Mary, Queen of Scots (1971 film)

Mary, Queen of Scots (1971 film)
Mary, Queen of Scots is a 1971 biographical film based on the life of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, written by John Hale and directed by Charles Jarrott. The cast was led by Vanessa Redgrave as the title character and Glenda Jackson as Elizabeth I. Jackson had previously played the part of Elizabeth in the BBC TV drama Elizabeth R, screened in February and March 1971, the first episode of which was also written by Hale.
The film received mixed reviews with criticism of the screenplay, running length and historical inaccuracies; however it received praise for the leading female performances, its production values, and musical score. At the 44th Academy Awards, the film received five nominations including Best Actress (for Redgrave).
Plot
Following the death of her husband Francis II of France in 1560, Mary, Queen of Scots returns to her native land. Though fearless, unselfish, and very beautiful, the young queen faces many challenges. As in neighbouring England, the Protestant faith has been embraced by many of the nobility; in addition, the Catholic Mary has to deal with her Protestant and illegitimate half-brother James Stewart, Lord Moray's ambition to rule. He suggests that Mary enjoy herself in Scotland, and pass the time with dancing and feasting.
Fearing that Mary has ambitions for England's throne, Elizabeth I of England decides to weaken her claim by sending her favourite, the ambitious Robert Dudley, to woo and marry Mary. Elizabeth promises that Mary will become her heir if she agrees to the marriage. Sly Elizabeth also sends the younger, dashing but weak and spoiled Lord Darnley from a powerful Catholic family. Tempted by the handsome Darnley, Mary impulsively chooses him for marriage. Moray opposes the marriage, but Mary ignores him. She exiles Moray to strengthen her own authority. Elizabeth is satisfied that reckless, passionate Mary's romantic misadventures will keep her busy in Scotland and give England less to worry about.
Soon after the wedding, Darnley throws a childish temper tantrum, complaining that he has no real power and is merely Mary's king consort. Disillusioned, Mary soon banishes Darnley from her bed and frequently consults with the gentle, soft-spoken Italian musician and courtier David Riccio. Darnley previously had him as a lover and accuses him of fathering Mary's expected child.
A group of Scottish lords persuade Darnley to help get rid of Riccio, whom they murder in Mary's presence. To escape, she persuades Darnley that the plotters will turn against him, and they flee to the safety of a castle belonging to Lord Bothwell. He has been an ally of Mary since her arrival in Scotland. After he defeats the plotters, Mary forces a truce between Moray, Darnley and Bothwell. Mary gives birth to a son, James, who is expected to succeed both Mary and the unmarried, childless Elizabeth.
The peace is short-lived. Darnley still wants power, though by now he is hideously scarred and dying of syphilis (the pox). Mary pities him, but finds herself falling in love with the rough but loyal Bothwell. With Moray's help, they arrange for Darnley to be killed in a gunpowder explosion at his manor; Darnley escapes before the blast but is strangled. Bothwell marries Mary, and their few brief nights together are blissful. But Moray rejoins the Scottish lords and leads a rebellion against Mary. He forces her to abdicate, and she and her husband are driven into exile, Mary to England and Bothwell to Denmark. Mary's young son James is to be crowned king of Scotland (although Moray will effectively rule as regent) and raised as a Protestant.
In England, Mary begs Elizabeth for money and an army to regain her throne. Instead Elizabeth takes her prisoner, keeping her locked away in a remote castle. Elizabeth's closest advisor, Sir William Cecil, is anxious to get rid of Mary, but Elizabeth fears to set a precedent by putting an anointed monarch to death. She also fears that Mary's death might spark a rebellion by her Catholic subjects and cause problems with powerful France and Spain. As a result, Mary is doomed to an open-ended captivity. Over time, the once proud queen of Scots succumbs to an empty routine, plotting half-heartedly to escape but growing increasingly used to her seclusion. She occupies herself with a daily schedule of cards, embroidery and gossip, talking vaguely of escape yet sleeping later and later each morning.
With the help of fellow minister Walsingham, Cecil finds evidence of Mary's involvement in the conspiracy to assassinate Elizabeth known as the Babington Plot. Finally Elizabeth confronts Mary, who regains her royal pride and behaves defiantly at their secret meeting. Although Elizabeth offers her mercy if she begs for forgiveness, Mary will not beg for mercy in public. She endures the trial, conviction and execution. She knows her son James will ultimately succeed to the English throne.
Historical liberties
For dramatic effect, the film presents two meetings between the queens, although they never met in life.
The film also depicts a homosexual relationship between Darnley and Riccio not known to history, although they may have been friends initially. The confrontation at Bothwell's Hermitage Castle seems loosely based on an actual incident at Carberry, and the film misses out the decisive Battle of Langside.
James VI and I was born in Edinburgh Castle, not Hermitage Castle, as depicted in the film.
Cast
Vanessa Redgrave as Mary, Queen of Scots
Glenda Jackson as Queen Elizabeth I of England
Patrick McGoohan as Mary's half-brother James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray
Timothy Dalton as Mary's second husband Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
Nigel Davenport as Mary's third husband, James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell
Trevor Howard as Elizabeth's advisor Sir William Cecil
Daniel Massey as Elizabeth's lover, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
Ian Holm as Mary's advisor, David Riccio
Andrew Keir as Ruthven
Tom Fleming as John Ballard
Robert James as Scottish religious reformer John Knox
Katherine Kath as Mary's first mother-in-law, Catherine de' Medici
Frances White as Mary's companion, Mary Fleming
Vernon Dobtcheff as Mary's uncle, the Duke of Guise
Raf De La Torre as her other uncle, the Cardinal of Lorraine
Richard Warner as Elizabeth's spy master Francis Walsingham
Bruce Purchase as the Earl of Morton
Brian Coburn as the Earl of Huntly
Richard Denning as Mary's first husband, King Francis II of France
Maria Aitken as Lady Bothwell
Jeremy Bulloch as Andrew
Production notes
The movie reunited Hal Wallis, John Hale and Charles Jarrott who had made Anne of a Thousand Days. Wallis was looking to do a follow-up and decided to make a film about Mary Queen of Scots, in part because a best selling book about her by Antonia Fraser was in the news. "I did not read it because I knew it was based on historical fact and was sure there was nothing in it we couldn't obtain from a study of history books," claimed Wallis in his memoirs.
Like the play by Friedrich Schiller (Maria Stuart, 1800) and the opera by Gaetano Donizetti (Maria Stuarda, 1835), it takes considerable liberties with history in order to achieve increased dramatic effect, in particular two fictitious face-to-face encounters between the two queens (who never met in real life). "Audiences would feel cheated if they never had a scene together." said Wallis.
Wallis says Jarrott wanted to emphasise the religious differences of the two lead characters but the producer "felt this was too heavy".
Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson were the first choices for their roles. Redgrave accepted quickly but Jackson was more reluctantly as it was a smaller part and she had already played Elizabeth on television. Jackson agreed to play the role if all her scenes could be shot in three and a half weeks "before boredom set in". The script was rewritten accordingly.
Glenda Jackson said during filming, "I prefer Vanessa's part. Mary was a tart - three marriages, one to a man with syphilis, murders, prison, intrigue, violence - the whole lot." She said Elizabeth "is no virgin the way I'm playing her."
Shooting
Filming started 17 May 1971. The film was shot in France (Château de Chenonceau), Hermitage Castle, Scotland; Alnwick Castle, England, Bamburgh Castle, England, Parham Park, England, and Chiltern Open Air Museum in Buckinghamshire, England. The song in the opening sequence, "Vivre et Mourir", is sung by Redgrave.
The lyrics are taken from a sonnet written by Mary, Queen of Scots.
Redgrave and Timothy Dalton began a romantic relationship during the making of the film.
Release
The film's UK premiere was the annual Royal Film Performance on 27 March 1972 at the Odeon Leicester Square, attended by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
Reception
Vincent Canby had little good to write about the film in The New York Times, describing it as "a loveless, passionless costume drama". He wrote: "Unfortunately there is no excitement whatsoever in what Charles Jarrott, the director, and John Hale, the author of the original screenplay, have put together ... Mary, Queen of Scots intends, I assume, to illuminate history ... yet all it's really doing is touching bases, like a dull, dutiful student ... Because both Miss Redgrave and Miss Jackson possess identifiable intelligence, [the film] is not as difficult to sit through as some bad movies I can think of. It's just solemn, well-groomed and dumb."
Roger Ebert gave the film three stars and lauded the interpretation of Redgrave and Jackson, stating: "Vanessa Redgrave is a tall, straight-backed, finely spirited Mary, and Glenda Jackson makes a perfectly shrewish, wise Elizabeth."
Variety said "commercial prospects are good."
Awards and nominations
References
Bibliography
External links
Mary, Queen of Scots at the British Film Institute
Novelisation of script at Internet Archive
1971 films
1970s biographical drama films
1970s historical drama films
British biographical drama films
British historical drama films
1970s English-language films
Films set in the 1560s
Films about capital punishment
Films about Mary, Queen of Scots
Films about Elizabeth I
Cultural depictions of Catherine de' Medici
Films directed by Charles Jarrott
Films scored by John Barry (composer)
Films produced by Hal B. Wallis
Universal Pictures films
1970s British films
English-language biographical drama films