Mary of Scotland (1936)
Director: John Ford
Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Fredric March, Florence Eldridge
Synopsis:
After the death of her first husband, Queen Mary returns to Scotland, where her claim is challenged by the Scottish lords, while her cousin Queen Elizabeth of England plots her downfall.
Impressions:
This not particularly accurate account of the troubled reign and fall of Mary Queen of Scots is decent enough as historical yarns of the era go. It borders on hagiography, but it's an interesting change of pace from the pro-Elizabethan propaganda we usually get. The main highlight is Katharine Hepburn's performance as Mary. It's not her best work, but even a middle-of-the-road performance by her standards is well above many other actors. If you're a fan of Hepburn or the time period portrayed in the film, it's worth seeing, but otherwise you may not find much reason to give it a watch.
50/50