforts to protect her . in fact , it actually recycles part of the first film’s plot . elizabeth features a plot against the queen that is a composite of the actual ridolfi and babington plots , with the jesuit john ballard featuring as the assassin . etga shows us the babington plot somewhat more accurately , but since john ballard was already killed in the first film , they decided to rename the jesuit orchestrater of the plot robert reston .
henry viii and his six wives - 1973 a film version of the bbc television series . keith michell stars again as henry , but the wives ' actresses are different from the television series .
the script appropriately makes mary’s relationship with elizabeth a key element , with the scottish queen refusing to cede any ground , though clearly her insecurities about her fellow sovereign to the south betray such confidence . having mary speak in the first person via unsent letters addressed to elizabeth reps a clever way of laying bare her emotional state and avoids the stolid tendencies of other historical pics , but as written here , the missives provide factual explanations and reveal a few anxieties without shining much light on mary’s choices .
young bess - 1953 jean simmons plays the teenage princess elizabeth . stewart grainger is thomas seymour and deborah kerr as queen katherine parr .
forsyth said mary ' s story shows human beings at their best and worst . the exhibition presents mary as enigmatic , leaving open whether she was betrayed or was an adulteress with her husband ' s blood on her hands .
we wanted to re - establish her as a vital , living queen ,
said forsyth .
in the same section featuring “manakamana , ” a movie exclusively focused on characters riding back and forth in a cable car over the course of two hours , the programmers included “pays barbare , ” an italian compilation of archival footage from the italo - ethiopian war , in addition to korean director hong sang - soo’s blithe dramedy “our sunhi . ” then there’s golden leopard winner “the story of my death , ” catalan director albert serra’s provocative treatment of the casanova story ( which included a cameo by dracula ) wasn’t the only anti - biopic in the section ; it also contained “mary queen of scots , ” an elegant period drama from swiss director thomas imbach .
swiss director thomas imbach tackles the story of mary stuart in a small - scale and serious biopic , headlined by camille rutherford and mehdi dehbi .
this movie was so good ! i went into it expecting a sad , meandering , cerebral period drama , and that ' s exactly what i got . it focuses on mary ' s childhood up to her imprisonment , with a few flash - forwards to her execution . the 20 - odd years of her actual imprisonment aren ' t included . the film makes the viewer feel rather lonely . written and acted impeccably , and the scenery and costumes are amazing . it rather reminds me at times of both the sullen , dreamy , rainy 2011
wuthering heights
film ; or the trance - like sunny
picnic at hanging rock
. this film is definitely a new favorite .
etga follows the basic facts of the babington plot , but it does make a few key changes . as noted , ballard was renamed so as not to conflict with the first movie . the film lays out the messages being smuggled to mary in beer barrels and walsingham’s monitoring of the plot , although how he discovers the plot is wrong . in the film , he simply arrests some catholics who give him the lead he needs ; also his ( i think fictitious ) brother william is a catholic entangled in the plot .
the general feel – the mix of water and hills , forest and mountains – is very good : the forests are a realistic blend of scots pine and birch . but it only reflects the highlands . that ties in with the view peddled abroad since queen victoria : that of a bare , rugged land , inhabited by wild men in kilts . it ' s also highly unlikely there were bears in medieval times : we think they became extinct in scotland in the prehistoric period .
showrunner mccarthy describes the show as deliberately taking liberties with history , and that it ' s more
entertainment
than history , while actress anna popplewell refers to the show as
fantasy history
, exploring the characters in hypothetical situations . actress megan follows describes the show as
24 for the pre - renaissance
, as they may extend historical events over a longer period of time . mccarthy adds that the show is designed to be interesting to a contemporary audience , so viewers who aren ' t familiar with history will be able to watch and relate to the characters . among the creative choices is the use of modern music in the show soundtrack , and its costumes . the show ' s costumes are designed by meredith markworth - pollack , who worked on the cw ' s other shows hart of dixie and gossip girl , who created different looks for mary and her ladies , each to complement their differing personalities . the ladies : lola , kenna , greer , and aylee , are loosely based on mary beaton , mary seton , mary fleming , and mary livingston who were ladies - in - waiting to mary , queen of scots .
darnley turns out to be a scheming fanatic intent on preventing any protestant inroads . following his early death , quickly passed over , mary unwisely falls for bothwell , who becomes husband no . 3 ; in reality , they were not married by john knox ( tony curran ) as the film suggests , one of many historical inaccuracies that add nothing in terms of plot or atmosphere . it’s hardly giving away the game to state that the pic ends just before mary’s arrest .
upon examination , this plot doesn’t work . if elizabeth had been assassinated , mary would have automatically become queen , and there would have been no need for a spanish invasion . executing mary was the last thing philip wanted to happen , because it meant that there was no catholic heir to the throne ( the new heir , mary’s son james , having been raised as a protestant ) , which would make controlling england after the conquest a bigger problem , since there is no catholic heir to put on the throne as a spanish puppet ( although as the widower of elizabeth’s older sister mary i , philip had his own very weak claim ) . had philip simply been waiting for an excuse , mary’s imprisonment would probably have been enough on its own . in actuality , the execution of mary forced philip to take action when he was probably reluctant to do so .
still , it cherishes a soap - opera approach to history , condensing several decades of pretty complicated diplomacy into an account of mary’s three marriages , her second husband’s bisexuality , elizabeth’s quirky affair with her master of horses , and so on .
mary went on to marry her first cousin , lord darnley , who wanted to reign as co - sovereign , but mary refused and started plotting divorce . darnley was killed in an explosion , and many believed that mary and her third husband , lord bothwell , were to blame for darnley ' s death . it ' s also been said that before mary married bothwell , he and his men abducted and raped her .
with the help of a magic cauldron , mephistopheles conjures up a variety of supernatural characters .
( switzerland - france ) a pathe ( in switzerland ) release of a pathe film presentation of an okofilm , srf swiss radio and television , srg ssr , arte , bachim film , takafilm , sciapode production . ( international sales : okofilm , zurich . ) produced by andrea staka , thomas imbach . co - producers , urs fitze , stefan hofmann , sven waelti , eric morfaux . executive producers , emilie blezat , sibylle sarah imbach .
elizabeth the queen - 1968 television play from 1968 based on the maxwell anderson play . judith anderson is elizabeth i , and charlton heston is essex .
mary’s short marriage to the young french dauphin , and then king , francois ii ( sylvain levitte , appropriately sickly ) , in 1558 , is done away with in a quick sequence that forms something of a prolog to the frenchified queen’s return to scotland , where she settles after her husband’s untimely demise .
reign opens in 1557 , with mary stuart ( adelaide kane ) 15 years old and living at a french convent . she and the young nuns play soccer until it’s time to have lunch outdoors . one of the nuns begins bleeding out of her mouth and ears and drops dead in her porridge ; it’s revealed that she was mary’s food taster , and so clearly there is a plot afoot to poison mary . the mother superior decides that it’s time to send mary back to the french royal court because the convent is unsafe .
when she quickly married the man suspected of orchestrating the killing , an uprising against the couple resulted in her being imprisoned in loch leven castle . forced to abdicate her throne to her year - old son , she failed in an attempt to wrest back the throne and fled for the protection of her cousin , england’s queen elizabeth 1 . mary had once claimed to be the rightful queen of england , a view embraced by catholics . perceived as a threat by her cousin , she was confined and ultimately executed for complicity in a plot to assassinate elizabeth .
tower of london , the - 1939 basil rathbone as richard iii . ( actually , this is sort of outside of the time period , but the character of henry tudor is included )
guy’s book has been said to dispel the popular image of mary as a romantic leading lady who achieved her ends through feminine wiles , and establishes her as the intellectual and political equal of elizabeth i .
mary is all set to marry her betrothed , that dashing , bestubbled stud muffin prince francis ( toby regbo ) . francis , however , has other ideas . so do his scheming mother , queen catherine ( megan follows , one of the few members of the cast who escapes with her reputation unscathed ) and his dangerously handsome half - brother bash ( torrance coombs ) .
imbach said his film stuck as closely to the facts as possible :
a lot of [ her life ] is still controversial . was she involved in the murder of her husband ? historians still have their battles on this . as a spectator , you can make your choices .
( there have been several film versions of richard iii . i ' ve included the best known . henry vii makes an appearance , so i guess it counts as a tudor movie ! see also
looking for richard , above
)
a whistle stop tour through the life of mary if know nothing about her . but no stopping to find out about anyone else and all the detail is missing .
who ? : nottingham - born samantha morton played mary in the 2007 movie opposite cate blanchett ' s elizabeth i .
the sound has been found in the form of an old edisonian recording cylinder . the cylinder was repaired , then walter murch ace mpse synced the film to the correct music in ( i believe ) 2002 . total running time is approximately 17 seconds .
the team of director charles jarrott and producer hall wallis , fresh from their triumph over “anne of the thousand days , ” needed to look no further than the rivalry between mary and elizabeth for their next historical soap opera .
crowning glories ? : her appearance in atonement - which starred another screen mary , vanessa redgrave - saw her become one of the youngest people to be nominated for an oscar .
delicately featured french actress camille rutherford ( low life ) stars as the titular queen but her delivery , in french and english , is often stilted and she struggles to illuminate the complexity of her character in the way zweig , partly inspired by the writings of his fellow viennese contemporary , sigmund freud , did . the young actress is not aided by a middling screenplay , by imbach and andrea staka ( who also produced ) and co - writer eduard habsburg , which favors historical chronology over psychological insight - - though the writers do have the good sense to end the film before mary’s famous head’s chopped off .
other forthcoming films include one by eric fellner and tim bevan , the team behind hits including notting hill . irish actress saorsie ronan is reportedly cast in the title role . the production will be directed by oscar - winning danish film - maker susanne bier . the co - scriptwriter , michael hirst , collaborated on the oscar - winning elizabeth , starring cate blanchett as the virgin queen .
spellbinding film - making , fused with histrionic , ominous photography and music , set in seasick pantomime . rutherford is masterclass in a star - making turn , and imbach imbued blocking like a theater pro . a
as the plot developed , it came to focus around a wealthy catholic named anthony babington , who was in what he thought was secret coded communication with mary via those beer barrels , never realizing that gifford and another member of the plot were letting walsingham decode and read the letters . the jesuit priest john ballard was working to gain spanish agreement to launch an invasion on england in mary’s name , while babington was being maneuvered to win mary’s assent to a scheme in which babington was to assassinate elizabeth , mary would be rescued from confinement , and then placed on the throne . mary eventually sent babington a letter laying out what she saw as necessary for any plot to rescue her from captivity . this letter on its own was probably enough to implicate mary in the whole plot , but one of the spies copied it and added a postscript in which mary appeared to agree to the effort to kill elizabeth . that was enough to let walsingham arrest ballard and babington , who were subsequently executed .
lowden , who won an olivier award for 2013’s ghosts , broke into features with yann demange’s ’71 and is next up in christopher nolan’s war epic , dunkirk , from warner bros . he is also starring in the biopic of the smiths’ frontman , morrissey , england is mine , and recently wrapped the stephen merchant - helmed feature fighting with my family . in 2016 , he played nikolai rostov in the bbc / weinstein co adaptation of war & peace . he’s repped by uta and conway van gelder grant in the uk .
henry viii of england discards one wife , katharine of aragon , who has failed to produce a male heir , in favor of the young and beautiful anne boleyn .


the stepfather is a 1987 american psychological horror thriller film directed by joseph ruben and starring terry o'quinn , jill schoelen and shelley hack .

o'quinn stars as henry morrison , an identity-assuming serial killer who remarries a widow with a teenage daughter .

the film was written by donald e. westlake , from a story by westlake , carolyn lefcourt and brian garfield .

upon its release , the film grossed $ 2.4 million at the box office and was well-received by critics .

the stepfather ( 1987 film )

( 1987 ) , was offered a cameo role in this film but he turned it down .
featured in the stepfather / duet for one / wanted : dead or alive / hoosiers ( 1987 ) . see more »
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing the stepfather ( 1987 ) near you .
the film lacks suspense . the story starts by revealing the plot to the audience within five minutes . a remake of the 1987 film by the same name , the stepfather doesn’t do much to satisfy this generation’s saw devotees .
this tepid remake of the 1987 cult classic lacks the tension and satirical undercurrents of the original .
direct download : srs - 01 - thestepfather - 1987 . mp3 category : stepfather retrospective - - posted at : 2 : 33am edt
the stepfather is a 2009 remake of the 1987 american thriller film of the same name . the original was directed by joseph ruben . the remake was directed by nelson mccormick . [ 1 ] the original film was shot from a script by donald westlake .
average horror film portraying yet another serial killer . the stepfather is a suspenseful , creepy and compelling film . the stepfather is a film that really goes at the heart of terror as terry o ' quinn ' s character murders a fatherless family before finding new families to prey . an average horror film , the stepfather is a pretty good , thrilling film with a pretty good villain , also the film is tense and creepy .
welcome to the inaugural episode of the liberal dead ' s stepfather retrospective podcast series ! in this episode , jeff ( @ jeff _ fotd ) is joined by co - host james ( @ drjimmyterror ) to tackle the first film in the franchise , 1987 ' s the stepfather .
the stepfather is , finally , only as good as its stepfather - - and dylan walsh ain ' t bad .
( 1987 ) , a pretty good thriller elevated to classic status due to a legendary performance by o’quinn .
the film was followed by a sequel stepfather ii in 1989 opening to negative reviews . another sequel stepfather iii was released in 1992 without o ' quinn ' s return for the character . the remake the stepfather was released in 2009 to negative reviews .
from anime to pitch - black thrillers , here ' s our pick of the underappreciated movies of 1987 . . .
the film was theatrically released january 23 , 1987 , in the united states . upon its release , the film grossed $ 2 . 4 million at the box office and was well - received by critics . it has since gained a cult following and was followed by two sequels : stepfather ii ( 1989 ) and stepfather iii ( 1992 ) , and a remake also called the stepfather , released on october 16 , 2009 .
the film was theatrically released on january 23 , 1987 , in the united states by the new century vista film company . during its opening weekend , the stepfather grossed around $ 260 , 587 ; it was released in 148 theatres and earned a total domestic gross of $ 2 , 488 , 740 .
although ' ' stepfather ii ' ' lacks the flawless pacing and escalating aura of menace of the 1987 cult thriller , ' ' the stepfather , ' ' it is far from a total bastardization of one of the decade ' s more diabolical concepts of movie horror .
back alley doctor : the stepfather visits one at the beginning of the film , to get a new face after his escape from the institution .
like many great genre films joseph ruben’s 1987 film the stepfather was inspired by the true story of john list , a new jersey man who disappeared for several years after killing his entire family . the mood of the stepfather is very dark , but it is sprinkled with enough black humor to keep the viewer entertained . the stepfather was followed by two sequels and recently a remake was released in theatres nationwide .
even by horror - remake standards , the stepfather sets the bar for pointlessness .
woobie , destroyer of worlds : the stepfather , in the original at least .
this is a good film , i have seen this film so many times , i recommend it very much .
unexplained recovery : the stepfather obviously dies at the end of the first film , but shows up here with only a large scar where he got stabbed .
the stepfather finally dies for good , by being pushed into a wood chipper .
also starred in the film , which received critical accolades . ruben took his first and only break from film to direct for the tv series
the stepfather is a 1987 thriller film , written by esteemed crime novelist donald e . westlake and directed by joseph ruben . the film tells the story of an unnamed bluebeard serial killer obsessed with being a part of the perfect family , to such an extent that if his current family doesn ' t live up to expectations , he kills them and moves onto another .
murder at the movies : the true story behind
the stepfather
- j . h . moncrieff
blood - splattered wedding dress : carol grayland at the end of the film .
ironic nursery tune : the stepfather often whistles
camptown races
after his murders .
winner :
the stepfather .
nothing beats a
gossip girl
star .
the stepfather was definitely scary , but the true story is worse . much , much worse .
the stepfather is a wonderfully creepy film that should be viewed by genre fans and single parents . perhaps a simple viewing of this particular film could keep you from choosing mr . or ms . wrong next time .
inferior sequel to am average slasher film , the stepfather ii fails at capturing the essence of what made the first one entertaining . filled with lacking suspense and thrills , the stepfather ii is a disappointment and doesn ' t try to terrify the audience , most of time you feel bored , as the plot is too predictable and cliches ridden . overall , stepfather ii is a slasher flick with not a single interesting thing about it . a below average film , even by slasher film standards .
the film is referenced in the king of the hill episode
untitled blake mccormack project
.
stepford smiler : the stepfather is a very cheerful individual , unless someone makes him angry .
every car is a pinto : the stepfather destroys a car , and it explodes spectacularly .
the stepfather returned twice , in stepfather ii ( 1989 ) and in a 1992 tv movie , stepfather iii . the expected remake is on the way . donald e . westlake had nothing more to do with the series , and instead earned an oscar nomination for the grifters ( 1990 ) .
slashed throat : the stepfather kills the backalley plastic surgeon by cutting his throat open with a bonesaw .
drop the hammer : todd grayland takes the stepfather out with one , stabbing him in the chest with the claw end .
welcome back for another episode of the liberal dead ' s stepfather retrospective podcast series ! in this episode , jeff ( @ jeff _ fotd ) and james ( @ drjimmyterror ) move on to the second film in the franchise , 1989 ' s stepfather ii .
the stepfather ( 1987 ) was one of the first truly chilling horror movies i ever saw . i’ll never forget the opening sequence . terry o’quinn calmly wipes the blood off his face , changes his appearance , and walks off into the night , leaving behind his murdered wife and children .
the film ends with stephanie cutting down a birdhouse she and jerry had built .
soft glass : averted . the stepfather punches through a car window to get at a victim , cutting his hand up pretty badly and necessitating a bandage for the rest of the film .
the stepfather is a 1987 american thriller film starring terry o ' quinn in the title role . it is loosely based on the life of mass murderer john list , although the plot is more commonly associated with slasher films of the era than a true story . it was directed by joseph ruben and written by donald e . westlake , from a story by westlake , carolyn lefcourt and brian garfield . this film was met with critical acclaim upon its release . the film was also followed by two sequels , released in 1989 and 1992 respectively and a remake also called the stepfather which was released on october 16 , 2009 .
the stepfather was released in the year 1987 , some songs of the official soundtrack are sleeping beauty by divinyls , run between the raindrops by pat benatar , gwine to rune all night ( de camptown races ) by terry o ' quinn , i want you by john mcburnie . listen the soundtrack online !
with the headline : review / film ; give me perfection or give me death .
a psychotic killer escapes from a mental hospital and assumes a false identity as a family counselor in this sequel to the 1987 horror film . the murderer soon falls in love with a beautiful woman and begins to do away anyone who might stand in the way of their relationship .
the stepfather is a 1987 american cult horror / psychological thriller film starring terry o ' quinn in the title role . it is loosely based on the life of mass murderer john list . it was directed by joseph ruben and written by carolyn lefcourt ( story ) , brian garfield ( story ) and donald e . westlake ( also screenplay ) with a rewrite by david loughery .
unlike freddy krueger or jason voorhees , the monstrous title character of the stepfather is both plausible and a rich metaphor .
the stepfather in the remake . he survives , gets away and is last seen charming another single woman with kids .
he knows too much : aside from killing those who acts as competition ( like phil in the second film ) , or do not fit with his values like the families he butchered , or simply just get in the way , the stepfather also kill those who suspects him of being not what he initially appeared to be to tie up loose ends , such as dr . a . bondurant and james
jim
ogilvie in the first film . susan in the first film , aside from being targeted for not living up to the stepfather ' s standards , nearly got offed early when she suspects something ' s wrong when she discovered the stepfather quit his job several days ago without informing her and witnessed the stepfather mixed up his identities . the protagonists of films finds themselves in this predicament as well once they discovered what the stepfather ' s truly is .
welcome back for the penultimate episode of the liberal dead ' s stepfather retrospective podcast series ! in this episode , jeff ( @ jeff _ fotd ) and james ( @ drjimmyterror ) tackle 1992 ' s stepfather iii .
unexplained recovery : stepfather ii ends with the family killer getting a claw hammer in the chest , which he somehow survived .
horror doesn ' t settle for simple tuesday : the climax of the film takes place during a wedding .
horror doesn ' t settle for simple tuesday : the opening of the film is set sometime around christmas .
studied theater and film at the university of michigan , then went on to earn a master ' s degree at brandeis university . his feature film directing debut was a thriller called
“you know , a house like this should really have a family in it . ” —terry o’quinn , the stepfather
3 . her body , himself : gender in the slasher film ( carol j . clover )
winner :
the stepfather .
hitchcock ' s ' window ' is a classic , but the ' 80s
stepfather
starred terry o ' quinn - - a . k . a . the badass locke from
lost .
the stepfather is the full package : fast - paced , well - acted , suspenseful and brimming with bursts of nasty violence .
an axe to grind : the stepfather comes close to killing his current family with one , but relents at the last minute .
o ' quinn is good , but the film is quite laugable even with him in the center of it .
bread , eggs , milk , squick : non - verbal example . like in the original , the film begins with the stepfather going about his daily routine . . . then it reveals he ' s murdered his current family .
( 1984 ) that began to bring to ruben the acclaim he ' d pursued for so long . starring quaid as a man who can enter people ' s dreams , the film won the golden raven at the brussels international festival of fantasy film , setting off a hat trick of awards - his next film ,
whatever the flaws of the stepfather , it remains a horror film with few peers , including ( let’s be serious ) the 2009 remake . as is so often the case , the special features on this dvd edition do just about nothing to increase one’s appreciation of the film . the commentary track pairs sycophantic , trivia - minded michael gingold of fangoria magazine with no - nonsense director joseph ruben , who seems at best irritated by gingold’s often frivolous questions . the retrospective documentary the stepfather chronicles provides some interesting background on the film , but doesn’t stray from the self - congratulatory platitudes of a typical special edition dvd documentary .
knife nut : the stepfather has used a lot of different objects to kill people , but the knife is still his prefered weapon .
winner :
the stepfather .
way scarier to have a creep in your house than to have a creep across the street .
villain protagonist : the stepfather is the real main focal point of the films , while anyone out to stop him actually qualifies as a hero antagonist .
, and the remarkably positive critical reception to the film . this just isn ' t an essential listen , though .
the film was released on dvd for the first time in north america by shout ! factory on october 13 , 2009 . shout ! factory released the first - ever blu - ray version of the film on june 15 , 2010 .
welcome back for the final episode of the liberal dead ' s stepfather retrospective podcast series ! in this episode , jeff ( @ jeff _ fotd ) and james ( @ drjimmyterror ) close out the series and take on nelson mccormick ' s 2009 remake , the stepfather .
combustible celluloid review - the stepfather ( 1987 ) , donald e . westlake , based on a story by carolyn lefcourt , brian garfield , donald e . westlake , joseph ruben , terry o ' quinn , jill schoelen , shelley hack , charles lanyer , stephen shellen , stephen e . miller , robyn stevan , jeff schultz
make it look like an accident : the stepfather makes father brennan ' s death seem like he had a car accident .
this remake turns a fondly remembered horror / thriller into a mild and tedious suspense film .
they look just like everyone else : one of the scariest things about the stepfather is that he looks and acts like a normal guy .
no name given : it ' s never stated what the stepfather ' s real name is . he even wonders which man is supposed to be towards the end of the film . this is what ultimately causes him to kill his current family .
as for female sexual propriety , the stepfather presents both susan and stephanie as the sexual beings all humans are , and it is jerry’s attempt to quell that reality of stephanie’s existence that turns the women against the patriarch . the stepfather finally sends sexualized women running , knives in hand , after the masked monster .
for his performance , o ' quinn was nominated for both a saturn and an independent spirit award . director ruben was honored with the critics award at the 1988 cognac festival . the film was also nominated for the international fantasy film award for best film at the 1990 fantasporto and included in bravo ' s 100 scariest movie moments on spot # 70 .
the first film was famous for putting terry o quinn on the map , with even roger ebert raving about his acting .
every car is a pinto : the stepfather pushes father brennan ' s car over a cliff , and it explodes on impact .
a truly great film that deserves it cult status . fantastic acting from all involved , and a truly gripping film . delivery was prompt and the product in good condition . totally worth both the money and a watch .
that’s what makes the stepfather movie so terrifying . imagine if john list’s new family kept disappointing him in the same way his “old” family did .
dropped a bridge on him : james
jim
ogilvie , who ' s been treated as a major character in the first film , gets killed off unceremoniously in the climax and treated as another red shirt on the stepfather ' s bodycount following that .
o ' quinn is absolutely brilliant in this film . seriously , this is a fantastic movie .
infant immortality : averted in the first few minutes of the film , as a butchered body of a little girl is shown .
kathryn bigelow ' s 1987 film is an unbelievably moody , stylish vampire - western hybrid that ' s as romantic as it is tense , and features a number of cast members ( lance henriksen , jenette goldstein and bill paxton ) from her future husband ( er , ex - husband ) james cameron ' s aliens .
a logical and just as worthy sequel in the stepfather series . terry o ' quinn is back as the menacing family - killing stepfather figure . this time around , he has a stepson ( jonathan brandis of neverending story 2 fame ! ) the wedding reception end battle is great .
this film was met with critical acclaim upon its release . the film was also followed by two sequels , released in 1989 and 1992 respectively and a remake which was released on october 16 , 2009 . the film was released on dvd for the first time in north america by shout ! factory on october 13 , 2009 . [ 2 ]
terry o’quinn’s schizophrenic performance is what elevates the stepfather a notch above the typical thriller . he goes from unnerving to terrifying in no time flat . his…
master of disguise : the stepfather has the tendency to alter his appearance and change his name when it comes to finding a new family after killing the last one .
[ … ] by jerry at many turns throughout the film , is also a sub - textual nod to a profound reversion of a patriarchal predominance , one which looms over the film and certainly taints many films in the 80s horror tradition . the [ … ]
this film is not currently playing on mubi but 30 other great films are . see what’s now showing
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
the stepfather
tells his story in a blood - soaked thriller that is uneven but haunting . while i was watching the film , i was distracted by elements of the idiot plot syndrome - moments when only an idiot would have made such obvious mistakes . now , remembering the film several weeks after first seeing it , what i recall most clearly is the central performance by terry o ' quinn .
direct download : srs - 03 - stepfather3 . mp3 category : stepfather retrospective - - posted at : 11 : 00am edt
direct download : srs - 02 - stepfather2 . mp3 category : stepfather retrospective - - posted at : 4 : 29pm edt
after escaping the insane asylum in which he was incarcerated , the stepfather impersonates a marriage counselor and manages to win over a patient and her young son .
drop the hammer : annoyed with his wife , the stepfather moves in to bash her brains with one , but is stopped by the last minute by two potential witnesses .
even with the lackluster special features , this dvd release of the stepfather proves again the special talent shout ! factory has for going under the radar to find gems other distributors would be too quick to call dated . indeed , the stepfather is a product of its time . when better to communicate the horrors of conservative family values than in the twilight of the reagan administration ?
the film has received generally negative reviews . review aggregator rotten tomatoes reports that 11 % of 56 critics have given the film a positive review , with a rating average of 3 . 4 out of 10 . the site ' s general consensus is that
this tepid remake of the 1987 cult classic lacks the tension and satirical undercurrents of the original .
[ 5 ] on metacritic , which assigns a weighted average score out of 1–100 reviews from film critics , has a rating score of 33 based on 11 reviews . [ 6 ] kevin thomas of the los angeles times wrote of the film being
a piece , a handsome , thoughtfully crafted production that generates a mounting terror securely anchored by assured performances , consistent psychological persuasiveness and believable dialogue .
[ 7 ]
one of the best pieces left behind by the late mystery writer donald westlake was a story called
the stepfather ,
which in 1987 joseph ruben made into one of the most frightening films i ' ve ever seen . its camera stared closely at a pleasant , gracious gentleman long enough to record his growth into a seasonal monster who destroyed families when they ceased to trust him , and hence to fit his ideal .
there isn’t much of a gore score in the stepfather , but don’t let that keep you from viewing the film . when jerry lashes out and starts showing his true side it does get quite violent . the death toll also isn’t all that high ; in fact only two deaths are seen on screen . the stepfather isn’t about blood and gore to get its frights from the viewer though , its all about the mood and atmosphere and the movie just oozes with it .
if you are looking to watch the film , or any of the others in the series , you can help support the show by purchasing or renting it from amazon .
not so much a contemporary re - make of joseph ruben ' s 1987 psychological thriller as a lobotomised bastard step - child : over - plotted , over - long , and stripped of the original ' s sharp , satirical subversion of suburban family values .
for his performance , o ' quinn was nominated for both a saturn and an independent spirit award . director ruben was honored with the critics award at the 1988 cognac festival . [ 5 ] the film was also nominated for the international fantasy film award for best film at the 1990 fantasporto [ 6 ] and included in bravo ' s 100 scariest movie moments on spot # 70 . [ 7 ]
continuity nod : the stepfather mentioning he once worked in real estate , and later , during a freak out , he starts screaming
who am i here ? ! who am i here ? !
the asylum he was placed in stepfather ii is also mentioned in a news broadcast .
the film was distributed by screen gems . [ 3 ] filming was completed on april 15 , 2008 . [ 4 ]
editor barry keith grant is director of the film studies program at brock university in st . catharines , ontario , canada .
the stepfather is a 1987 american psychological horror thriller film directed by joseph ruben and starring terry o ' quinn , jill schoelen and shelley hack . o ' quinn stars as henry morrison , an identity - assuming serial killer who remarries a widow with a teenage daughter . after previously killing his family and changing his identity , his killing spree continues after his stepdaughter becomes suspicious about him . it is loosely based on the life of mass murderer john list , although the plot is more commonly associated with slasher films of the era than a true story . the film was written by donald e . westlake , from a story by westlake , carolyn lefcourt and brian garfield .
the stepfather ( the 1987 version ) is not like most slasher films ; it is a uniquely feminist horror film . carol j . clover’s theory of the “final girl” * , the trope in horror cinema that leaves one unique girl as the sole survivor , is brilliant and generally accurate . but our heroine , stephanie , is not like other final girls . for one , she is one of the only girls in the film . the film is full of empty , impotent signifiers of male power : the male lieutenant , the male therapist , the male high school teacher , the male hero / amateur detective , the male reporter and , of course , stephanie’s dead father . more importantly , throughout the duration of this film no women are killed . let me repeat that : no women are killed . it may not be obvious to some viewers , but it is strikingly obvious to me , a feminist who loves horror films . when the film opens , jerry ( or henry morrison , his identity before jerry ) has already killed his previous family , which we know contained a wife and at least one daughter , but during the film only men are slaughtered . they are men who attempt to rescue stephanie and her mother susan , but the only person who actually rescues stephanie is stephanie .
the makeup artist for the stepfather also gets a nod from me . we see jerry transform into a different human being twice in the film ( for a total of three different appearances ) and he never looks quite the same each time . in fact during the last transformation he actually appears to be a much older man .
adaptational villainy : the stepfather , who comes across as much more of a cold - blooded sociopath in the remake compared to his predecessor , who was probably insane .
there ' s a shot towards the end of the film where several vampires run from the protection of car in slow - motion . it still has the power to chill the blood even after multiple viewings . near dark is a classic film , and one well worth tracking down on blu - ray .
never trust a trailer : that awesome swinging buzzsaw scene that was in all the trailers and tv spots ? its completely absent from the film .
horror doesn ' t settle for simple tuesday : not counting the prologue , stepfather iii begins on easter , and ends on father ' s day .
this list shows all films released in 1987 , including films that went direct - to - video , or only got an international theatrical release . for each film , we use the first date on which it was made available to the public , which might include international theatrical or domestic video releases that were a few days , or sometimes more , earlier than the domestic ( us / canada ) theatrical release .
released by new century vista film company in june , the film eked out a total of just under $ 2 . 5 million in its theatrical release , despite some glowing reviews from critics . it fared better on home video , with the suburbia soaked atmosphere playing perfectly to the manicured lawns and white picket fences crowd . if you were , are , or will be a teenaged suburbanite , the stepfather is for you . ( having a murderous parent is not necessary to enjoy the film , but i suppose it would add a little resonance . )
the stepfather .
we want to give the new flick the benefit of the doubt . that , and we just can ' t get behind
disturbia ,
arguably the movie that made labeouf a star .
direct download : srs - 04 - thestepfather - 2009 . mp3 category : stepfather retrospective - - posted at : 11 : 00am edt
upon revisiting the stepfather ( in preparation for watching the sequels for the first time ) , i can ' t help but feel as though this movie is a bit over - rated .
peter jackson ' s splatter - ific calling card , this gonzo 1987 effort is nominally concerned with a small new zealand town under siege from aliens , but it ' s really about the insanely gory , over - the - top b - movie special effects that jackson created on his own .
during its opening weekend , the stepfather grossed around $ 260 , 587 ; it was released in 148 movie theatres and earned a total domestic gross of $ 2 , 488 , 740 . [ 1 ] film critic roger ebert from the chicago sun times gave the movie 2 . 5 stars , and commented :
mysterious past : four films and the stepfather still doesn ' t have an origin . . . or even a real name . closest we get is doctor danvers calling him
bill krieger
in the second film , though they don ' t actually outright state if that ' s his real name , or an old alias . the stepfather also apparently tells danvers about his past . . . offscreen . . . he also could have been lying .
the actors in the film do a nice job at portraying the film’s simple characters , even though the thin story does not push the characters very far . familiar faces like t . v . ’s walsh and badgley are pretty faces with talent , but decent acting doesn’t go far to save what is ultimately a stale story .
overprotective dad : when the stepfather sees his stepdaughter stephanie kissing a boy named paul he completely freaks out , claiming paul was going to try and rape stephanie .
the stepfather has an 86 % approval rating from rotten tomatoes and an average rating of 6 . 7 / 10 out of 29 reviews . film critic roger ebert , from the chicago sun times , gave the movie 2 . 5 stars out of 4 , and commented :
violence itself seems to sell at the box office , even when it ' s divorced from any context . maybe that ' s what the filmmakers were thinking . what often happens , though , is that in an otherwise flawed film there are a couple of things that are wonderful . the stepfather has one wonderful element : terry o ' quinn ' s performance .
ebiri : exactly . the central relationship between the sisters in this film is so involving , even tender , that it’s hard to step back and get any kicks from the genre elements in this film . it’s really a tragedy , and when i first saw it , years ago , the final shot absolutely wiped the floor with me .
i have many names : there is no way of telling what the stepfather ' s real name is , or which one of them he believes it to be .
standard ' 50s father : the stepfather seems to think of himself as this , and at one point is explicitly compared to ward cleaver from leave it to beaver .
like many of the best comedies and tragedies , this weimar - era silent film understands how each mode is often a hair ' s breadth from the other .
this entry ' s a little bit of a cheat , because the stepfather was actually shot in 1985 and shelved for two years . but going by its year of release , this taut little thriller still qualifies as a 1987 movie . the plot sounds like your typical
killer in our midst
fare ; a middle - aged maniac goes from place to place , starting new families under assumed names before offing them all horribly after a couple of weeks have passed .
ebiri : i also like the tension between the three leads : for me , their mounting anger at each other and fear of their surroundings really drives the film’s scares , putting the lie to the misguided notion that it’s all gimmick . that said , the gimmick is pretty great , even though it’s also kind of a ripoff of an earlier , inferior film called the last broadcast .
“wait a minute . . . who am i here ? ” is the central question posed by jerry blake in the 1987 slasher film , the stepfather . it is a story of patriarchy in crisis . in a world in which “traditional” and “old fashioned” ( both characteristics attributed to jerry ) notions of male dominance and the nuclear family are thoroughly challenged , the patriarchal order is undergoing a desperate identity crisis . the film is about a man who marries into a family that eventually disappoints him by not living up to his expectations of the perfect family , so he kills them and moves on to another town and another family . in the stepfather , it is patriarchy that is broken and unable to find a reality in which its conceptualization of self exists . without the structural order “the father” is accustomed to , he simply does not know who he is , and rather than deal with this and evolve , he chooses to deny reality , destroy it , and recreate it in his own image , which , ultimately , always fails .
while i was watching the film , i was distracted by elements of the idiot plot syndrome - - moments when only an idiot would have made such obvious mistakes .
but not too gay : its only pretty close to the end of the film that we realize jackie and leah are lovers , and not just roommates or something .
indeed , what makes the stepfather so compelling is that it starts from a simple truth about human life ( the everyday lives we lead are performances ) and takes it to a horrifying though honest extreme . unlike freddy krueger or jason voorhees , the monstrous title character of the stepfather is both plausible and a rich metaphor for the danger of traditional patriarchy in a world largely trying to move beyond that tradition .
the viewer knows from the beginning that stephanie’s suspicions are well founded—this is a suspense film , not a mystery . the film’s opening sequence lets the viewer in on the title character’s secret by showing o’quinn tie all the potential loose ends at the scene of his most recent crime . he has killed his family in their idyllic suburban home and is subtly changing his appearance to start anew somewhere else .
cool old guy : father brennan , who shares andy ' s interest in solving mysteries , and even starts helping him to find info on his stepfather .
i will start this review by saying that the beginning sequence in joseph ruben’s the stepfather is probably one of the most disturbing sequences i have ever seen in a movie . the beginning of the film simply shows henry starting to clean himself up ; at the beginning of the film he wears glasses and has longer hair and a beard . the hair is cut and the beard is shaved off all while henry looks in the mirror . after cleaning himself up the man walks down stairs where we see his families murdered bodies scattered around the room , he walks past them and calmly makes his way out of the door . trust me the scene is way creepier than i could ever describe it .
an undying procession of sons of dracula and daughters of darkness has animated the horror film genre from the beginning . indeed , in this pioneering exploration of the cinema of fear , barry keith grant and twenty other film critics posit that horror is always rooted in gender , particularly in anxieties about sexual difference and gender politics .
* for more on the final girl theory , see men , women , and chainsaws : gender in the modern horror film by carol j . clover . it rocks .
red herring : mark wraynal . we ' re briefly lead to believe he ' s the stepfather , but it turns out to be keith , who kills him via . . .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
bread , eggs , milk , squick : non - verbal example . the movie begins with the stepfather going about his daily routine . . . then it reveals he ' s murdered his current family .
the only halloween film to not feature michael myers—it was intended to turn the franchise into more of an anthology - style series– season of the witch ( about a conspiracy involving halloween masks ) remains a uniquely unsettling stand - alone film in an e . c . comics - by - way - of - john - carpenter tradition .
the film that launched the career of michael rooker , john mcnaughton ' s seminal 1986 serial - killer film takes a gritty , no - frills docudrama approach to its story ( based on real - life convict henry lee lucas ) about a psycho and his partner - in - crime acting on their murderous impulses .
ebiri : reportedly , the tensions were very real behind the camera as well , and rumors abound that spielberg directed as much , if not more , of the film as hooper did . and , of course , it’s been copied many times since — what is insidious but basically just a more spiritual variation on this film’s main conceit ?
all the same , the film is by no means a perfect feminist rallying cry . for one thing , it ' s subtler than a rallying cry would be . susan does choose to let the thoroughly conservative jerry into her family , after all—he didn’t force himself in . more damningly , though , the stepfather plays up many shots of the women ( especially stephanie ) for sex appeal . although stephanie spends the whole film in quaint , delightful sweaters , neither she nor her mother ever seem to wear bras or anything else beneath their sweaters , so little is left to the imagination . likewise , the camera lingers gratuitously upon nude jill schoelen in a shower scene ( to the film’s credit , terry o’quinn is likewise shown completely nude in an earlier shower scene ) .
terry o ' quinn , who portrayed the stepfather in the first two installments of the series , was approached by director nelson mccormick to appear in the remake , but according to producer mark morgan , o ' quinn turned down the offer . [ 10 ] [ 11 ]
this list initially ran on october 29 , 2013 . also , read bilge ebiri’s essay on why mulholland drive is a great horror film .
fight syphilis ! ( 1944 ) from your war department comes this vd film . keep your junk clean kids ! or something like that .
violence itself seems to sell at the box office , even when it ' s divorced from any context . maybe that ' s what the filmmakers were thinking . what often happens , though , is that in an otherwise flawed film there are a couple of things that are wonderful .
the stepfather
has one wonderful element : terry o ' quinn ' s performance .
ebiri : every other scene with the family in this film is like a folgers coffee ad gone horribly wrong . it’s interesting how the darkly comic quality of films like the stepfather ( and a couple of other films on our list ) eventually transmutated into the slick , “jokey , ” wink - wink style of later horror . there was a pointedness to these films’ humor that’s been lost in translation .
violence itself seems to sell at the box office , even when it ' s divorced from any context . maybe that ' s what the filmmakers were thinking . what often happens , though , is that in an otherwise flawed film there are a couple of things that are wonderful . the stepfather has one wonderful element : terry o ' quinn ' s performance . [ 3 ]
by the time jerry utters his pivotal question , “who am i here ? ” during the suspenseful ( but sort of routine ) slasher finale , we realize we already know the answer : one of the greatest actors to grace a horror film , playing an all - timer in the deranged hall of fame . the stepfather isn’t perfect , and neither is jerry ; but they both build a pretty good birdhouse . and like the sweetest bird , terry o’quinn can sing .
something of a cult - classic nowadays , the stepfather , released in 1987 , was made during a time when hollywood wasn’t afraid to release r - rated horror movies . most modern genre fodder comes bloodless and with a pg - 13 prerequisite , because after all , there’s box - office numbers to consider and young teens love their body count fare . but here’s a movie that represents exactly what ‘80s horror was all about , while also furnishing a ( ironically ) satisfying experience , unlike its comparatively shoddy 2009 remake .
the only gruesome part of this film is a dead body found in the family’s freezer , an image which lasts all of five seconds . the rest of the movie drags on because knowing the plot only makes one wonder why the characters are so dumb at figuring it out .
a moment near the end of 1987’s the stepfather crystallizes the elusive fantasy that motivates jerry blake , the damnably old - fashioned serial killer of the title . played with deranged wholesomeness by terry o’quinn , a great character actor who most will recognize as locke on lost , jerry moves from one tree - lined , family - friendly town to another , searching for single mothers in need of a decent , hard - working husband to stabilize the house . as one family situation falls apart , jerry creates a new identity ( along with a convincing disguise ) and begins setting up shop elsewhere , then slaughters the women and children who have so bitterly disappointed him .
the main reason i ' m writing anything here is because of my excitement regarding this song by stunt rock , there are tons of audio clips from films and when the opening lines from the song were spoken in the stepfather , i had a mini - freakout .
( 1980 ) , working again with quaid . about a madcap bunch of waiters , the film didn ' t make much of an impression on critics or the movie going public . it was
a misfire because it obviously tries to take advantage of its predecessor . the psychotic killer from the first film starts the same routine all over again by posing as a marriage counselor and preying on unsuspecting divorcees and widows .
. what frustrated me about it more than anything , though , was that the original movie was only available on dvd . i mean , it seemed like movie marketing 101 . . . let the oversized hollywood studio make their glossy , double - digit iq remake , and the smaller shop rides the other guys ' marketing budget by re - releasing the original at the same time . i get it now , though . shout ! factory wasn ' t leaving money on the table by holding off on releasing the 1987 take on
find the answers to these burning questions here - along with talk of the film ' s history and origins , its critical reception , and its place in pop culture and the franchise . as always , the guys give you their unfiltered opinions .
call back : the film has a lot of references to the original . surprising , considering it was made by the same people who brought us the when a stranger calls and prom night remakes , both of which are borderline in name only .
amateur sleuth : james
jim
ogilvie has no formal law enforcement or investigation training , but spent a good chunk of the first movie following the stepfather ' s trail from town to town to apprehend his sister ' s killer outside of the law .
ebiri : the film supposedly presents the gradual decaying of his reality , but sometimes i wonder if it isn’t all a hallucination from the get - go . watch the ease with which he seduces the beautiful debbie harry on a tv talk show ; cronenberg’s vision of the video revolution is really that of a wish fulfillment fantasy gone berserk . the more we want to enter the dreamlife of the video image , the more it wants to enter us . the fact that the film has since dated somewhat , with all those awful analog tv signals and rows and rows of videotapes , now just adds to the discomfiting otherworldliness .
bruce kawin tells us that
a good horror film takes you down into the depths and shows you something about the landscape .
landscape , of course , accommodates multiple perspectives . in the end , the differences of critical opinion in this book mirror the confusion over difference itself that informs our culture at this point in history . yet at the same time this critical difference reveals the health and vitality that has been characteristic of the horror film and our thinking about it for the last thirty years . today gender roles are being tested , challenged , and redefined everywhere , and until such time as difference is no longer dreaded , this crucial aspect of the horror film will remain very important for us .
the craziest possession film ever–and potentially the craziest film ever–andrzej zulawski ' s relationship drama charts the disintegration of a marriage between a spy ( sam neill ) and his wife ( isabelle adjani ) , who ' s soon sleeping with a tentacled monster . in the signature scene , adjani writhes around a subway station floor while miscarrying . as i ' ve said before , it has to be seen to be believed .
you can ' t have a
movie convention
without them , can you ? absolutely not ! and we plan on showing plenty of films on both 16mm film and video at cinema wasteland - many of which may be hosted by the stars and directors appearing as guests at the show . our evening film show is free to all attendees and hotel guests .
throughout the film , jerry has been making a birdhouse – a miniature version of his idea of the perfect home . susan and stephanie help jerry erect it mid - way through the film , and we are given a distorted shot from the top of the birdhouse , looking down , emphasizing how high and unreachable jerry’s idea of family really is . in the closing scene of the film , stephanie cuts the birdhouse down . we see it lying in the foreground while stephanie and her mother walk arm - in - arm , happy and complete , back into their home . they do not relocate as many families in horror films do after tragedy because of the symbolic significance of reclaiming their house , their structure . the film shows us that these two women are a complete family . they do not need a patriarch , and they do not need the conventional notion of the nuclear family to be happy – in fact , they are better off without it .
the book begins with three landmark accounts of the horror film in the context of gender that have influenced the scope of contemporary critical debate , including much of the subsequent work included in this volume . collected in part one , these three essays , following upon laura mulvey ' s groundbreaking 1975 essay
visual pleasure and narrative cinema ,
share a concern with the gendered dynamics of looking in the horror film . linda williams ' s
when the woman looks
examines mulvey ' s notion of narrative film as articulating a controlling male gaze in the context of the horror film specifically . her suggestion that there is a sympathetic alignment between the monster ' s gaze and that of the female spectator is echoed by barbara creed , who employs julia kristeva ' s notion of abjection as it relates to the horror film , especially in terms of monstrous images of the maternal . carol clover reexamines those assumptions concerning the supposed masculine essence of horror in the context of the slasher subgenre . her emphasis on the fluidity of point of view and spectator identification is informed by more recent theory that has moved beyond the binary gender determinism of mulvey ' s model and argues that these movies , which previously had been understood as particularly misogynist , might indeed hold some value for feminism .