Week Eighty-Three
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"Mary of Scotland" 1936 Tommy with Katharine Hepburn in boat |
MOVIE NAME: MARY OF SCOTLAND
STUDIO: RKO RADIO PICTURES
PRODUCER: PANDRO S. BERMAN
DIRECTOR: JOHN FORD
DATE: 1936
TYPE: HISTORICAL, BIOGRAPHY, DRAMA
CAST:
KATHARINE HEPBURN as (Queen) Mary Stuart , FREDRICK MARCH as Earl of Bothwell, FLORENCE ELDRIDGE as (Queen) Elizabeth Tudor , DOUGLAS WALTON as Lord Darnley , JOHN CARRADINE> as David Rizzio , ROBERT BARRAT as Norton, GAVIN MUIR as Leicester, IAN KEITH as Earl of Moray (James Stewart) , MORONI OLSEN as John Knox, TOMMY BUPP, as boy in boat
SOURCE: A F I, Catalog of Feature Films 1931-1940
STORY: In 1561, Mary Stuart, the widow of Francis II of France, sets sail for her native Scotland to re-establish herself as monarch. In spite of attempts by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth of England, to prevent her from reaching Scotland, Mary lands safely with her Italian secretary, David Rizzio, and rides to Holyrod Castle near Edinburgh. Mary is immediately confronted by her half brother, James Stewart, the Earl of Moray, who is leader of the country's ruling noblemen and is questioned about her devotion to Catholicism and her refusal to marry. John Knox, an outspoken Protestant leader, denounces Mary publicly as a "wicked" Catholic. The Earl of Boswell, in spite of his own Protestantism, pledges his loyalty to Mary and demands that he be named Scotland's military chief. Enraged by Mary's success at charming her court, Elizabeth plots with Throckmorton, the new Scottish ambassador, to use Moray against her. At the same time, Rizzio encourages Mary to wed Lord Darnley, a Catholic who is heir to the English crown after Elizabeth. Although she loves Bothwell, she marries Darnley. Mary's council tries to force her to dismiss Rizzio and, when she refuses, goads the sexually frustrated Darnley into accusing the Italian of adultery. A group of Scottish Lords murder Rizzio and, as a drunken Darnley watches, force Mary to sign a false confession of infidelity. Aided by Bothwell's loyal troops, Mary and Darnley escape and thwart Moray and Elizabeth's conspiracy. A year after Mary gives birth to a boy, James, a still discontented Darnley, threatens to disown his son as his legitimate heir. Before this plan takes place, Darnley is killed in an explosion. As Knox damns Bothwell as the murderer, the earl "kidnaps" Mary and in defiance to the council secretly marries her. Moray then abducts baby James, and attacks the castle. Outnumbered, Bothwell agrees to leave Scotland, if Mary is allowed to remain Queen. In spite of his promises Moray forces Mary to abdicate and, after imprisoning her, makes himself regent. Eventually Mary escapes and believing Elizabeth to support her cause, flees to England. Elizabeth however takes Mary prisoner and, after Bothwell dies a madman in a Danish jail, puts her on trial for treason. Crushed by Bothwell's death, Mary excepts her inevitable condemnation and refuses to renounce the Stuart claim to the English throne. Mary faces her execution with courage.
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