Mary of Scotland (1936)

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(1,450 ratings)

Maxwell Anderson's blank-verse play Mary of Scotland was adapted for the screen by Dudley Nichols and directed with a surprising paucity of verve by John Ford. Katharine Hepburn, in one of the "icy" roles that would later earn her the onus of "box office poison", stars as Mary Stuart, who serves as… More Maxwell Anderson's blank-verse play Mary of Scotland was adapted for the screen by Dudley Nichols and directed with a surprising paucity of verve by John Ford. Katharine Hepburn, in one of the "icy" roles that would later earn her the onus of "box office poison", stars as Mary Stuart, who serves as the Queen of Scotland until she is jealously put out of the way by her British cousin, Queen Elizabeth I (Florence Eldredge). Sold out by the Scots nobles, Mary is sentenced to the chopping block for treason. Elizabeth is willing to pardon Mary if only the latter will renounce all claims to the British throne, but Mary refuses, marching to her death with head held high (the Mary/Elizabeth confrontation scene was purely the product of Maxwell Anderson's imagination; in real life, the two women never met). RKO contractee Ginger Rogers dearly coveted the role of Queen Elizabeth, but the studio refused to allow her to play so secondary a role. To prove to the RKO executives that she would be ideal for the part, Ginger secretly arranged for a screen test, in which she was convincingly made up as Elizabeth (even to the point of cutting her hair into a high-foreheaded widow's peak). Contemporary reports indicate that Ginger's audition was brilliant; still, RKO would not consider casting her in the part, so the role of Elizabeth went to Florence Eldridge, the wife of Fredric March, who was cast in Mary of Scotland as Mary's fearless protector the Earl of Bothwell. On the whole, Mary of Scotland is a snoozefest, save for the scenes featuring Douglas Walton as Mary's cowardly husband Darnley. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 3 min.
Directed By: John Ford
Written By: Maxwell Anderson, Dudley Nichols
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Aug 28, 1936 Limited
On DVD: Jun 6, 2006
Studio: RKO Radio Pictures

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Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

This movie is very long, boring, and jumps around in time. It does have some humorous scenes, but the movie is mostly boring. The only thing I liked about the movie was Hepburn's performance, she's great as always, but the rest of the cast kind of glides through.

Cast

            Katharine Hepburn as Mary Stuart

            Fredric March as Earl of Bothwell

            Florence Eldridge as Elizabeth Tudor

            Douglas Walton as Darnley

            John Carradine as David Rizzio

            Robert H. Barrat as Morton

            Gavin Muir as Leicester

            Ian Keith as James Stuart Moray

            Moroni Olsen as John Knox

            William Stack as Ruthven

            Ralph Forbes as Randolph

            Alan Mowbray as Trockmorton

            Frieda Inescort as Mary Beaton

            Donald Crisp as Huntley

            David Torrence as Lindsay

            Molly Lamont as Mary Livingston

            Anita Colby as Mary Fleming

            Jean Fenwick as Mary Seton

            Lionel Pape as Burghley

            Alec Craig as Donal

            Mary Gordon as Nurse

            Monte Blue as Messenger

            Leonard Mudie as Maitland

            Brandon Hurst as Arian

            Wilfred Lucas as Lexington

            D'Arcy Corrigan as Kirkcaldy

            Frank Baker as Douglas

            Cyril McLaglen as Faudoncide

            Doris Lloyd as Fisherman's wife

            Robert Warwick as Sir Francis Knollys

            Murray Kinnell as Judge

            Lawrence Grant as Judge

            Ivan Simpson as Judge

            Nigel De Brulier as Judge

            Barlowe Borland as Judge

            Walter Byron as Sir Francis Walsingham

            Wyndham Standing as Sergeant-at-Arms

            Earl Foxe as Earl of Kent

            Paul McAllister as Du Croche

            Lionel Belmore as English Fisherman

            Gaston Glass as Frenchman

            Neil Fitzgerald as Nobleman

            Robert E. Homans as Jailer

            Bobby Watson as Fisherman's son
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