Synopsis
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.
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Cast
- Vanessa RedgraveMary, Queen of Scots
- Glenda JacksonQueen Elizabeth
- Patrick McGoohanJames Stuart
- Timothy DaltonHenry, Lord Darnley
- Nigel DavenportLord Bothwell
- Trevor HowardWilliam Cecil
- Daniel MasseyRobert Dudley
- Ian HolmDavid Riccio
- Andrew KeirRuthven
- Tom FlemingFather Ballard
Recommendations
- 75
Chicago Sun-Times
Historical dramas can be fun if you approach them in the right spirit, and I enjoyed Mary, Queen of Scots. - 70
Variety
A large cast of excellent players appears to good advantage under the direction of Charles Jarrott. Superior production details and the cast help overcome an episodic, rambling story. - 50
The New York Times
Because both Miss Redgrave and Miss. Jackson possess identifiable intelligence, Mary, Queen of Scots is not as difficult to sit through as some bad movies I can think of. It's just solemn, well-groomed and dumb. - 50
Time Out
Meticulously schoolmarmish, John Hale's script lays out all the power plays behind Elizabeth Tudor's battle to keep Mary Stuart off her throne, but fails to provide much else. - 50
TV Guide Magazine
The picture is long, beautiful, and dull. - 40
The New Yorker
There's no motivating idea visible in this version, produced abroad by Hal B. Wallis, and the leaden script, by John Hale, lacks romantic spirit and dramatic sense.
