Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE QUEEN WHO RULED WITH HER HEART AND LOST HER HEAD..., December 9, 2006
This early nineteen thirties film is a classic. It features a very young and exquisite Katherine Hepburn in the title role. Beautiful, unfettered, and but eighteen years of age, she arrives on Scottish soil unheralded. There, she meets with her bastard half brother, the Earl of Moray, sternly portrayed by Ian Keith, who has been acting as Regent on her behalf. It quickly becomes apparent from her half brother and the Scottish Lords that her reign will not be an easy one. Moreover, she is staunchly Catholic and Scotland is strongly Protestant, whipped to Calvinist fervor by John Knox, the Calvinist reformer. Yet, she, herself, preaches religious tolerance, but finds her thoughts on the matter rebuffed. Look for the wonderful Donald Crisp in the role of Lord Huntly, who alone supports her views.
She later meets the Earl of Bothwell, hammily and lustily played by Fredrick March, and it is love at first sight. Yet, she gives in to pressure and marries the Catholic, but dissolute, English Lord Darnley, foppishly played by Douglas Walton. Unbeknownst to Mary, the Earl of Moray has been plotting with England's Queen Elizabeth to undermine her, and it is they who connived to put Lord Darnley in Mary's sights, knowing his weaknesses.
Lord Darnley, jealous of the Mary's affection for her Italian troubador and secretary, Riccio, played with touching loyalty by a cadaverous John Carradine, as well as of her apparent attraction to Bothwell, conspires with the Earl of Moray and some of the other Scottish Lords to have Riccio murdered. After his murder, Mary plays on Darnley's insecurities and together they flee the palace. Bothwell arrives in the nick of time to hold off the killers, while they get away.
Mary gives birth to James, the heir to the Scottish throne. Ultimately, Darnley himself is dispatched to his death. Mary and Bothwell marry and are hunted down. The Earl of Moray gives them terms that require Bothwell to go into exile, but promises that Mary may remain as queen. Bothwell leaves, but ultimately ends up in a Danish prison and dies insane. Mary, finds that the Earl of Moray's promise was a false one. His intention is to have her infant son, James, crowned King of Scotland, with himself ruling as Regent, until James reacheds his majority.
Mary flees Scotland and goes to England, expecting succor from her cousin, Elizabeth I. She finds only imprisonment. After years of house arrest, Mary is finally tried for treason, accused of plotting against her cousin, and beheaded. She died knowing that her son, James, would one day be King of England, as he was next in the line of succession, Elizabeth I having no children and not likely to have any.
This is a wonderful, classic film, with great, rousing bagpipe refrains throughout. Whlie it is a little hammy at times, it is still a wonderful piece of theatre. The cinematography is stark, almost chiaroscuro in effect, which contributes to its appeal (if one gets the black and white version). It is a very enjoyable film that should appeal to lovers of historical dramas and period pieces, as well as those who simply love a great film.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ripe for Revival, October 6, 2006
MARY OF SCOTLAND was a major flop in its day, one of the '36 trio that led Hepburn to be declared "box office poison" by theatre owners. But this fine new WB DVD gives the film a splendid chance to find an appreciative audience. The source play has aged as badly as most of Maxwell Anderson's work; the dialogue sounds like a Tudor/Stuart history trot written by Ethel M. Dell. But the cast breathes vigorous life into stilted dialogue. Hepburn, generally not the most erotic actress, is surprisingly sexy as the ill-fated Mary -- finally, this performance shows Cukor wasn't completely besotted to think Kate could pull off Scarlett O'Hara. March looks and sounds every inch the dashing Bothwell (a distant relative of Hepburn's, by the way), and John Carradine shines as Rizzio. Magnificent production design and breathtaking cinematography, coupled with sensitive, intelligent direction from Ford, complete with canny use of extremely effective closeups, make this warhorse surprisingly sturdy. An unexpected treat.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Riveting Historical Drama, June 27, 2006
This film demonstrates why director John Ford ranks at the apex of great American film directors. By tackling a costume drama with stage origins and effectively opening it up for the big screen Ford demonstrates his versatility as a director of more than Westerns. There is a forboding doom that permeates this film that is symbolized by the fog shrouded ship that returns Mary Tudor(Katharine Hepburn) to her beloved Scotland. She assumes the throne to be met with a variety of intrigues and treacheries from the Scotch noblemen, religious separatist John Knox, her brother, her husband, and not the least her cousin Elizabeth I of England. Despite these threats Mary maintains her nobility throughout. Katharine Hepburn is a wonder as Mary maintaining a regal bearing despite the impending doom that awaits. Frederic March is dashing as the Earl of Bothwell, Mary's love. The romantic sparks between Hepburn and March are lusty. My lone quibble with the film is the broad villainy of Elizabeth, portrayed by Florence Eldridge. The face-off between Elizabeth and Mary towards the end of the film seemed to be used more for dramatic effect than for historical accuracy. That reservation aside, a great film that is indispensible.
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