Mary Queen of Scots

Queen Elizabeth I of England shone in the cinematic spotlight many times. Behind her is her cousin and arch-rival, Mary I of Scotland. The conflict between queens is depicted once again in Mary, Queen of Scots, which sees the directorial debut of theatrical director Josie Rourke.

In 1561, Mary (Saoirse Ronan) returns to her native Scotland to assume the throne. As Queen Elizabeth's (Margot Robbie) cousin, Mary has a claim to her throne. Mary knows it, and asks repeatedly to be named successor.  Elizabeth doesn't take it that well. She offers her cousin a potential suitor or two; Mary eventually settles on Lord Darnley (Jack Lowden).

Meanwhile, Protestant Cleric John Knox (David Tennant) doesn't take kindly to the Catholic Mary. He uses his pulpit to turn public opinion against Mary. A few conniving noblemen, including Darnley's father Matthew (Brendan Coyle), manipulate Mary. Mary pushes back. But the scoundrels gain the upper-hand. An attempt to reconcile with Elizabeth doesn't go as planned.

There was a Mary, Queen of Scots in 1971 with Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson. Beau Willimon's screenplay is actually based on John Guy's 2004 biography, Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart. Let's get that out of the way.

The film opens and ends with Mary's execution for her alleged involvement in the Babington Plot. We don't even get her side in the story. Was she innocent or not? Did her ambitions leave her no friends or defense from treason charges? Who knows. The film skims through history in 124 minutes and it's easy to lose track with the verbose dialogue.

Let's talk about the leads. Mary's progressive and inclusive beliefs earn her the audience's respects. .She's a bit too insistent on asking Elizabeth for succession rights, but she's not as conniving as history suggests. She'll fight when she has to and does it well. We're rightfully outraged as Lord Darnley and the other men antagonize her. Her execution is a legitimately tragic moment.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, is emotionally frail. Her conflict with Mary makes her more pitiable than hateable. But she's still compelling. Mary and Elizabeth's conflict is dulled by the film's pace and them never meeting but once. Their climactic meeting, as historically defiant as it is, makes the film worth it.

The technical highlights are the makeup/hair and costume designs by Jenny Shircore and Alexandra Byrne. Elizabeth and Mary's wardrobes, in particular, stand out with their bright hues. Elizabeth's white-painted face and searing red wig are a memorable visage. Her debilitating smallpox bout is appropriately creepy. The production design by James Merifield is less colorful in comparison but still impressive. Max Richter's score stands out with its rousing main theme.

Mary, Queen of Scots's historical discrepancies didn't bother me. In fact, the movie did not bother me at all. It did confuse me with its skimming through history. Its overall story presents Mary as a woman whose good deeds still got her betrayed. That's a compelling subject even if its presentation wasn't perfect. See it if you want. It's not Best Picture material but Shircore and Byrne's work may surely get it some good Oscar attention.