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.