I'm not going to rate how this film follows history, or rather, how it does not, though I will mention it. Instead I rate it on its production values, the acting, and just the overall quality of the production - did it hold my interest? - It did.
The life of Mary Queen of Scots (Katharine Hepburn) is traced from her arrival in Scotland after 13 years in France and the death of her husband, the boy king of France, until her abdication and imprisonment in England by Elizabeth I. Thus the film goes with the popular contrast between Mary and her cousin Elizabeth (Florence Eldridge) - That Elizabeth was powerful, but unmarried and barren; Mary was beset by all kinds of problems in her rule, portrayed as someone who made bad choices for love.
Then the script really turns history on its head and has the Earl of Bothwell (Fredric March) being the true love of Mary's life but has her marrying Lord Darnley, here portrayed as a rather effette nobleman who nobody respects. Mary finds him repulsive in this version of history, but marries him anyway, because of him being close in the line of succession to both her and Elizabeth's thrones. Complications ensue, but most of them are not in the history books. And Elizabeth and Mary never met, but in this film they do, because the English lords tricking Elizabeth into signing Mary's death warrant is just not as dramatically effective as what happens here.
The production values were excellent as well as the performances, even with some over the top moments such as making Elizabeth behave like some venomous high school girl who is jealous of Mary rather than a monarch trying to defend her throne against this rather reckless woman. Also note that this doesn't "feel" like a John Ford film, so be prepared for something totally different from the director.
The life of Mary Queen of Scots (Katharine Hepburn) is traced from her arrival in Scotland after 13 years in France and the death of her husband, the boy king of France, until her abdication and imprisonment in England by Elizabeth I. Thus the film goes with the popular contrast between Mary and her cousin Elizabeth (Florence Eldridge) - That Elizabeth was powerful, but unmarried and barren; Mary was beset by all kinds of problems in her rule, portrayed as someone who made bad choices for love.
Then the script really turns history on its head and has the Earl of Bothwell (Fredric March) being the true love of Mary's life but has her marrying Lord Darnley, here portrayed as a rather effette nobleman who nobody respects. Mary finds him repulsive in this version of history, but marries him anyway, because of him being close in the line of succession to both her and Elizabeth's thrones. Complications ensue, but most of them are not in the history books. And Elizabeth and Mary never met, but in this film they do, because the English lords tricking Elizabeth into signing Mary's death warrant is just not as dramatically effective as what happens here.
The production values were excellent as well as the performances, even with some over the top moments such as making Elizabeth behave like some venomous high school girl who is jealous of Mary rather than a monarch trying to defend her throne against this rather reckless woman. Also note that this doesn't "feel" like a John Ford film, so be prepared for something totally different from the director.