Starring: Saoirse Ronin, Margot Robbie, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Ian Hart, David Tennant, Jack Lowdon, Simon Russell Beale, Martin Compston, James McArdle, Adrian Lester, Gemma Chan, Ismael Cruz Cordova
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Runtime: 124 mins. Reviewed in Jan 2019
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It is almost 50 years since the film, Mary, Queen of Scots, appeared with Vanessa Redgrave in the title role and with Glenda Jackson as Queen Elizabeth. In the meantime, there have been many films and television series about Elizabeth, but Mary has been in the background, remembered principally for the fact that she was executed.
This time the focus is quite prominently on Mary, Elizabeth being presented as something of a supporting character. The performances are very good indeed, Saoirse Ronin as Mary, from a young woman in the 1560s to her execution in 1587. Margot Robbie, rather deglamorised, even being seen with the pox, offers an interestingly different interpretation of Elizabeth.
As does the screenplay, based on more recent research on the era and these prominent regal women. In fact, the screenplay also points out that what the two women have in common is that they were monarchs in the 16th century where rulers were kings or emperors, where the expectation was to be married and produce male heirs. Mary succeeded, though not in the way she anticipated. Elizabeth did not succeed.
While the film opens with Mary’s execution, and glimpses of the two women, most of the action is in flashback, very interesting for those who enjoy historical films and their explorations and portraits.
In this interpretation of Mary, there is information about her being a Stuart, her unfulfilled marriage at a young age to the French king, assuming the manners and style of the French court, the significance of her Catholicism in the context of the Reformation (especially with the thunderings of Presbyterian John Knox in Edinburgh and his political machinations and advice), the role of the Church of England in Elizabeth’s reign. The pitting of Catholic against Protestant is a dominating feature of this film.
Early in the film there is a reference to “Matters of State” and “Matters of the Heart”. While there are some of the latter, the relationship between Elizabeth and the Earl of Dudley, Lord Darnley and his relationship with Mary, the marriage, the subsequent marriage to Bothwell, Matters of State are the dominant themes. There are also mail plots, betrayals, murders.
Mary is strong-minded, sometimes capricious, relating well to her half-brother who also betrays her, fascinated by Darnley and his sexuality, enjoying the company of her ladies-in-waiting (who do do a lot of waiting outside the door), the company of Italian courtier, David Rizzio, leading her forces into battle, this is the younger Mary before her imprisonment, the plots against her by the nobles of her court.
Dramatically, the men are somewhat in the background although they wield their power. Elizabeth relies on the advice of Lord Cecil (Guy Pearce), Mary undermined by Lord Maitland (Ian Hart). The English Ambassador to the Court of Edinburgh (Adrian Lester) tries to manipulate for the English point of view. David Tennant is John Knox, bigoted and blustering.
At the end, Mary is a thwarted figure, experiencing disappointment, having a brief encounter with Elizabeth, but taken to execution – and her son, James, King of Scotland but, at Elizabeth death with no Tudor heir, King James I of England.
The film is well directed by Josie Rourke, who is experience has been more in theatre than on screen.
Peter Malone MSC is an Associate of the Australian Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting.
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