I have read at least 10 books on Mary Queen of Scots, watched every documentary about her, and spent a great deal of time in Edinburgh retracing the steps of this mighty woman.
When the movie Mary Queen of Scots was released, I knew Hollywood wasn’t going to go for accuracy; that’s just not what they do. I was prepared for some outlandish story, like maybe, Elizabeth and Mary would meet, embrace, form a two-girl show and play on Broadway. However, I was pleased to see that Hollywood only monkeyed with the whole face -to-face meeting thing, but it still worked.
Here are a few inconsistencies I noticed in 2018’s film Mary Queen of Scots:
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- Mary didn’t speak with a Scottish accent. Having been raised in the French Court, she spoke with a French accent.
- Mary had hazel/brown eyes, but didn’t you love looking at Saoirse’s beautiful blue eyes?
- The Scottish court was not as diverse as the movie implies. There were very few Africans or Asians in 16th century England, let alone in the nobility.
- There was not a room full of male advisers when Liz signed Mary’s death warrant. The warrant was slipped in with dozens of other papers the Queen was signing at her leisure. Elizabeth was like so many other ‘business people’ that when handed a stack of papers to sign, by the time you’re near the bottom, you’ve forgotten your own name.
- James Hepburn was a rapist, a murderer, and a real scourge on society. Even though some historians claim the marriage between Queen Mary and Bothwell was consensual, only the bride and groom know for sure. The fact that Bothwell turned tail and ran from Carberry Hill, while his little bride was surrounded by men who wished her harm, speaks volumes about his character.
- At the beginning of the movie, a manor purporting to be Holyrood Palace was not the real Holyrood Palace.
There were a few other goofs, but who cares? It was a great movie.
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RunPee Mom is our emotional bedrock. Without her, RunPee never would have lasted a decade as an app (which is since the dawn of time in internet years). She’s our biggest cheerleader and an unending source of unconditional love. She works cheerfully and tirelessly, seeing any movie we ask of her, writing interesting reviews, and being our…well…MOM. Her genres of choice: kiddie flicks, animated movies, emotional dramas, historical features, war films, diverse biographies, and even dense, diabolically plotted thrillers. She knows more about famous and infamous figures in history than said figures probably knew about themselves. She’s the Quiz Manager for the RunPee.com blog, and our resident movie celebrity/trivia expert. If you’ve taken a RunPee Quiz, you’ve most likely been given a virtual hug by RunPee Mom.