Susan Granger’s review of “Mary Queen of Scots” (Focus Features/Working Title)
Hollywood’s fascination with female monarchs continues with this saga that pits vivacious Queen Mary Stuart (Saoirse Ronan), the devoutly Catholic daughter of Scotland’s King James V, against her virginal cousin, Queen Elizabeth (Margot Robbie), the Protestant daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.
“Queens not only manage all the complexities of wielding power, but they also do it against the backdrop of a society that’s uncomfortable with the very notion of a woman ruling,” notes screenwriter Beau Willimon (TVs “House of Cards”), who adapted British historian John Guy’s “Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart.”
From the opening scene, showing Mary’s execution, director Josie Rourke delves into their treacherous, tediously complex 16th century feud, revolving around who should rightfully rule. For many years they exchanged letters, referring to one another as “sister,” and messages delivered by their scheming, often deceitful emissaries.
Determined never to cede power to a man, Elizabeth Tudor adamantly refuses to wed, explaining she’s already married to her country. However, that does not prevent her from having a secret romance with Earl Robert Dudley (Joe Alwyn).
Meanwhile in Scotland, on their wedding night, 18 year-old Mary, who was previously married to France’s ill-fated King Francis II, catches her new husband, Lord Darnley (Jack Lowden), with her openly gay courtier/friend David Rizzio (Ismael Cruz Cordova).
Eventually, duplicitous Darnley, who yearns to rule as King alongside Mary, conspires to have Rizzio killed as part of a power play. Their son/heir James went on to become Scotland’s next King.
Problem is: Historians agree that the two rival Queens never met face-to-face. Yet in this revisionist interpretation, they engage in a dramatic, fictionalized countryside encounter after Mary seeks refuge in England from the forces of her half-brother, the Earl of Moray (James McArdle) and his powerful ally, Protestant preacher John Knox (David Tennant).
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Mary Queen of Scots” is a spectacularly photographed but slogging 6, saved only by luminous Saoirse Ronan’s impassioned performance.
