Director:Â Josie Rourke
Cast: Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan, David Tennant, Jack Lowden, Gemma Chan, Guy Pearce
Rating: 15
Release date:Â 18/01/2019
This year sees the release of two historical films arriving for the awards season. The first being, THE FAVOURITE. A black comedy based on Queen Anne and two women trying to win the Queen’s affections for political and social gains. The other being MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS, a more traditional historical drama.
Director Josie Rourke and writer Beau Willimon provide a much more conventional portrayal of two warring monarchs. Set in the mid-16th century, Rourke tells the story of Queen Mary (Saoirse Ronan) and Queen Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie) as they fight and struggle to hold onto their crowns as fierce competition comes not just from each other but their male advisers. With courtly dramas, murder, deceit and scheming competition for power, MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS could be mistaken for an episode of GAME OF THRONES (just without the dragons and white walkers). The dramas of the 16th century are certainly enough to keep you glued to your seat.
Based on John Guy’s award winning biography, we focus on a young and fearless Mary. After spending her childhood living in Catholic France, the newly widowed Queen Mary returns to her native homeland. Her arrival is quiet and understated as she arrives on the shores of Scotland – much to the bemusement of the locals. She wastes no time in reclaiming her throne and announcing herself as Queen of Scotland. First on her agenda as Queen, she wants Queen Elizabeth I to name her as heir to the throne. This is problematic in many ways, but mainly due to her Catholicism which ruffles some feathers with her half-brother James (James McArdle) who has been ruling as regent in Scotland and the Protestant cleric John Knox (underneath the long hair, beard and cloak is David Tennant).
Mary’s arrival sparks panic and concern for her cousin and her male advisers in protestant England. Instead of rising to the threat, Elizabeth becomes obsessed and self-conscious of her appearance, which is made worse by a scarring bout of pox. She loses her hair and results in using some 16th century make up to hide her scars. Elizabeth is intimidated by her younger rival and leaves the meddling and the scheming to her advisers and the men of the court. It’s a shame that the role of Queen Elizabeth– one of the most powerful women of the 16th century – has been reduced to a woman full of doubt and self-consciousness. When perhaps in hindsight, her decision not to marry or bear any children was one of the reasons why she remained Queen.
MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS succeeds most in depicting the warring relations between the two monarchs, they both ultimately want the same thing but are let down by the scheming men in their courts. Rourke and Willimon have created a captivating and compelling drama with the historical events. Although, they deviate from fact to fiction in a few scenes which is sure to anger the historians. Most notably, the meeting of Mary and Elizabeth, according to the history books Elizabeth called off this meeting. However, we need to remember that this is a film based around the events of Queen Mary and is not a documentary. Without their encounter, MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS would be nothing but a series of dramatized letters with some panning shots of the Scottish Highlands.
Rourke and Willimon might not have the historians on their side, but the dark juicy drama of the 16th century will be enough to please audiences. Fingers crossed MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS will not get overlooked for the awards season.
