Review: Mary Queen of Scots

Posted on 31 January, 2019

Rivals in power and inheritance, both female regents in a masculine world, Mary and Elizabeth I must decide how to play the game of marriage versus independence. IMDb

We are fed our history in edible chunks. A chapter in a textbook that neatly resolves the cause of the Second World War or a two-hour slice of drama served up with recognisable faces and lush costuming. Here is the secret though; history is a mess. Think about the last 24 hours of your life – did the narrative flow? Were the causes and effects neatly balanced…or did it all happen at once in a stupidly random way, only a few snippets of which you can actually remember? Now multiply that by a few hundred years.

Such is the struggle of the historical, non-fiction writer – to make sense of events that often make none, to discover a thread where one action leads to another. Why would you try unless you are a) masochistic, b) obsessive and c) have a barrow to push? Which is, of course, the rub. Historians think they can perceive how events played out and so they create a narrative – but these writers have OPINIONS. They have VIEWS about certain historical characters and that is what they write to prove. John Guy’s book on which this film is based is, by all accounts, a well-researched yet easily digestible version of events – albeit from the pro-Mary camp.

The most recent films on this era of English history have focused on Elizabeth, and not her cousin, so it is fascinating to have a shift in viewpoint. With that shift comes a change of emphasis, as quiet as it is breathtaking. Forget about the powerbrokers (all men) and focus on the regal cousins! The only ‘names’ that could carry a movie like this are the two female leads – Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie and they are magnificent. They held my attention in every scene. The male actors are uniformly unrecognisable under a lot of bearding and apart from Guy Pearce and David Tennant are pretty much from BBC central casting. The men are even costumed to melt into the gloom – although the women’s costuming isn’t extravagant either. This story plays out in the everyday corridors and rarely makes includes the pageantry of court dressing.

However, I should add that all the actors are fantastic in their roles, each one a distinct character. There is less emphasis on the scheming of William Cecil, Elizabeth’s adviser, than in the book, and more on the plotting and twisting of events by the Scottish nobles.

Each shot is cleverly framed and each action propels the plot forward. This is a surprisingly mature, beautifully crafted film from first-time director Josie Rourke. Her intercutting between the two lives makes her points eloquently. The silence of the ladies in waiting around their queens, and their unwavering support of them, also speak volumes.

At times upsetting but consistently fascinating this is an enjoyable version of events.

Roslyn saw this film as a guest of Limelight Tuggeranong. 

Feature image: facebook.com/MaryQueenMovie