BY FRED BLOSSER
Kino Lorber Studio Classics has
released “Mary, Queen of Scots†(1971) in a new Blu-ray edition. A Hal B. Wallis production starring Vanessa
Redgrave in the title role and Glenda Jackson as Queen Elizabeth I, the picture
opened on a limited basis in Los Angeles on December 22, 1971, in order to
qualify for the 1972 Academy Awards. General release in the U.S. followed on February 2, 1972. The filmmakers’ hopes were high, since a
previous Wallis production about the 16th Century British monarchy, “Anne of
the Thousand Days,†had been a critical and commercial success two years
earlier, with the same screenwriter (John Hale) and director (Charles
Jarrott). As if more cred were needed, a
weighty biography by Antonia Fraser, “Mary Queen of Scots†(no comma), had been
a best-seller in 1969. Since Mary was a
historical figure in the public domain, the filmmakers could capitalize on the
popularity of Lady Antonia’s book without having to pay for screen rights. Perhaps adding a comma in the movie’s title
was a further safeguard. Despite this
promising run-up, “Mary, Queen of Scots†didn’t quite meet expectations. Reviews were lukewarm, and the picture had
the unfortunate timing to open nationally while a number of highly publicized
hits released during the Christmas-New Year’s week were still selling tickets
in theaters. Apparently, younger
moviegoers preferred the ultra-violence of “A Clockwork Orange,†“Dirty Harry,â€
and “Straw Dogs†to Wallis’ historical pageantry, and the return of Sean
Connery as James Bond in “Diamonds Are Forever†to the teaming of Redgrave and
Jackson in prominent starring roles as Royals Behaving Badly. Older fans of big-budget epics had already
been served by Franklin J. Schaffner’s “Nicholas and Alexandra,†which had
gotten an early start in December. In
England, Jackson had already played Elizabeth in “Elizabeth R,†a six-part
series that garnered critical acclaim on the BBC in 1971. The series debuted Stateside on PBS‘
“Masterpiece Theater†on February 13, 1972. If you could see Jackson for free on TV, why pay $4 for a date night at
the cinema?
John Hale’s screenplay compresses
and simplifies Mary’s ill-fated life without violating historical accuracy too
seriously. Some political intricacies
necessarily remained, but they shouldn’t bother today’s viewers who enjoyed
sorting out all the make-believe queens and dukes with fey names in “Game of
Thrones.†It opens in 1560, as a pretty
but foreboding tune, “Vivre
et Mourir†(“To Live and to Dieâ€), plays
over the credits. (Redgrave herself sang
the French lyrics in a fine, haunting alto.) Mary -- the queen of Scotland by birth, and moreover a potential
claimant to the English throne as the niece of Henry VIII -- enjoys wedded
bliss with her husband, King Francis II of France. Then Francis dies, and his mother exiles the
childless Mary to clear the throne for Francis’ brother. Mary returns to the land of her birth,
prepared to assume her duties there on the Scottish throne, but her decision
threatens two powerful rivals. Her
cousin Queen Elizabeth I, a Protestant, fears that Mary, a Catholic, will
become a rallying point next door for England’s rebellious Catholic
subjects. In Scotland, Mary’s brother
James Stuart (Patrick McGoohan in great, icy form) schemes with his fellow
Protestant nobles to neutralize Mary, relegating her to figurehead status as he
becomes the actual hand on the strings. Both of her enemies are dangerous, Elizabeth perhaps more so as the more
subtly devious of the two.
Elizabeth dispatches Henry, Lord
Darnley to Scotland, confident that the impetuous Mary will fall head-over with
the handsome but unprincipled nobleman to her disadvantage. Elizabeth’s description of Darnley as a
“wicked, pretty fellow†is the nicest thing anyone says about him in the
movie. His dark hair and eyebrows
lightened to blond for the role, Timothy Dalton plays the character to
letter-perfect order. He looks a little
like today’s Prince Harry, if Harry were a nasty frat boy instead of a nice
guy. Swiftly, Darnley becomes the tool
of the cutthroat Protestant faction in Mary’s court, setting the path for her
eventual flight from Scotland, her forced separation from her infant son (by
Darnley) for the rest of her life, and captivity in England. If you remember your high school history,
it’s not much of a spoiler alert that she’s eventually charged with (or framed
for) complicity in a plot to assassinate Elizabeth. A final offer by Elizabeth to stay the
executioner’s axe, if Mary will meekly submit to her with a public confession
and apology, leads to an electrically good scene between the two regal
actresses. These final 19 years of
Mary’s life are squeezed into the last 20 minutes of the film. Some viewers may
wish that dates had been superimposed to clarify why Redgrave’s and Jackson’s
characters suddenly age two decades, seemingly overnight, in those scenes.
Today, CGI is used to fabricate
Medieval and Renaissance landscapes. In
“Mary, Queen of Scots†the several castles that the characters visit or inhabit
are the real deal, or at least their impressive exteriors are, with interiors
courtesy of Shepperton Studios. Besides
Wallis’ powerhouse casting of Redgrave, Jackson, McGoohan, and Dalton, the
roster of supporting actors also includes Trevor Howard as Elizabeth’s advisor
Cecil, Ian Holm as Mary’s advisor and Vatican informant Riccio, Nigel Davenport
as Mary’s inconstant lover Bothwell, and Daniel Massey as Elizabeth’s favorite,
Robert Dudley. All are given substantial
characterizations, and all deliver with the style and enthusiasm of Old Vic
graduates, but only Redgrave received an Academy Award nomination for best
performance. Four other nominations
recognized the film’s high production values, including one for John Barry’s
flavorful musical score, usually ranked as one of his finest. None of the nominees won in that year of
particularly strong competition in all Oscar categories.
The Kino Lorber Blu-ray edition of
“Mary, Queen of Scots†offers today’s audiences the opportunity to appreciate
the talents that the Academy overlooked in 1972, fierce competition or no, and
presents the movie’s gorgeous, widescreen Technicolor in rich, sharply defined
detail. Extras include an informative
audio commentary by critic Sergio Mims, an isolated music-only track with
commentary by Jon Burlingame and Cinema Retro’s good friend, the late Nick
Redman, and the theatrical trailer. New,
clear subtitles are provided.
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(Fred Blosser is the author of "Sons of Ringo: The Great Spaghetti Western Heroes". Click here to order from Amazon)