Mary Queen of Scots is a historical drama directed by Josie Rourke and written by Beau Willimon, based on John Guy’s biography, Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart. This film is a period piece and takes place in the 1500s chronicling the 1569 conflict between Mary of Scotland and Elizabeth of England. It could be considered a tragedy based on a true story but historically incorrect which caused some adverse reviews from critics. However it’s a worth while film that I have mixed feelings about.
In 1561, nineteen-year-old Mary (Saoirse Ronan), Catholic Queen of Scotland, returns to her home country from France following the death of her husband, Francis II of France, to take up her throne. She is received by her half brother, the Earl of Moray (James McArdle). In neighboring England, her cousin, twenty-eight-year-old Elizabeth (Margot Robbie) is the Protestant Queen of England. She is unmarried, childless, and threatened by Mary’s potential claim to her throne. Mary soon clashes with the cleric John Knox (David Tennant) and dismisses him from her court. Knox is a protestant and leader of the Scottish Reformation and perceives Mary to be a danger to the kingdom’s Protestant supremacy.
Here we have two queens, which are also cousins, that are jealous of each other. One wants to be married with children so there’s an heir to the throne and the other never wants to be married or have children but is in love with her counselor, Robert Dudley (Joe Alwyn). Elizabeth is all about the business of running the country while Mary tries to have both, a family and run a country. The two queens play a game of chicken with each other in hopes one will yield. Mary admits she married the wrong man the first time around and has now repeated history with a new husband, Henry Stuart: Lord Darnley (Jack Lowden) who is atrocious [according to this film) in every way. Upon Darnley marrying Mary, she discovers him in bed with her friend and private secretary, David Rizzio (Ismael Cruz Córdova) the following morning. Faced with insurgency and infidelity, Mary decides to quash the rebel forces but spares both Rizzio and Moray. She demands Darnley give her a child. When a child is conceived, Mary declares that the child is the “heir to Scotland and England” — which deeply offends the English.
Of course there is so much more to this intriguing story but I must stop here, as not to give it away. What becomes of Mary, her husbands and her ploy to reign over England, Scotland and Ireland. I found Mary Queen of Scots extremely interesting and well acted. There is so much to take in — everything from adultery to beheadings. History dictates a slightly different version and the critics have picked up on the changes thus giving the film a scolding and deflated ratings. If you like period pieces, Check It Out!
[Queen of Scots is Oscar Nominated for Best Costume Design and Best makeup and Hairstyling]
The Mule is a crime film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood, who also plays the lead role. The screenplay is by Nick Schenk and is based on The New York Times article “The Sinaloa Cartel’s 90-Year-Old Drug Mule” by Sam Dolnick, which recounts the true story of Leo Sharp, a World War II veteran in his 80s who became a drug courier for the Sinaloa Cartel. It seems now-a-days, anything is possible and anything goes. This is Eastwood’s first acting project since 2012’s Trouble with the Curve, and his first starring role in a film directed by him since 2008’s Gran Torino. The Mule has been made into a humorous yet serious movie. I’m glad I invested time to seeing it.
I haven’t seen many movies about Jesus as a child nor is their much scripture found on the early years of Christ. I was curious to see if this film supported what little I did hear about the life of Christ as a boy. I recognized a couple of incidents as being similar to stories I’d heard before but most were new. I found it strange that bullying exited among the children as strongly as was depicted in The Young Messiah. I always thought the children were more disciplined in that era and environment. I was surprised that Jesus (Adam Greaves-Neal) was picked on and frequently beaten up. My understanding of Jesus as a small boy raising another boy from the dead was when he caused the boys death but in this adaptation, Jesus had nothing to do with the boys death even though he was accused of causing his demise. The Young Messiah is a name change from the original book written by Anne Rice as Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt. “This new title better conveys how our film seeks to present a realistic portrait of Jesus as a child both grounded in faith and consistent with the adult Jesus revealed in the Bible.” (Quoted by the new writers, Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh and Nowrasteh).
Downton Abbey is one of my most favorite series. I love period pieces. This one is before World War I and is brilliantly told. The series revolves around a British, aristocratic family and their servants. The family presently includes Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham, Lady Mary, Lady Edith and Robert’s mother, Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham. The major servants include Head of all servants, Mr. Carson, Mrs Hughes, Head of kitchen staff, Mrs. Patmore, John and Anna Bates, Valet to Lord Grantham and Lady Maid to Lady Mary, respectively. The personal stories that take place between the staff and the Crawley family and friends makes for a fascinating series. I’ve been mesmerized by Downton Abbey since it first started. Just to see how the upper crust behaves in Britain — one wonders whose idea was it to have maids dress you every day. The whole setup is rather complicated, so I’ve displayed a couple of charts that show the actors, characters they play and the positions they hold at Downton Abbey. Just perusing the charts, gives you an idea of how the story flows. Learning the positions and hierarchy of the staff will be challenge. Overall, Downton Abbey takes you away to a world we don’t really know but can find entertainment and fun in watching.
CAROL's WORLDS 