Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)

Two queens of the cinema vie as rival sovereigns in this 16th century historical drama nominated for four Academy Awards and one Golden Globe. Vanessa Redgrave stars in the title role as Mary Stuart (1542-1587), queen of Scotland, who claims the English throne as the granddaughter of Henry VIII's sister. Glenda Jackson portrays Elizabeth I (1533-1603), queen of England, who defends her throne against charges that she was the illegitimate offspring of an illegal marriage between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Redgrave is magnificent. Not only does she become Mary physically (like Redgrave, Mary was tall, red-haired, and beautiful), she also becomes Mary psychologically (regal and domineering at one moment, frivolous and restive the next). Jackson is equally magnificent as Elizabeth, molding her screen persona into the attractive, politically clever, ambitious queen who could be as soft and warm, or as cold and ruthless, as her job demanded. To watch Redgrave and Jackson go for the throat is a jousting match of the first rank. Backing them up in supporting roles is a strong cast: Nigel Davenport, Trevor Howard, Ian Holm, Patrick McGoohan, and Daniel Massey. They plot and connive as the enemies and friends of the two queens, and are not above murder most foul or murder most timely. It is all jolly good fun. Reviewers generally turned thumbs down on Timothy Dalton's performance as Lord Henry Darnley, Mary's second husband and king-consort, saying it was one-dimensional and shallow. However, Darnley himself was something of a piffling lightweight -- talented only at indolence and drunkenness. Perhaps Dalton was simply mirroring history. The film is not without its faults, namely, a sometimes-uninspired script and a sometimes-revisionist interpretation of history that sanitizes machinating Mary. However, the costumes, music, and settings are evocative of the era, and the Protestant-Catholic feuding and double-dealing keep the plot moving at a gallop. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide