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Mary of Scotland

"History called her "The Temptress"!"

The recently widowed Mary Stuart returns to Scotland to reclaim her throne but is opposed by her half-brother and her own Scottish lords.

Top Cast

  • Katharine Hepburn

    Katharine Hepburn

    Mary Stuart

  • Florence Eldridge

    Florence Eldridge

    Elizabeth Tudor

  • Fredric March

    Fredric March

    Bothwell

  • Douglas Walton

    Douglas Walton

    Darnley

  • John Carradine

    John Carradine

    Rizzio

  • Robert Barrat

    Robert Barrat

    Morton

  • Gavin Muir

    Gavin Muir

    Leicester

  • Ian Keith

    Ian Keith

    Moray

  • Moroni Olsen

    Moroni Olsen

    John Knox

Overview

The recently widowed Mary Stuart returns to Scotland to reclaim her throne but is opposed by her half-brother and her own Scottish lords.

Rating

6.2 / 10
40 Reviews
1 Popular

1 Reviews

  • CinemaSerf
    CinemaSerf
    6 Apr 27, 2022

    I'm not sure how much whisky the studio bosses must have had before alighting on the choice of Katherine Hepburn and Fredric March for this telling of the story of Mary, Queen of Scots - but it was either too much, or not enough! Beginning after her return to her kingdom following the death of her French husband, Francis II, it tells the tale of her battles with her nobles; her hapless drunken husband Darnley (Douglas Walton); her lover Bothwell (March) and of the plentiful court intrigues that mired her reign. There is no disguising the strong accent of the former, nor the drawl of the latter. and there is virtually no chemistry between them - particularly as the story evolves and the precarious nature of Mary's grip on power becomes evident. John Ford creates an image that uses the sets and interiors to convey the rather basic existence of both the Scottish court and of the country in general, but that's about all I can say in it's defence. The opportunities to capitalise on some of the most famous and notorious events in history is really wasted - and we even get a maudlin song for good measure from a disappointing John Carradine as the ill-fated "Rizzio". Plenty of rousing bagpipe music, though...!

Trailers & Clips

Recommendations

Mary, Queen of Scots

Mary Stuart, who was named Queen of Scotland when she was only six days old, is the last Roman Catholic ruler of Scotland. She is imprisoned at the age of 23 by her cousin Elizabeth Tudor, the English Queen and her arch adversary. Nineteen years later the life of Mary is to be ended on the scaffold and with her execution the last threat to Elizabeth's throne has been removed. The two Queens with their contrasting personalities make a dramatic counterpoint to history.

Mary, Queen of Scots

6.7 1971