Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

Mary, Queen of Scots Blu-ray Movie Review

A historical drama featuring two Queens

A historical-drama which explores the dynamics of Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, Mary, Queen of Scots is a unique approach to the material at the heart of the story. The feature was produced by Hal B. Wallis (Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon). An interesting take on the historical figures, the filmmakers take a lot of liberties with historical accounts while adding in some flair to the history that inspired this cinematic adaption. Politics and other themes are interwoven as one for this interpretation.

Mary, Queen of Scots brings the queens face to face as the “historical” events unfold. Exploring the turbulent conflicts at hand between Mary, Queen of Scots (Vanessa Redgrave) and Queen Elizabeth (Glenda Jackson) over an extended period of decades, the inspired-by-history feature is remembered for its impressive lead performances. The film adapts the material while exploring history through its distinctive time-capsule lens. The production also features supporting players from within the history books: the likes of Henry, Lord Darnley (Timothy Dalton) and David Riccio (Ian Holm).

The number one reason to check out this historical adaptation is to see the performances by Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson. Both actresses seem to have a good understanding of their respective characters and manage to bring some necessary life to the parts. There is a sense that each actress is exploring the inner depths of their characters. This gives Mary, Queen of Scots some needed vitality. Kudos to both performers for being up for a challenge.

There are other compelling elements to the production as well: both the production design by Terence Marsh (The Hunt for Red October, The Green Mile) and the art direction by Robert Cartwright (The Elephant Man, Five Days One Summer) give the filmmaking a sense of style that is compelling to explore. The artistic approach is commendable and gives the film a high- class sense of style. The costumes by Margaret Furse (A Shot in the Dark, The Lion in Winter) fit the tone. The music by composer John Barry (You Only Live Twice, Goldfinger) shines.

"Checkmate."

One area of the film which left me less impressed was the cinematography by Christopher Challis (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Deep). Though I have been fond of some of the other efforts by Challis, the production seems less polished here: the visuals are never as robust, bold, or colorful as one would hope to find for a period-drama of this style.

The editing by Richard Marden (Hellraiser, Sunday Bloody Sunday) is another element of concern. As a film exploring historical events, it is no surprise that the run-time is a bit long. Yet the film seems a bit over-long with too much fluff and not enough meat on the bone. The edit could have been much shorter and tighter.

The screenplay by John Hale (Children of the North, The Mind of Mr. Soames) is the biggest missed opportunity of all. The story veers far away from the actual historical events and the dialogue leaves much to be desired. The story might have compelling components but the assembly-line structure by Hale doesn't work wonders. The script seems over-stuffed and under-cooked at the same time. I was left disappointed.

Charles Jarrott (Anne of the Thousand Days, The Secret Life of Algernon) crafted a film which looks the part but is less successful than at first glance. Given the lackluster script, the director started off on the wrong note. The best success of the film (and his direction) is the casting of the two leads. That is the greatest asset of the film. Unfortunately, Mary, Queen of Scots is a bit of a mixed-bag.

Mary, Queen of Scots Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, Mary, Queen of Scots has received a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. Throughout the entire presentation, I found myself generally pleased but somewhat dissatisfied nonetheless. Kino has delivered a high bit-rate encode and the scan is generally clean: free from distracting scratches or print damage.

The scan is certainly acceptable. Yet the somewhat muted presentation (with colors that never seem to "pop" off the screen) leaves something to be desired. Outside of the opening credits (which some some signs of inconsistent grain structure), the transfer generally succeeds but the cinematography simply looks subdued. Perhaps it would have fared a little better with a 4K remaster. Though this scan is likely the best the film will ever look on home media, I felt it could look a bit better with more restorative work.

Mary, Queen of Scots Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray release features a DTS HD Master Audio mono track. Dialogue is sufficiently crisp, clear, and easy enough to understand. The track never sounds overly sharp or harsh. The lossless sound mix works. It fits the material well. While there are some fleeting moments where the track seems to lack in depth (which results in a rather flat sounding sound-stage), the audio is perfectly fine and has no issues in regards to egregious hiss, crackle, and age-related wear.

Optional English subtitles are provided.

Mary, Queen of Scots Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio commentary by film historian and critic Sergio Mims

Isolated music-only audio track featuring commentary by film historians Nick Redman and Jon Burlingame

Mary, Queen of Scots Theatrical Trailer (SD, 3:41)

The release also includes a selection of trailers for other releases available from distributor Kino Lorber: The Lion in Winter (SD, 3:18) and Isadora (SD, 2:24).

Mary, Queen of Scots Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mary, Queen of Scots features strong performances by Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson. The talented actresses are the greatest asset the film has to offer. Unfortunately, the screenplay is amiss and lacks the vitality necessary to make an entirely convincing feature-film. While there are some notable strengths to the production behind-the-scenes, the film is far from perfect (and a bit overlong). Fans of the film will be reasonably pleased by the Blu-ray though: Kino offers a decent video-audio presentation and some extras.