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Mary of Scotland (film)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox film
| name = Mary of Scotland
| image = Mary-of-scotland-1936.jpg
| caption = movie poster
| director = John Ford
| producer = Pandro S. Berman
| based_on =
| screenplay = Dudley Nichols
| narrator =
| starring = Katharine Hepburn
Fredric March
| music = Nathaniel Shilkret
| cinematography = Joseph H. August
Jack MacKenzie
| editing = Jane Loring
| distributor = RKO Radio Pictures
| released =
| runtime = 123 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget = $864,000Richard Jewel, 'RKO Film Grosses: 1931-1951', 'Historical Journal of Film Radio and Television', Vol 14 No 1, 1994 p. 57.
| gross = $1,276,000
}}
'Mary of Scotland' is a 1936 RKO film starring Katharine Hepburn as the 16th-century ruler Mary, Queen of Scots.'Variety' film review; August 5, 1936, p. 16.'Harrison's Reports' film review; July 25, 1936, p. 119. Directed by John Ford, it is an adaptation of the 1933 Maxwell Anderson play. The screenplay was written by Dudley Nichols. It is largely in blank verse. Ginger Rogers wanted to play this role and made a screen test, but RKO rejected her request to be cast in the part feeling that the role was not suitable to her image.
Plot summary
Mary (Katharine Hepburn), by assuming her throne as queen of Scotland, strikes terror into the heart of Queen Elizabeth I (Florence Eldridge). After languishing in jail for 18 years at Elizabeth's command, Mary is offered a pardon if she will sign away her throne. Will she accept the deal, or die instead?
Cast
Accuracy
, Douglas Walton, and Fredric March
The film does not keep close to the historical truth, portraying Mary as a wronged martyr and her third husband, James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, a direct ancestor of Katharine Hepburn played by Fredric March), as a romantic hero. While it is true that Bothwell was well known as a philanderer, his last marriage to Mary was genuine. Regarding Mary's historical status, the false imprisonment by Elizabeth I and Anglo Protestant intrigue in Scotland did undermine her claim to the throne of Scotland and the throne of England, making her a direct threat to Elizabeth I.
At the beginning of the movie, Mary is described as the legitimate heir of King Henry VII of England, when in fact she was the heir of King James V of Scotland.
Reception
Contemporary reviews were generally positive. Frank S. Nugent of 'The New York Times' wrote it had a "blend of excellence and mere adequacy." He wrote that the film had "depth, vigor and warm humanity" but had scenes which "lack the vitality they possessed in the play", and considered Hepburn's characterization of the title role rather too soft in comparison with the historical Mary. 'Variety' praised the "extra-strong cast" and Ford's "sure-footed" direction. Hepburn's performance was described as "not really Mary Stuart but rather Katie Hepburn. And that is all in the film's favor because it humanizes it all and makes it that much more nearly acceptable." However, the review also found the film too long and the ending too sad, and conceding it could not end any other way without "completely corrupting history." "Impressive historical drama finely acted and produced with all-around distinction", reported 'Film Daily'. 'Motion Picture Daily' called the film "a splendidly powerful drama" with a "sincere, intelligent and genuine" performance by Hepburn. Russell Maloney reviewed the film negatively in 'The New Yorker', writing that despite its high production values, "it has little or nothing to do with Maxwell Anderson's play. Any other historical drama of the period could have been sandwiched in between these scenes and it wouldn't have made a bit of difference." Of Hepburn's performance, Maloney wrote that she had "the cards stacked against her from the very start, because pageantry naturally interferes with characterization."
The film is not regarded well by critics today, and in its time, it was a box office flop, causing a loss of $165,000. This was Katharine Hepburn's second flop in a row, causing her to being labeled "box office poison" in the late 1930s, leading to (after a two-year screen absence) her move to MGM for her comeback in 'The Philadelphia Story' in 1940.
References
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