I asked on Instagram Stories whether people would like to read a full review, from me, of Mary Queen of Scots after I saw it in the cinema on Tuesday and the answer was a resounding yes. So here it goes - though I would like to point out I have never in my life written a film review so have no idea what you want to hear or what you're expecting. I'm just going to share what I really loved about it. That's a spoiler, by the way, I flippin' loved every minute of it and I want to see it again already.
Now I don't know much about History, I get timelines muddled up and was totally uninterested in it in school. I imagine this was due to little me being far too feminist to care about what a bunch of white men did and what a bunch of white men had to say about it. I think this is half the reason this film appealed to me in the first place; it was advertised as being about Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth and their unascertained relationship. And about a bunch of men being c*nts. And it was completely that, and I loved it. It felt accurate and the insecurity of men amongst a powerful woman was portrayed incredibly well.
Parts were horrible to watch. Turns out there was a hell of a lot of murder and rape back then and though the film doesn't at all brush over this fact, it makes it very very clear that these horrific things did happen - it doesn't make it overly gruesome or take over the fact that the film is about these women, what they said and what they did and that is fully where the importance lies. I've always been interested in Queen Mary, I never knew anything about her though or where to find anything out about her. Admittedly I didn't try very hard. Everything I know about history I learnt either in the very very early years of my education or through Horrible Histories and I must say I never felt that was adequate - and I'm not saying I've learnt tonnes from watching this film or that it's enough to say I know what happened but it has inspired and interested me which I did not expect.
Saoirse Ronan's performance as Mary is beyond impeccable. Throughout the film, you learn to really, really respect and trust her as a woman and as a queen and therefore also feel genuine hurt when she is betrayed and failed by the men in her life. I left the cinema with a massive amount of respect for her, and for Elizabeth. I suspect a lot of other women placed in their positions in such a time would have crumbled but neither of them ever did.
I want more films about women in history, I want to know everything about them and what they did and I feel saddened by the fact I was never taught about such incredible women at school. There was never a discussion or lesson about a historical figure I could relate to or admire, the only woman I remember learning about was Florence Nightingale and even what we were taught about her was sub-par at best.
In summary, I am going to watch this film again because I was totally captivated by it the whole way through. It was 10/10 and I urge anyone and everyone to see it and to dwell on it afterwards.
IWx
IWx