| Mary Queen of Scots | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Josie Rourke |
| Screenplay by | Beau Willimon |
| Based on | Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart 2004 book byJohn Guy |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | John Mathieson |
| Edited by | Chris Dickens |
| Music by | Max Richter |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 125 minutes[1] |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $25 million[2] |
| Box office | $47 million[3] |
Mary Queen of Scots is a 2018historical drama film directed byJosie Rourke (in her feature directorial debut) and with a screenplay byBeau Willimon based onJohn Guy's 2004 biographyQueen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart. The film starsSaoirse Ronan asMary, Queen of Scots, andMargot Robbie as her cousin, the English monarch,Queen Elizabeth I.Jack Lowden,Joe Alwyn,David Tennant, andGuy Pearce also star in supporting roles.
Mary Queen of Scots had its world premiere on closing night ofAFI Fest on 15 November 2018, was released in the United States on 7 December 2018, and in the United Kingdom on 18 January 2019. The film received mixed reviews, with praise for the performances (particularly Robbie) and costumes, but was criticised for the screenplay and several historical inaccuracies.[4] The film received three nominations at the72nd British Academy Film Awards,[5] and two nominations, forBest Costume Design andBest Makeup and Hairstyling, at the91st Academy Awards. For her performance, Robbie earned nominations for aSAG Award andBAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In 1561, after the death of her husbandKing Francis II, nineteen-year-oldMary Stuart returns toScotland fromFrance to take up her throne. She is received by herillegitimatehalf brother,James Stewart, Earl of Moray.
In neighboringEngland, Mary's twenty-eight-year-old, unmarried and childless cousinElizabeth Tudor, theProtestantQueen of England, is threatened by Mary's claim to the English throne. Mary dismisses theclericJohn Knox, a Protestant leader of theScottish Reformation, from the Scottish court. He views the youngCatholicqueen as a danger to the Protestant religion in Scotland.
To weaken her cousin's threat, Elizabeth arranges for Mary, whom many English Catholics regard as England's rightful queen, to be married to an Englishman. Elizabeth choosesLord Robert Dudley, her childhood friend whom she secretly loves; although he and Mary are unwilling, news of Elizabeth's case ofsmallpox convinces Mary to accept, provided she is namedheiress apparent.
Reluctant to let go of Dudley, Elizabeth sendsHenry Stuart, Lord Darnley to Scotland with the pretence of living under their religious freedom. Despite sensing the ulterior motive, Mary grows fond of Darnley so accepts his proposal.
Mary'smarriage causes a constitutional crisis within both realms: Elizabeth is advised to oppose her cousin's marriage for fear that Darnley, aStuart grandchild ofMargaret Tudor, will elevate Mary's claim to her throne; Mary's council is suspicious of Darnley, fearing an English takeover.
Both kingdoms demand Darnley's return to England, but Mary refuses, leading Moray to mount arebellion against her. Mary marries Darnley, only to discover him in bed with her private secretary,David Rizzio. She defeats the rebel forces but spares Rizzio and Moray and demands that Darnley give her a child. When their son,James, is conceived and born, Mary declares she brings "an heir to Scotland and to England" – offending the English.
Moray colludes with Darnley's father,Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox, to undermine his sister. Spreading false rumors that her son was actually fathered by Rizzio, drives Knox to denounce Mary as anadulteress. Fearing these accusations and the possible discovery of hisbisexuality, Darnley is pressured into murdering Rizzio.
Uncovering the plot, Mary convinces Darnley to escape with her, which is actually a ploy for her army to detain him. Mary agrees to pardon the conspirators if she is presented with evidence that Darnley took part. She ultimately forgives Moray and asks Elizabeth to be James'sgodmother. Both queens agree James is theheir presumptive despite the English court's hostility. Mary banishes Darnley but refuses todivorce him, despite her council's appeals. Her adviser and protectorJames Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, then has him killed.
After Darnley'smurder, Mary must flee, leaving behind her son. Bothwell says that her council has decided she must marry a Scotsman immediately—which should be Bothwell himself. She resists and suspects he was involved in Darnley's murder, but after he threatens and subsequently rapes her, she acquiesces. Knox preaches that Mary is a "harlot" who had her husband killed, leading Moray and her court to demand herabdication. Mary obliges and flees to England.
Elizabeth arranges a clandestine meeting, where Mary asks for help to take back her throne. Unwilling to go to war on behalf of a Catholic queen, Elizabeth promises a safeexile in England as long as Mary does not aid her enemies. Mary responds that if she was to do so, it would only be because Elizabeth forced her to and threatens that should Elizabeth kill her, she should remember that she would "murder" her sister and queen.
Placing Mary underhouse arrest, Elizabeth receives compelling evidence that Maryconspired with her enemies to have herassassinated, and reluctantly orders Mary'sexecution. As Mary walks to thescaffold, a remorseful Elizabeth cries for her. Mary's servants then reveal abright red dress, implying Mary to be amartyr. In her final words, Mary hopes her son will have a peaceful reign.
A textual epilogue reveals that Elizabeth, who never married, had a child or named an heir, reigned for almost 45 years while James became the first monarch to ruleboth Scotland and England upon her death.
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In addition,Eileen O’Higgins,Maria-Victoria Dragus,Izuka Hoyle andLiah O'Prey are seen throughout the film as Mary's personal attendants, historically known as "The Four Marys",Mary Beaton,Mary Fleming,Mary Seton andMary Livingston, respectively.Alex Beckett, who appears asSir Walter Mildmay, English Chancellor of the Exchequer, died at age 35, seven months before the film's release; the film is dedicated to his memory.
The director, Josie Rourke, followed the principle ofcolour-blind casting.[6] The movie portrays thePiedmonteseDavid Rizzio, Mary's confidant, as a mixed-race person, which he was not, and the English ambassador to the Scottish Court, LordThomas Randolph, as a black man.[7] Gemma Chan's character isElizabeth Hardwick, who in real life was white.[8] Rourke told theL.A. Times: "I was really clear, I would not direct an all-white period drama."[7]
The film was originally planned to be aScarlett Johansson vehicle, scheduled to begin shooting in mid-2007 on a $25–30 million budget.[9] After Johansson dropped out, the film languished indevelopment hell for several years. On 9 August 2012, it was announced thatSaoirse Ronan would play the title role ofMary Stuart.[10] It took another five years, until 21 April 2017, until it was announced thatMargot Robbie was cast to playQueen Elizabeth I, and that the film was scheduled to commence principal photography in August 2017.[11] The film based onJohn Guy's biographyMy Heart Is My Own: The Life of Mary Queen of Scots would be produced byWorking Title'sTim Bevan,Eric Fellner, andDebra Hayward, and HBI Production's James Biggam.Josie Rourke was announced to direct the film from an adapted screenplay byBeau Willimon.[11]
On 13 June 2017,Jack Lowden was announced to playLord Darnley, whileJoe Alwyn was announced to playRobert Dudley.[12][13] On 22 June 2017, it was reported thatMartin Compston was cast in the film to playJames Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, the third husband of Stuart.[14] On 23 June 2017, German-Romanian actressMaria-Victoria Dragus had also joined the cast to play Scottish noblewoman and childhood friend of Stuart,Mary Fleming, marking her English-language debut in film, having a minor role previously in Australian teen dramaDance Academy.[15] On 17 August 2017,Brendan Coyle,David Tennant, andGuy Pearce joined the cast,[16][17] followed byGemma Chan the next day.[18] On 22 August,Ismael Cruz Córdova was cast to playDavid Rizzio, Mary's close friend and confidant.[19]
Focus Features handled the domestic rights whileUniversal Pictures handled the international distribution. The crew on the film includedAcademy Award winners costume designerAlexandra Byrne, hair and make-up designerJenny Shircore and editorChris Dickens;Emmy Award-winning production designer James Merifield; andBAFTA Award-winning cinematographerJohn Mathieson.[20]
Principal photography began on 17 August 2017, in various locations around the United Kingdom, including Scotland.[21]
It had its world premiere at the closing night gala ofAFI Fest on 15 November 2018 in Los Angeles, CA.[22] The film was released in the United States on 7 December 2018,[23] and in the United Kingdom on 18 January 2019.[24][25]
Max Richter provided a fairly-modern musical score blending with the 16th century periodic music, as Rourke gave him creative freedom to experiment on the score. The score consisted of instruments with a "female voice" such as the cor anglais—being used for Mary's voice—the viol and harp, while drums, bass and percussion were used for the male characters and their quest in the battlefield. The score, recorded at theAir Studios in London and performed by 110-piece orchestra and 12-member female choir fromLondon Voices, released byDeutsche Grammophon on 7 December 2018.[26][27]
Mary Queen of Scots grossed $16.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $29.9 million in other countries, for a total worldwide gross of $46.4 million.[3]
Onreview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 62% based on 290 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Mary Queen of Scots delivers uneven period political thrills while offering a solid showcase for the talents of its well-matched leads."[28] OnMetacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 60 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[29] Audiences polled byPostTrak gave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars, with 38% saying they would definitely recommend it.[30]
Reviewers criticised the film'shistoricity, its plotting and its sex scenes.Emily Yoshida ofNew York magazine'sVulture site called it "a kind of nothing of a film. It's neither a rigorous history lesson nor a particularly interesting work of drama and character";[31] Shane Watson ofThe Telegraph called it "history porn for theInstagram generation";[32] whileA.O. Scott ofThe New York Times said that "students of Scottish history may be surprised to learn that the fate of the nation was partly decided by an act ofcunnilingus".[33]
