Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)

Very best movie i ever watch

Just perfect...

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Mary Queen of Scots is directed by Charles Jarrott, has a screenplay by John Hale, has music by John Barry and stars Vanessa Redgrave, Glenda Jackson, Trevor Howard, Nigel Davenport, Timothy Dalton, Raymond Massey, Patrick McGoohan and Ian Holm.The young Queen consort of France Mary(Vanessa Redgrave),is taken from France to Scotland to become Queen there after her husband dies.Mary is aided by an Italian spy David Riccio(Ian Holm)and the Scottish Lord Bothwell(Nigel Davenport). Bothwell is very blunt and is a man of action, he becomes totally loyal to the Queen and falls in love with her.Mary poses a threat to the English Queen, Elizabeth Tudor (Glenda Jackson). Both women want to be ruler of the country but in the end only one will keep her throne. Mary learns too late that to be a great Queen one must give up their inner self, sacrifice their own desires for the good of their country and their duty. Mary rules with her heart whereas Elizabeth rules with her head and is dominated by no consort, her decisions are completely her own.Elizabeth sets a trap for Mary in the form of Henry Lord Darnley (Timothy Dalton)and her own great love Lord Robert Dudley (Daniel Massey). Elizabeth's friend and adviser Lord Cecil (Trevor Howard)urges her to have Mary killed because she is too great a threat, Elizabeth won't do that and insists another way be found to stop her.The entire cast are excellent with Vanessa and Glenda giving the standout performances. Vanessa excels at conveying the innocence and sheltered nature of Mary, when she arrives in Scotland she has to become tougher and stronger and it isn't easy for her. Glenda's portrayal of Elizabeth is as good here as in the TV miniseries Elizabeth R, her Elizabeth is strong, fearless, intelligent, charming and cunning. The growing love between Mary and Bothwell is beautifully portrayed with him providing some comfort and safety that the Queen desperately needs. Davenport gives one of his best performances as Lord Bothwell and I missed him when he wasn't in a scene.The costumes are beautiful and John Barry's score is one of his very best.

While this is not great movie, it is still an enjoyable one, especially if you have an interest in historical dramas. Despite its title the film is not just the story of Mary Queen of Scots (Vanessa Redgrave) but is also the story of her cousin Queen Elizabeth (Glenda Jackson).The film features a couple of great performances from Redgrave and Jackson who are both Oscar winning actresses. The picture has some good supporting performances from veterans such as; Patrick McGoohan, Trevor Howard, Nigel Davenport as well as such relative newcomers as Ian Holm and Timothy Dalton.In addition to the fine performances I've already mentioned the film also looks very good and features some very nice locations. The film also boasts a very good score from composer John Barry, who won a number of Oscars for his work and his perhaps best known for his numerous Bond scores.Despite these strengths though the film only rates 3 stars for me. Although I can find no glaring faults, I believe my problems lie mostly with the story structure and the inability of the film to build either sufficient emotion or tension. While the inter-cutting of the two stories seems interesting perhaps it was a mistake to structure the story in such a way. Further the secondary characters are perhaps to numerous as many disappear rather quickly without sufficient resolution.As iconic as Cate Blanchett has become of late in her portrayals of Queen Elizabeth, at one time Glenda Jackson virtually owned the role with both this film and an Emmy winning performance in Elizabeth R.

As befits seasoned Shakespearian thesps,Miss Jackson and Miss Redgrave emote at the drop of a hat.Elizabeth,stubborn,toughened by years of enforced absence from Court,backed by wise advisors,Mary,stubborn,weakened by years of sycophancy at the effete French court,surrounded by hotheads.Miss Jackson goes for it as if she was auditioning for a part as Pirate Queen,she is barely restrained from smacking her thigh.Miss Redgrave,pale and dull,a mousy Desdemona. This sort of stuff may have them standing on their seats at Stratford on Avon but is hugely OTT on the screen. This basic error is compounded by the appalling performance by Mr Patrick Mcgoohan as Mary's brother,James.His attempt at a Scottish accent is frankly embarrassing.Mr Nigel Davenport as Bothwell is equally bad but at least he has the good grace to tone it down a bit. Mr Ian Holm seems to have no idea what his accent is supposed to be, a condition I suspect that will be shared by many viewers. It is left to a very young Mr Timothy Dalton to supply what entertainment "Mary Queen of Scots" provides as he pillages Olivier's bleach - blond "Hamlet"and turns that gloomy Dane into a camp aristo. Never a true villain,he is arch when he should be terrifying. Apart from a perfunctory rape which presumably results in King James,his role seems to be as GBF to the Queen. Unfortunately many people seem to see "Mary Queen of Scots" as a great historical movie.In truth it is about as accurate as "Carry on Henry" and nowhere near as funny.

Vanessa Redgrave is "Mary, Queen of Scots" in this 1972 film which stars Glenda Jackson, Patrick McGoohan, Timothy Dalton, Ian Holm and Nigel Davenport. What a pity that young people today don't have a chance to see the great Jackson, who has retired, or Redgrave, who no longer plays leads in films. These two women are powerhouses playing two completely different types of women - Elizabeth (Jackson) is powerful, distrusting and manipulative, while vulnerable, sensitive Mary is in way over her head.The story covers the death of Mary's husband in France and her arrival in Scotland to be their Queen. The history behind this is fascinating, since Mary was something like 9 months when she was first made Queen of Scotland. One of the things that made her reign controversial was her Catholic faith; Ireland was Protestant. Since Mary is a legitimate daughter of James V of Scotland and Elizabeth is considered by Catholics to be the illegitimate daughter of Henry VIII, as she was conceived before Henry's marriage to Anne Boleyn, her cousin Elizabeth sees her as a threat to her own crown. Mary would be next in line to ascend the throne (also controversial due to Henry VIII's Act of Settlement, which forbade Stuarts to inherit the throne). Elizabeth goes to any lengths to protect her position. She sees through Mary immediately, realizing she has no political sense, and manipulates her into marrying the conniving, bisexual Lord Darnley (Dalton), who later tries to secure the throne for himself. Mary gets it from all sides, including her half-brother, Jamie, a Protestant who acted as Regent in Scotland while she was in France, betrothed as she was at the age of 5. With the birth of her son, James (who became James I of England and James VI of Scotland), Mary fights as best she can so that her son will one day rule.The acting is magnificent from all of the stars; it would be impossible to choose one as better than the other, though certainly McGoohan, as Mary's brother, and Ian Holm, as Riccio, had excellent roles that showcased their abilities. But they're all wonderful. The scenery is gorgeous.In the '60s and early '70s, these dramas about English royalty were all the rage, making for complicated, interesting stories and fascinating, real-life characters. It looks like now, they're returning again. The film world needs them, as they represent a return to three-dimensional people, compelling history and - dare I say it - good leading roles for women.