Keeley Coleman The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Jemima It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

[email protected] The endless fascination with the time of King Henry VIII, his immediate predecessors and successors, owes much to William Shakespeare whose history plays are mainly devoted to the former. The long, conflict - filled rule of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry's daughter by Anne Boleyn, is the centerpiece of the succession. "Mary, Queen of Scots" falls neatly into this profuse dramatic line, telling the story of the rivalry between Mary (Vanessa Redgrave) and Elizabeth I (Glenda Jackson). It is difficult to think of a movie or play dominated by two such powerful and splendid actresses, and there's no point to arguing who is better in this film because each dominates the scene when alone and the sparks when the two appear together are like fireworks in the sky. The bitter and deadly rivalry between the Catholics and the Protestants dominates this story. Mary is the hope of the Church of Rome; Elizabeth defends the faith established in her father's reign to permit the divorce from his Spanish Queen to marry Elizabeth's mother. The historicity of the script is questionable but the rivalry between Mary and Elizabeth was real and the successful plot to dethrone Mary by her bastard brother, James Stuart (Patrick McGoohan), is likewise accurate. The film portrays Mary as devout, love-starved, soft-hearted and put upon, Elizabeth as a steely minded monarch who, though not without feelings, never allowed the personal to prevail over her resolve to protect her kingdom against all enemies. Although Elizabeth I has been portrayed many times in recent years by many great actresses, Glenda Jackson more than holds her own in the role. Mary is more rarely seen on screen or stage but it is impossible to believe that anyone could do it better than Redgrave did almost 40 years ago. It was, of course, Mary's son by her second husband (the young Timothy Dalton), raised as a Protestant by her scheming uncle, who eventually succeeds to the British throne as James I and to the Scottish throne as James VI.

MARIO GAUCI A follow-up to the prestigious historical epic ANNE OF THE THOUSAND DAYS (1969) which reunites several crew members (producer Hal Wallis, director Jarrott, screenwriter John Hale, costume designer Margaret Furse, etc.) and resumes the bloody Tudor saga. The same events had been previously filmed in Hollywood by John Ford as MARY OF Scotland (1936) with Katharine Hepburn (as Mary Stuart), Fredric March (as Bothwell) and his real-life actress wife Florence Eldridge (as Queen Elizabeth I); here these same roles are played by Vanessa Redgrave – who had already appeared (as Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn) in the magnificent A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (1966), Nigel Davenport (ditto) and Glenda Jackson (who was currently starring as the same English monarch on British TV) and, like its above-mentioned predecessor (albeit to a lesser extent), the film found favor at awards ceremonies of the day with both Redgrave and Jackson being up for Oscar (the former) and Golden Globes (both). Also singled out was composer John Barry for his beautiful score, the somewhat disjointed script and, inevitably, the lavish costumes and sets. Still, where the film impresses most is in the performances of the ensemble cast: apart from those already pointed out, we also have Patrick McGoohan (who just died at 80 as Mary's devious half-brother James), Trevor Howard (as the English Queen's wily chief adviser), Timothy Dalton (as Mary's second and tyrannical husband), Daniel Massey (as Elizabeth's ambitious lover), Ian Holm (as Mary's link to the Vatican) and Andrew Keir (as a Scottish lord). As befits the time in which it was made, I suppose, side by side with the classiness on display, we have to contend with tastelessly 'accurate' portrayals of everybody's bed-hopping and histrionic antics – from a red-headed Dalton's seduction of minstrel man-spy Holm to Redgrave's elopement with newly-married lord Davenport to Jackson's long-term and tempestuous relationship with the equally married Massey. For the record, I have a handful of other films dealing with the Tudors on my "To Watch" list but I decided to get to this sooner rather than later in view of McGoohan's passing.

blanche-2 Vanessa Redgrave is "Mary, Queen of Scots" in this 1972 film which stars Glenda Jackson, Patrick McGoohan, Timothy Dalton, Ian Holm and Nigel Davenport. What a pity that young people today don't have a chance to see the great Jackson, who has retired, or Redgrave, who no longer plays leads in films. These two women are powerhouses playing two completely different types of women - Elizabeth (Jackson) is powerful, distrusting and manipulative, while vulnerable, sensitive Mary is in way over her head.The story covers the death of Mary's husband in France and her arrival in Scotland to be their Queen. The history behind this is fascinating, since Mary was something like 9 months when she was first made Queen of Scotland. One of the things that made her reign controversial was her Catholic faith; Ireland was Protestant. Since Mary is a legitimate daughter of James V of Scotland and Elizabeth is considered by Catholics to be the illegitimate daughter of Henry VIII, as she was conceived before Henry's marriage to Anne Boleyn, her cousin Elizabeth sees her as a threat to her own crown. Mary would be next in line to ascend the throne (also controversial due to Henry VIII's Act of Settlement, which forbade Stuarts to inherit the throne). Elizabeth goes to any lengths to protect her position. She sees through Mary immediately, realizing she has no political sense, and manipulates her into marrying the conniving, bisexual Lord Darnley (Dalton), who later tries to secure the throne for himself. Mary gets it from all sides, including her half-brother, Jamie, a Protestant who acted as Regent in Scotland while she was in France, betrothed as she was at the age of 5. With the birth of her son, James (who became James I of England and James VI of Scotland), Mary fights as best she can so that her son will one day rule.The acting is magnificent from all of the stars; it would be impossible to choose one as better than the other, though certainly McGoohan, as Mary's brother, and Ian Holm, as Riccio, had excellent roles that showcased their abilities. But they're all wonderful. The scenery is gorgeous.In the '60s and early '70s, these dramas about English royalty were all the rage, making for complicated, interesting stories and fascinating, real-life characters. It looks like now, they're returning again. The film world needs them, as they represent a return to three-dimensional people, compelling history and - dare I say it - good leading roles for women.

Tanismoon I am not a die-hard fan of Miss Redgrave's, but I will acknowledge her talent as one of our finest actresses of our day. Her portrayal of Mary of Scotland is brilliant. The cast is excellent and you will find yourself engrossed in a history lesson before you realize it. Even the portrayal of John Knox is as accurate as one can get by delving into the archives. I found myself transported back into Tudor England with one of the most dysfunctional families of all time, Elizabeth I and her cousin Mary of Scotland. Both women were anointed Queens which lends to a problem situation that many did not consider for the English Hierarchy. With both cast and acting shimmered in excellence, you will not be disappointed in this film.