Mary of Scotland (1936) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Mary of Scotland
Year: 1936
Director: John Ford
Country: US
Language: English

Based on the play by Maxwell Anderson, John Ford's Mary of Scotland (1936) portrays Mary Stuart as a righteous martyr and Elizabeth Tudor as a conniving paranoiac even though history may suggest otherwise. The historical analysis is fairly simplistic, the reality of this situation is far more complex than what has been put onscreen, but it does play off like a Shakespearean drama. The real question is, despite the inaccuracy, does Mary of Scotland prove to be a great film?

In Ford's picture, the recently widowed Mary Stuart returns to Scotland to reclaim her throne but is opposed by her half-brother and her own Scottish lords. 

Historians may cringe at Ford's obviously pro-Stuart and anti-Tudor sentiments, but I am impressed by this well-staged drama that features Katherine Hepburn in the title role. As with most Ford films, we are fully immersed in the setting. The costumes are divine, the make-up is up to par and the staging is near flawless. The score (complete with bagpipes) is also suffice for this particular drama.

My main problem with Mary of Scotland is with the story itself. Despite being about a particularly intriguing time in history, we are given the plot of a bad romance novel. “I’d burn my throne if it meant another night with you.” The film is far more about Mary's loves than about her difficulty of returning to the Scottish throne. 

I had a lot of high hopes for Mary of Scotland, considering it was directed by John Ford and starred Katherine Hepburn, but unfortunately I was a little let down. By the end of the film I was incredibly bored, wanting to find a film that showed a more tumultuous view of this history.  Technically well-made, but lacking substance.