Mary, Queen of Scots (1971) – Nostalgia Central

This handsome large-scale production starring Vanesa Redgrave in the title role reunited the key personnel of Anne Of The Thousand Days (1969) – director Charles Jarrott, writer John Hale and costume designer Margaret Furse.

As Mary’s main adversary, her cousin Elizabeth I of England, is played by Glenda Jackson, who was already well-versed with the character, having played Elizabeth in the six-part BBC-TV series, Elizabeth R.

Mary is as foolish as Elizabeth is sensible, yet both ladies have the courage of their convictions in full measure, making them adversaries worthy of each other.

Mary puts her heart first and loses her head (literally) while Elizabeth puts her country first and triumphs as a queen, if not as a woman.

Drummed out of France by her mother-in-law, Catherine De Medici (Katherine Kath), after the death of her husband, the Dauphin, Mary naively assumes that she, a devout Catholic, can resume her crown in her native Scotland – despite the rise to power of the fanatic Calvinist preacher, John Knox (Robert James); despite the ruthless ambitions of her bastard half-brother Lord James Stuart (Patrick McGoohan) and, most formindably, despite the unmarried Elizabeth, who does not look kindly on the prospect of a young relative – of a different faith and capable of bearing children – occupying a throne so close by.

Wasting no time, Elizabeth cleverly manoeuvres Mary into certain disaster with a marriage to handsome but foolish and treacherous bisexual Henry, Lord Darnley (Timothy Dalton).

A glittering collection of acting talent includes Nigel Davenport as Mary’s third husband, the Earl of Bothwell (a rough Borderer accused and acquitted of Darnley’s murder); Trevor Howard as William Cecil, wise chief adviser to Queen Elizabeth; lan Holm as David Riccio, Mary’s loyal but luckless Italian secretary and confidant who is brutally murdered by Darnley and other Scottish noblemen; and Daniel Massey, who plays Elizabeth’s favourite, Robert Dudley, the witty and never servile Earl of Leicester.

No doubt some historians will have strong reservations about the authenticity of Mary, Queen of Scots, but the manner of its telling makes it obvious that it is making its own interpretation of what is known and what can never be known for sure.

For example, there is no way of proving beyond a shadow of doubt that the queens did not meet, so for the sake of high drama, they meet in the film not once but twice.

The cast and crew used Alnwick in Northumberland on the Scottish border as their headquarters. Within easy reach were so many of the landmarks necessary for the film – Bamburgh Castle, Hermitage Castle, the unspoilt dunes and beaches at Seahouses.

Further south, more location shooting was done at Parham Park, a gracious, mellow-bricked Tudor manor house in 400 acres of rolling parkland.

In addition, key personnel went to the Loire Valley in France to the fairy-tale château of Chenonceaux, one of the French royal retreats, to film the opening scenes showing Mary happy with her first husband (played by Richard Denning).

Costume designer Margaret Furse (who won an Oscar for Anne Of The Thousand Days) produced 150 costume designs, which greatly contributed to the visual splendour of the film, including 14 changes for each Queen and four or five changes for the leading men.

Mary, Queen of Scots
Vanessa Redgrave
Queen Elizabeth
Glenda Jackson
James Stuart
Patrick McGoohan
Henry, Lord Darnley
Timothy Dalton
Lord Bothwell
Nigel Davenport
William Cecil
Trevor Howard
Robert Dudley
Daniel Massey
David Riccio
Ian Holm
Ruthven
Andrew Keir
Father Ballard
Tom Fleming
Catherine De Medici
Katherine Kath
Mary Seton
Beth Harris
Mary Fleming
Frances White
Morton
Bruce Purchase
Huntly
Brian Coburn
Duc De Guise
Vernon Dobtcheff
Cardinal De Guise
Raf De La Torre
Walsingham
Richard Warner
Lady Bothwell
Maria Aitken
Andrew
Jeremy Bulloch
John Knox
Robert James
Francis, King of France
Richard Denning

Director
Charles Jarrott