tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post8762687904007669165..comments2024-03-18T00:41:26.878-05:00Comments on 1001plus: Mary, Mary, Quite ContrarySJHoneywellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-39020402307120591392017-06-18T09:42:09.656-05:002017-06-18T09:42:09.656-05:00In terms of narrative, I think we need those two m...In terms of narrative, I think we need those two meetings between Mary and Elizabeth here even though they didn't happen. In this case, it's kind of a shortcut for getting us to what happened in a scene rather than a long series of letters. In that respect, the change from history didn't bother me too much. I also agree on the strength of the supporting cast, all of whom are top of their game. Patrick McGoohan is an actor who has fascinated me for a long time (I'm a big fan of The Prisoner), and he is another here with Holm, Dalton, and the others who adds a great deal to the film. <br /><br />The other thing standing in the way of Glenda Jackson being nominated for this role, of course, was that she was nominated for <i>Sunday Bloody Sunday</i> already. I don't think she was nominated for the right film. Placed in contention for this performance, she'd be a serious contender in my book. <br /><br />I have now seen all of the relevant performances, so Best Actress 1971 is one I'll get to eventually. You can bet that Jessica Walter will get a mention as a potential snub. SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-71013065173396167822017-06-18T09:16:20.974-05:002017-06-18T09:16:20.974-05:00I'm fascinated by this period in history and a...I'm fascinated by this period in history and agree that the production and set design are very impressive and though the filmmakers play fast and loose with some parts of the story, cousins Mary & Elizabeth never met face to face in the entirety of their lives, by and large what is presented sticks close to most facts. <br /><br />So with all that in place it does come down to the performances and direction. The cast surrounding the two women is superior and all provide excellent work from the sly Holm to the weaselly Dalton but the film lives and breathes on those two central females. <br /><br />From everything I've read my opinion of Mary, Queen of Scots is that she was an addlepated nitwit who didn't have the good sense to stay out of intrigues that were obviously doomed to failure from the start, woefully unqualified to reign and whose one significant contribution to European history is giving birth to the future James I who succeeded to the English throne upon Elizabeth's death. Elizabeth of course was the diametric opposite. <br /><br />So if anything I thought that Vanessa Redgrave projected too much native intelligence in the role, not her fault really since she radiates that always on screen, but I would also concur that Glenda Jackson's is the stronger performance. I think that the reason that Glenda didn't make the short list for a nomination here is because in the same year she was being justly lauded for the BBC miniseries Elizabeth R where she portrayed the Virgin Queen from teenhood to death and is A-MAZ-ING and was amply rewarded. Perhaps that is also why her work is so deep in the film having lived with the woman all the months the series was in production. <br /><br />I loved the film and enjoyed Vanessa's performance though I wouldn't have nominated her, especially when there were alternatives like Jessica Walter in Play Misty for Me or Tuesday Weld in A Safe Place to choose from. joel65913https://www.blogger.com/profile/14526657073681774683noreply@blogger.com