Mary, Queen Of Scots

Historical films are tricky. Be true to the texts and you risk boring casual audiences to death. Be creative with the texts an you risk alienating historians and that virulent brand of film fan who believes any type of deviation from the truth is a moral outrage. Mary, Queen Of Scots falls between truth and creativity. It's a bit dull in places and outright makes up one big chunk of the story but luckily for us we also get two lead performances so good that we can forgive any longeur or flat out fabrication.

Mary Stuart has returned to Scotland, the land of her birth and she has a legitimate claim for the throne of England, a position currently held by her first cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth has been unable to have a child and feels threatened by Mary's youth and vitality. Mary's a Catholic too, a fact that does not go down with the English parliament and the fact that's she a woman in charge maddens many within her own circle. She might be the person wielding power in the north but her life was still subject to the whims of the men in her council.

This was a hard film to like and it's definitely not one you'll enjoy. Life for a woman in the 16th century was tough and the film has no qualms about showing us just how brutal the times could be. Power didn't matter a damn if you had the wrong genitialia and various dehumanising moments will kick the heart of out your chest. Our own Saoirse Ronan, an actress we've seen grow from a child into an actress of amazing talent, it's tough to see her treated this way. Her Mary is a fully rounded human being who you want to succeed even if you know the outcome of her story. One moment where we think she's found a loving, generous man is shattered when he's revealed to be just another scumbag and it's just fierce hard to take. For us and for her. Her fragile self struggling to stand tall as man after man shows himself to be a disappointment. Yet the moments she does stand tall are awe inspiring. Leading her forces into battle. The loyalty she inspires amongst her ladies in waiting. Her final scene. That colour red. Wow.

Elizabeth meanwhile has her own problems. Smallpox has, in her own mind, ruined her features, her body has betrayed her and her lack of an heir mortifies her. (Check out the comparison of her hobby and Mary's scene of labour.) She's being pushed back and forth about how she's going to deal with the problem of Scotland by the men in her council and like Mary she has to stand up for herself as well. Margot Robbie as Elizabeth has a smaller role than Saoirse but she's just as good, and not one but vain about how she looks throughout the film. Like Mary, she's a mix of fragility and towering strength and Robbie carries it all with aplomb. They had far more in common with each other than any of their so called allies. It's a pity history, religion and politics forced them away from each other.

As mentioned earlier these two fiery performances help the film rise above it's duller scenes (aka whenever Mary or Elizabeth are absent) and more confusing moments. It's a good idea to go into this movie knowing a little of the history because a few lines at the start of the story aside, we get very little hand holding here. You'll have plenty of "Who's he. What's happening? Why do they all have to have beards?" moments throughout. It does become clear eventually but it can be frustrating at times. As a history lesson it leaves a lot of be desired but it's great to see this story onscreen. Traditionally these historical period dramas are packed with bloodied, screeching men in kilts rendering each other down to gristle and bone on a battlefield so it's always refreshing to see a more sedate, considered take on events. 

It's worth making the trip to the cinema to see this for the 2 lead performances alone. Don't go in expecting the Braveheart/Rob Roy film promised by the trailers though. Instead expect a story dealing with sexual politics, power and patriarchal structures that still feels topical 400 years after the fact.