What’s Going On?

This is a biopic of Mary Queen of Scots and tells the story of her life upon her return to Scotland until her death. Mary’s life is full of power-struggles, romance, intrigue and war. Despite Mary being the title character a great deal of time is spent on her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I who faces many of the same challenges.

The film starts with Mary returning to Scotland after living in France for several years (she was married to the heir of the French throne but he died) and the governing council instantly takes a dislike to her. David Tennant’s John Knox (representing the Protestant Church of Scotland) is dismissed from the council almost immediately, not for being Protestant, but because Catholic Mary wants toleration of religion – a wise move for a Catholic monarch ruling over a Protestant country. But this is only the start of Mary’s problems. Her half-brother does not support her, neither do many of the powerful nobles, with a great many of them seemingly on England’s side. Then there is England, Elizabeth’s council, recognising the threat Mary poses as a Catholic claimant to the throne of England, push aggressive action. There is also intense pressure on Elizabeth to marry and have an heir, if she were to die then Mary would be the next in line.

The film is essentially about how Mary deals with all these problems and certainly these are problems that are capable of destroying a person or burying them.

Behind The Scenes

The film is directed by Josie Rourke who, while new to film, is a successful theatre director. The film is based on John Guy’s book Queen of Scots : The True Life of Mary Stuart.

In Front Of The Camera

While there is a good ensemble cast including Guy Pearce and David Tennant the focus is clearly on the two leads; Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie playing Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, respectively. Ronan is surely one of the best actors working today and can play anything from a vampire to an assassin to a queen and Robbie is coming off for me what was one of the best performances of 2018 in I, Tonya.

Essentially, both women are fantastic in this film. Ronan looks young and innocent and can be playful with her friends but from day one is determined and strong. Virtually every man around her, including those on her side, seems to undermine her at every turn, while shouting at her they will insist her emotions have got the better of her and some outright say they will not obey a woman ruler. And she absorbs all of this and carries on.

I think Margot Robbie might have got the more interesting role as a lot more is made is of Elizabeth’s insecurities. She is jealous of Mary’s youth and beauty – especially after illness diminishes her own – and, of course, Mary’s child. On the one hand she wants peace and friendship but is also riven by envy and numerous political problems and Robbie portrays all of this wonderfully.

Is That What Really Happened?

Obviously, Mary Queen of Scots is a real historical figure and the film is based on a history book about Mary, but is this what happened? It needs to be said it is entirely possible to enjoy this film ignoring historical inaccuracies or without knowing any of the history, and while it’s based on history this is not a documentary.

But to those who this will bother (like me) the film is very loose with history and I think the film certainly has an agenda in bolstering the reputation of Queen Mary whilst focusing on some of the negatives of Elizabeth. Certainly, it is hard to imagine the Elizabeth in this film staring down the Spanish Armada. In fairness though, those films have been made and Elizabeth is respected as one of England’s greatest monarchs so touching on her insecurities and failures may just provide a more rounded character.

It is important to periodically reassess the evidence and see if the popular image is accurate and Mary is deserving of that as any other historical figure.

Does It Work?

Ultimately this film is something of a let-down. While the two stars are very good in their roles, the film does not contain the requisite drama to engage the viewer and considering the material they had to work with this is very disappointing. The film had the opportunity to tell the story of two of the most interesting women in the history of the British Isles but just isn’t up to the task.

The difficult relationship between Mary and Elizabeth is handled well and the film makes it clear why they are sometimes desperate to be friends while at others clear enemies. One problem with the film is that the supporting cast’s relationships with the queens are not as well done. Darnley swings dramatically from charming noble to ignorant drunk around Mary and her half-brother is split between seething resentment and familial bonds . The crux is the director has tried to portray these characters in a particular way but is forced by history to make them seemingly act uncharacteristically.

The film does look stunning. The scenery, the sets and especially the costumes are wonderful. Near the end of the film Queen Elizabeth is shown in increasingly extravagant and dazzling outfits – as her own natural beauty fades. The sets of the English and Scottish courts neatly display the disparities between the two kingdoms with the former outshining the later dramatically.

Throughout the film is the issue of women in power. People of both countries complain about their woman rulers, with especially Mary’s ability to rule call into question. Mary is called a harlot, and worse, for the rumours of an affair while I’m quite sure previous kings’ potential infidelities were not used as proof of their inability to govern. The Scottish nobles are constantly dismissive of Mary and on occasion are willing to manhandle her. Mary’s new husband never stops complaining about how Mary swore to obey him but runs the country without her and bristles at the idea that he has a lower status than her.

Overall the film is good and stars put on a masterclass of acting but feels like a missed opportunity for a great film.

Verdict: (3 / 5)

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Don’t stop me now… (sorry, couldn’t resist)

Why now?

Bohemian Rhapsody was released on 24 October in the UK and is still in cinemas now.

In a nutshell

The film follows the rise to fame of the British rock band Queen, focusing primarily on the life of its enigmatic frontman Freddie Mercury, beginning with their initial meeting in 1970 and ending with the climactic Live Aid show that becomes known as one of Queen’s most iconic performances.

Who’s it for?

If you love Queen and proper rock n’ roll music, you’ll definitely enjoy this movie. It’s rated 12a, and while most of the questionable scenes in the movie are implied rather than explicitly shown, parents might want to be careful about taking young kids along. For everyone else though, it’s all good.

Who’s in it?

Rami Malek plays Freddie Mercury, and boy does he play him well, especially during the musical numbers! Bringing arguably the most important frontman in the history of music to life on the big screen is no easy task, but Malek makes it happen, and then some. His performance is understated and exuding vulnerability where it needs to, but is also recklessly flamboyant and OTT when required, in equal measure.

The other members of Queen, who don’t get anywhere near as much screen time as Malek, do a great job portraying their real-life characters. Gwilym Lee is the spitting image of Brian May, while Ben Hardy and Joseph Mazzello (Timmy from Jurassic Park!) are solid. Lucy Boynton does a fine job portraying Mary Austin, who had much to come to terms with in regard to Freddie and his developing sexuality; Allen Leech is suitably snakelike as Freddie’s personal manager Paul Prenter, while Aidan Gillen does well in a relatively small role as Queen’s manager. Mike Myers also makes a short but important cameo appearance.

The good stuff

This is a stylish film featuring solid performances all around, but for me, it was the big music numbers that really blew me away. When the scene switches from the opening of Bohemian Rhapsody in the radio booth to Mercury on stage with thumping guitar riffs and pounding drum beats, I couldn’t help but grin and stamp along with the rhythm (probably to the annoyance of those around me). The Live Aid performance which draws the film to a close is also unbelievably accurate, almost shot-for-shot of the actual show put on by Queen. I watched the original back again after returning from the cinema and was thoroughly impressed with what was achieved by those who put that scene together.

The not so good stuff

While I really enjoyed Bohemian Rhapsody, I was also very aware while watching it that there are glaring historical inaccuracies throughout it. This seems to have been a common theme in criticisms of the film, and while I’m absolutely not an expert in Queen or Freddie Mercury, I could definitely tell when parts of the narrative had been embellished or accelerated for the purposes of the film. Bohemian Rhapsody also underwent a directorial change about two thirds of the way through production, with Bryan Singer “leaving” the project to be replaced by Dexter Fletcher – you can’t necessarily tell when this happened from watching it, but some scenes certainly seem to have undergone inexplicable stylistic changes that jar with the general tone of the rest of the film.

I also found the portrayal of Mercury’s sexuality a little over-the-top at times. While his orientation was obviously so important to how he lived his life (as well as being what ultimately led to his illness and passing), it seemed to become far more important than anything else in the story as the film progressed. I would have like to have seen more of Queen and how their music developed (which, when touched-on, always felt rushed, as though someone had gone back through what had already been filmed and stuffed it in) and could have done with slightly less of how Mercury was manipulated by Paul Prenter into becoming what the film conveys as a sex and drug-crazed ego-maniac. I might be wrong, but I don’t think that made for an entirely accurate portrayal.

The bottom line

Bohemian Rhapsody would be a solid movie choice for you this week if you’re after something that’s big, bold, and will leave you wanting to blast some rock n’ roll in the car on the way home; if you want a historically-accurate, Queen-centric film, this may not be for you.

Verdict: (3 / 5)

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