They were cousins and neighboring queens, ruling the strongest nations in Europe.
Mary Stuart, was queen of Scotland… and queen consort in France…
while Elizabeth I … was queen of England.
As a person intrigued by history… I’ve seen TONS of films, and documentaries about King Henry VIII and his daughter..Queen Elizabeth.
In films about Queen Elizabeth.. the INTENSE rivalry between these RED HEADED cousins is addressed.. 
but I think most people..( like myself 🙋🏽♀️)….have wanted to know MORE‼️
Josie Rourke’s film gives us an amazing look into this period of history…
You can immediately feel the authenticity of it all… the sights… the sounds… you get all the “FEELS” of the atmosphere.
There are many revelations that have been rarely talked about.. from historic accounts.
The film starts off in a most dramatic way. We see the historic accounts of that fateful day…February 8, 1587… what happens???
I’ll cut it… right here… and insist see it all unfold on the big screen.
It’s dark.. and feels so cold. Overall this film gives one of the most realistic portrayals of what I’ve imagined things were REALLY LIKE… during the 15th century… in that region of the world.
The film 🎞 is based on the book “Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart...by British Historian, Dr. John Guy 
Scotland is a mostly Protestant nation, and Mary is a Catholic queen.
She also has a rightful claim to the throne of England, ruled by her cousin Elizabeth, who is a Protestant.
After a tease… about Mary’s fate…
The film flashes back several years… to when the newly widowed Mary returns Scotland.. after living most of her life in France. She was Queen of France at 16 and widowed at 18…
In her absence, the region was ruled by regents. The first was her mother… and then her half-brother James, Earl of Moray (James McArdle). They have a ceremonious meeting.. when she sails back onto the region.. and takes back control.. right away.
Mary was born to rule! 
Her father, King James of Scotland, died when she was six days old — she’s lived her entire life with the riches and power of a royal sovereign.
Elizabeth’s story is much different.
She was born in the midst of scandal.Her father, King Henry VIII, split from the Catholic Church..to marry her mother,
Anne Boleyn..
Boleyn was once a lady in waiting… for another royal wife. There are a lot of motion pictures about Anne Boleyn… and her sister that are quite intriguing too.
👉🏽 Back to King Henry and Boleyn…After they were married…and she didn’t give him the son he wanted.. he had her executed when Elizabeth was 2 years old.
Until she ascended to the throne…in her 20’s.. and for many years after..Elizabeth lived under constant threat of her life.
Mary Queen of Scots, stars Margot Robbie… as “Queen 👑 Elizabeth”
and Saoirse Ronan… as Mary, “Queen 👑 of Scots”
These Queen cousins… were constantly pitted against each other… by the men who pulled their strings like puppets.
It appears… they were forced to be enemies.
Their feud was one of history’s most intense!
The TENSION went from how much power they had a rulers… to how great their personal lives turned out.
Mary was able to marry a distant cousin and have a child.
Elizabeth was childless… and never married. She was often afraid of having her power taken away by another man… and later referred to herself as masculine and strong. A powerful force married to England!
Though powerful… accounts claim Mary was not only more youthful… but more attractive.
Saoirse Ronan is perfect in the role of Mary…
She exudes Mary’s youth and beauty…and demonstrates great confidence as a ruler..
You see a softer side in private moments.. kindness behind the scenes. Mary enjoys fun.. and folly.. sharing in personal conversation with her ladies.. and man in waiting… A man in waiting???
uh huh! Watch the movie… and see how THAT worked out!
Shocking details are revealed…
🎼 🎶 The music in the film forces you prepare yourself for what’s to come… 🎵
It sounds like a ~mysterious~ revelation of sorts…
musical chords set the tone for brilliant moments… and intense revelations..
☝🏽 …and speaking of revelations..Here’s another.. I just found out: All of Queen Mary’s ladies in waiting… are named “Mary”
How clever!!
She is able to stay hidden among them.. whenever she desires…and this is reflected in the film.
Margot Robbie does a commendable job… showing us many sides of Elizabeth.
Strong. Stubborn. Insecure. Cautious. Elizabeth was a lonely ruler… determined not to be controlled by anyone… while she is known to have had love ❤️ interests.. She kept them at a certain distance.
This movie also offers some surprising information about how Queen Elizabeth really looked…
Her face was scarred from a bout of smallpox.
I’ve often wondered why she wore the white faced makeup in paintings… Sure it was the style of the day… but maybe this helped cover up things more with the heavy rouge… and painted red 👄 lips..
Queen Elizabeth wore a lot of fabulous wigs… that were specially made for her… during her reign.
In addition to getting make up done for hours…Robbie also had to put on a bald cap to complete
To complete Elizabeth’s look..
you may also notice a few others facial changes to make the actress look more like the virgin queen.. including a prosthetic nose.
One major thing you’ll notice right away about this film is the diversity. Major roles are wonderfully brought to life.. by actors of various nationalities.
Mary, Queen of Scots leads by example… proving that films of this magnitude… deserve to give a fair shot to actors capable of doing good work.
💁🏽♀️ Another round of applause from ME!!!
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 “🙌🏽” 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
The director, Josie Rourke..
says she was not going to do this project any other way..
To that… I say BRAVO!!!
Though every single instance may not have been “written down” in historic accounts.. we know these lands included people from different nationalities…
and foreign lands nearby.
Places that were just a boat ride…(or voyage), away! There was often trading.. or jobs.. that required skills of all people. So the demographics of the day… was often changing over the centuries…
( I imagine…)
As history has also shown us..both Queens were were quite stylish!
They wore the finest headpieces, gowns, jewels and headpieces of the day.
The costumes in the film… Mary Queen of Scots are most extravagant!
Costume design is expertly handles by Alexandra Byrne..
Byrne and her team also did costuming from the “Elizabeth” films… starring Kate Blanchett..
There’s another bit of amazing bit of information regarding costuming… I heard directly from film Director Josie Rourke…
Most of the costumes used in the film..were made out of denim!!!!
There were only a few created in fine silks and what not.
Back to the denim… It was used in all colors and textures.. and very cost effect with the budget. Every single costume in the film.. was especially designed…
I’m sure this design team will receive multiple award nominations… as so many others involved with this film. I predict a BIG year for “Mary Queen of Scots in EVERY category in 2019.
Hair designs..are also noteworthy!
Makeup and hair designer Jenny Shircore won an Oscar for her work on 1998’s Elizabeth, and also brought her cast knowledge to this Focus Features project.
As far as this ancient history is concerned… I still wonder..What if…they could had become allies???
Could history could have played out differently???
What if.. these queens could have resolved issues… and become allies..
what if their burning 🔥 desires to be the greatest & most powerful Queen of all.. simmered down..
Several years ago…
Historian John Guy.. said a private collection of letters revealed that the rulers hinted at the possibility of meeting… to talk about things..
I can’t help my mind from racing… but I wonder….. if they really DID meet… FOR REAL!
It seems highly possible (to me..), with the curiosity we know they had with one another… and the curiosity.
In the film… the queens do follow through with a mysterious meeting…
In the movie…one queen declared that it should NEVER be revealed they had personal contact. It would be denied if it ever leaked.
Until this very day… Historians have debated that such a meeting ever took place…
Use your imagination for a minute…
How many times have we seen dramatic scenes… on screen where scrolls, letters or historic records are burned… to omit certain details from history???
I wonder….. how many situations like this have actually occurred???
Art often imitated life….and I’ll just leave that… right here….
As Dr. John Guy stated… History always records details about those who triumphed in the end.. but he wanted to uncover more details about Mary…
And don’t forget… the most recent letters that “hinted” at meeting… were just uncovered in a private historic collection in 2010… who knows what other evidence is out there..
Mary ended up in England… seeking safety and protection… but…Elizabeth imprisoned her cousin and, eventually, had her executed after uncovering an assassination plot that Mary allegedly had knowledge about…
After nearly 20 years of captivity, Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, was beheaded on the order of Queen Elizabeth of England.
As so the film ends… as it begins… You’ll be utterly captivated by every moment in between… There’s never a dull moment for just over 2 hours..
Mary Queen of Scots Cast:
Irish Actress, Saoirse Ronan as Mary, Queen of Scots.
Australian Actress, Margot Robbie as Queen Elizabeth I, Mary, Queen of Scots’ cousin and Queen of England and Ireland.
Jack Lowden as Lord Darnley, Mary, Queen of Scots’ second husband, catholic cousin
Joe Alwyn as Robert Dudley, Queen Elizabeth’s counselor and lover.
David Tennant as John Knox, a Protestant
The Focus Features film is
from an adapted screenplay by
Beau Willimon
Plus… Academy Award winners costume designer Alexandra Byrne, hair and make-up designer Jenny Shircore
Mary Queen of Scots..is definitely going to stir up more interest… in this period of history… and increase the desire to see more from this era..
~Evette Dabney
Evette Dabney, Founder, CEO and Creative Director of Sparkle-“E” Entertainment & Promotions
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Evette is a native of Atlanta,🍑GA…and graduate of #CAU Clark Atlanta University… in the #AUC ( Atlanta University Center), and a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.,🔺🐘 Links Inc., 💚and Women in Film…🎬🎥
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The 92nd Academy Awardsceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2019. 
