Mary Queen of Scots - Review
Director: Josie Rourke
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden, Joe Alwyn, David Tennant, Guy Pearce
Rich drama provided by a real-life period in history. Sumptuous costumes and set-desing. Stunningly regal locations. Mary Queen of Scots is an actor and filmmaker's dream. But have all of these qualities coalesced into an equally satisfying viewing experience?
Mary Stuart (Ronan) returns to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne. However, both Scotland and England fall under Elizabeth I's (Robbie) leadership and the two women are fearful of the power that one another hold. Their rivalry extends beyond politics to love and they must also navigate the interferences of male advisors and their own personal desires.
While punchier and feeling thoroughly more modern than most period films, Beau Willimon's script races through history and makes the piece a slightly disorienting temporal trip. The events of the film feel as if they take place in a matter of weeks when, in reality, they unfolded over 25 years. Willimon also takes several historical liberties in the name of creative licensing and the sweeping quarter of a century conflict between Mary and Elizabeth is often reduced to broad strokes rather than the intimate detail that is needed. This is no more evident in the pivotal (and entirely fictional) scene where the two Queens meet for the first time. Their climactic showdown is staged very much like a theatre production, demonstrating director Josie Rourke's theatre background, and underwhelms when it should deliver as the film's standout moment.
However both central actresses imbue the scene, and the rest of the film, with all their might. Three time Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan is reliably strong in the titular role, capable of capturing the dichotomies of her character; she's full of passion and follows her impulses - much like any woman trying to find happiness in life, her relationships and romantic endeavours. But she's also fiercely committed to her responsibilities as Queen of Scotland and is relentless in her visions and ambitions. Unfortunately, Mary is never able to successfully marry these two sides of her personality; her pregnancy is marred by her dysfunctional marriage and her fulfilling friendships are soured by her controlling counsel. Despite the strife she faces, Ronan ensures that Mary's spirit never wavers.
Fellow Oscar nominee Margot Robbie also impresses as the Virgin Queen in spite of, upon first glance, her being miscast for the role. Willimon's script and Rourke's direction is more interested in the audience getting to know Elizabeth as a woman first and foremost, and the powerful monarch second and Robbie seizes all of the deep-seated neuroses and vulnerabilities that the Queen possessed to painful degrees. Mary's presence alone was a threat to Elizabeth's place on the throne but after contracting smallpox that resulted in severe facial scarring, Elizabeth grew increasingly insecure about her own appearance, often comparing it that of the youthful and beautiful Mary. The pressure to marry and produce an heir by her counsel only exacerbated her jealousy - especially when Mary succeeded in doing all of the above. Mary Queen of Scots is relentlessly unafraid to colour its primary female characters with a varying spectrum of emotions; ones that even modern women will recognise.
While it may play fast and loose with history, Mary Queen of Scots and its desire to delve deeper into the two women behind the legacy makes for a compelling period drama anchored by two stellar lead performances.
EB
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden, Joe Alwyn, David Tennant, Guy Pearce
Rich drama provided by a real-life period in history. Sumptuous costumes and set-desing. Stunningly regal locations. Mary Queen of Scots is an actor and filmmaker's dream. But have all of these qualities coalesced into an equally satisfying viewing experience?Mary Stuart (Ronan) returns to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne. However, both Scotland and England fall under Elizabeth I's (Robbie) leadership and the two women are fearful of the power that one another hold. Their rivalry extends beyond politics to love and they must also navigate the interferences of male advisors and their own personal desires.
While punchier and feeling thoroughly more modern than most period films, Beau Willimon's script races through history and makes the piece a slightly disorienting temporal trip. The events of the film feel as if they take place in a matter of weeks when, in reality, they unfolded over 25 years. Willimon also takes several historical liberties in the name of creative licensing and the sweeping quarter of a century conflict between Mary and Elizabeth is often reduced to broad strokes rather than the intimate detail that is needed. This is no more evident in the pivotal (and entirely fictional) scene where the two Queens meet for the first time. Their climactic showdown is staged very much like a theatre production, demonstrating director Josie Rourke's theatre background, and underwhelms when it should deliver as the film's standout moment.
However both central actresses imbue the scene, and the rest of the film, with all their might. Three time Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan is reliably strong in the titular role, capable of capturing the dichotomies of her character; she's full of passion and follows her impulses - much like any woman trying to find happiness in life, her relationships and romantic endeavours. But she's also fiercely committed to her responsibilities as Queen of Scotland and is relentless in her visions and ambitions. Unfortunately, Mary is never able to successfully marry these two sides of her personality; her pregnancy is marred by her dysfunctional marriage and her fulfilling friendships are soured by her controlling counsel. Despite the strife she faces, Ronan ensures that Mary's spirit never wavers.
Fellow Oscar nominee Margot Robbie also impresses as the Virgin Queen in spite of, upon first glance, her being miscast for the role. Willimon's script and Rourke's direction is more interested in the audience getting to know Elizabeth as a woman first and foremost, and the powerful monarch second and Robbie seizes all of the deep-seated neuroses and vulnerabilities that the Queen possessed to painful degrees. Mary's presence alone was a threat to Elizabeth's place on the throne but after contracting smallpox that resulted in severe facial scarring, Elizabeth grew increasingly insecure about her own appearance, often comparing it that of the youthful and beautiful Mary. The pressure to marry and produce an heir by her counsel only exacerbated her jealousy - especially when Mary succeeded in doing all of the above. Mary Queen of Scots is relentlessly unafraid to colour its primary female characters with a varying spectrum of emotions; ones that even modern women will recognise.
While it may play fast and loose with history, Mary Queen of Scots and its desire to delve deeper into the two women behind the legacy makes for a compelling period drama anchored by two stellar lead performances.
EB
Comments
Post a Comment