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Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Mary Queen of Scots (2018)

This is a theatrical, sumptuously filmed and costumed version of this well known story.
Mary Queen of Scots was a woman who wanted power and love and ended up with neither.
She is a headstrong leader played by Saoirse Ronan who was a devout Catholic, which put her at odds with the Anglicans.   Her rule was challenged by the men around her—like those on her council, her second and third husbands and even the men outside her castle.  Yet for all her tenacity, Mary never gains the full loyalty of her people for various reasons. Coupled with her disastrous marriage and several more betrayals of trust, the queen is forced to abdicate the throne, leading her to an untimely fate. 
The other aspect of the movie is Mary's claim on the English throne and the future fate of her son, a situation she discusses with Elizabeth I (played by Margot Robbie, portrayed as the least glamorous cinematic interpretation of Elizabeth I).  Robbie, however, plays the paranoid and tortured queen well, using a tense, nervous energy against Ronan’s cool and cutting performance. It is a film well worth seeing, and drinking in a bit of English history along the way.

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