Mary, Queen of Scots (1971 film)
| Mary, Queen of Scots | |
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Original theatrical poster
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| Directed by | Charles Jarrott |
| Produced by | Hal B. Wallis |
| Written by | John Hale |
| Starring |
Vanessa Redgrave Glenda Jackson Timothy Dalton Nigel Davenport Patrick McGoohan Trevor Howard Ian Holm |
| Music by | John Barry |
| Cinematography | Christopher Challis |
| Edited by | Richard Marden |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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128 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Mary, Queen of Scots is a 1971 British Universal Pictures biographical film based on the life of Mary, Queen of Scots, written by John Hale and directed by Charles Jarrott. Leading an all-star cast are Vanessa Redgrave as the title character and Glenda Jackson as Elizabeth I. Jackson had previously played the part of Elizabeth in the BBC TV drama Elizabeth R, screened in February and March 1971, the first episode of which was also written by Hale.
The screenplay was written by John Hale and the film directed by Charles Jarrott. Like the play by Friedrich Schiller and the opera by Gaetano Donizetti, it takes considerable liberties with history in order to achieve increased dramatic effect, in particular two fictitious face-to-face encounters between the two Queens (who never met in real life). The film received a less than enthusiastic review from the New York Times, but was nominated for several awards.
Following the death of her husband Francis II of France, Mary, Queen of Scots (Vanessa Redgrave) returns to her native land. Though fearless, unselfish, and very beautiful, the young queen faces many challenges. As in neighbouring England, the Protestant faith has been embraced by many nobles of Scotland; in addition, the Catholic Mary has to deal with her half-brother James Stewart, Lord Moray's (Patrick McGoohan) ambitions for rule. He suggests that Mary enjoy herself in Scotland, and pass the time with dancing and feasting. Moray wants to rule Scotland while the lovely but inexperienced Mary becomes a figurehead.
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