February 9 - Mary of Scotland

Today’s movie is a historical biographical drama with a scene that happens today – February 9. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

MARY OF SCOTLAND                       

Mary Stuart returns from France to Scotland and immediately encounters conflict over religion. She tells her council she will not marry. She is attacked by John Knox, who refuses to make even the slightest concession to her.  Mary meets and is attracted to the Earl of Bothwell, but out of political calculation marries Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley as a means to strengthen her claim to the English throne. Darnley turns out to be a drunk who is manipulated by the Protestant Lords of the Council into murdering Mary’s private secretary, David Rizzio, a foreigner. The Lords try to force her to sign a pardon foe them, but with Bothwell’s help Mary escapes. Mary gives birth to a son, which causes grief for Elizabeth of England.  The Protestant Lords blow up Darnley on February 9, 1567 [1:13:52 to 1:15:18], but get Knox to blame Bothwell. Bothwell stages a sham kidnapping of Mary, then marries her.  The Protestant Lords launch a revolt. Bothwell goes into exile as the price for Mary remaining queen. However, she is soon forced to abdicate in favor of her son, James VI. She escapes from prison and flees to England, expecting help from Elizabeth to regain her throne. Instead she is jailed for 18 years. Mary is tried for treason and convicted. When she refuses to renounce her right to the English throne, Mary is executed.

A decent melodrama. Not very good as history, but as entertainment it is an interesting film.

Magnusson, Magnus. Scotland: The Story of a Nation. (New York; Atlantic Monthly Press, 2000). This book at page 357 gives the date of Darnley’s murder.

Producer - Pandro S. Berman

Director -John Ford

Screenplay - Dudley Nichols

Runtime – 2 hours 3 minutes

Released - August 28, 1936

 

Starring –

Katharine Hepburn as Mary Stuart

Fredric March as Bothwell

Florence Eldridge as Elizabeth I of England

Douglas Walton as Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley

John Carradine as David Rizzio

Robert Barrat as Morton

Gavin Muir as Leicester

Ian Keith as Moray

Moroni Olsen as John Knox

William Stack as Ruthven

Ralph Forbes as Randolph

Alan Mowbray as Throckmorton

Frieda Inescort as Mary Beaton

Donald Crisp as Huntly

David Torrence as Lindsay

Molly Lamont as Mary Livingstone

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 Airan

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 a Judge

Lawrence Grant as a Judge

Ivan F. Simpson as a Judge

Nigel De Brulier as a Judge

Barlowe Borland as a Judge

Walter Byron as Walsingham

Wyndham Standing as a Sergeant-at-Arms

Earle Foxe as the Earl of Kent

Paul McAllister as du Croche

Lionel Belmore as a Fisherman

Gaston Glass as the Frenchman

Neil Fitzgerald as the Nobleman

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.