The Top 9 Movies & TV Shows About Mary, Queen Of Scots

Mary, Queen of Scots, the rightful monarch of Scotland, was most known for her rivalry with Queen Elizabeth I of England. Across multiple centuries, this monarch had been depicted in film and cinema around the world. Her story was as tragic as it was compelling, fascinating history lovers for centuries.

This admiration lead, of course, to extreme bouts of inspiration from film and TV studios across the world. From series to movies, very few mediums were left untouched by the fiery spirit of Mary, Queen of Scots. Keep reading to learn what are the absolute best pieces inspired by the life and death of Mary Stuart!

9 Show: CW’s Reign (2013-2017)

Watch Mary Stuart navigate political and sexual intrigue in the French court, before sailing back to Scotland in this flirtatious drama. The young adult television show resurrected the public’s interest in the famous Scottish queen by targeting a young adult audience with modern music, pseudo-historical costumes, and monarchial drama.

Adelaide Kane, an actress previously featured on MTV’s Teen Wolf, stars in this royal series as Mary Stuart. Kane is a phenomenal choice for this part because she projects the growth in leadership that Mary Stuart underwent while at the French court and upon the historical monarch’s arrival to her highland homelands to reclaim her throne. While the characters’ costumes and hierarchical etiquette aren’t historically accurate, these are creative liberties that the show’s producers strategically altered for its audience; therefore, viewers can look past it.

8 Film: Mary, Queen of Scots (2018)

Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan star in Mary, Queen of Scots as Queen Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots, respectively. This 2018 film is the newest cinematic adaptation centered around the Scottish monarch and while it’s a stunning display of costuming, believable acting, and the overall hostile and tense dynamic between the two female monarchs, it takes creative liberties with the historical context that some audiences are not appreciative of.

That said, the film does a great job of portraying what it must have been like for the two characters to be female monarchs in a male-dominated political era.

7 Film: Mary of Scotland (1936)

Mary of Scotland is a 1936 film produced by RKO Radio Pictures that follows Mary, Queen of Scotland, as she returns to her Celtic homeland. Unfortunately for the Scottish monarch, her lands become divided which then forces the rightful queen to abdicate the Scottish throne. Mary Stuart then requests the aid of Queen Elizabeth I. However, as history suggests, Queen Elizabeth is fearful of Mary Stuart’s power and thusly imprisons the Scottish royal in the Tower of London.

Katharine Hepburn portrays Mary, Queen of Scots, while Florence Eldridge is Elizabeth Tudor, the Queen of England. Both actresses have the theatrical velocity needed to represent such strong female leaders on screen, and the costumes each woman wore were tantalizing against the black and white color scheme of the older film.

6 Show: Gunpowder, Treason & Plot (2004)

This miniseries not only follows Mary Queen of Scots but it also chronicles the story of her son, King James I of England’s experiences on the English throne. The main overarching conflict of this show is how King James I works to stop the Gunpowder Plot.

On a production level, the miniseries isn’t perfect, but if viewers are yearning for more details (factual or dramatized) regarding the Gunpowder Plot, this show is worth a watch.

5 Show: Elizabeth R (1971)

Elizabeth R differs in its medium compared to the other productions on this list. This work is a BBC miniseries directed as plays for the television screen.

The main focus of this show is to create a narrative that deeply-rooted in accurate historical context and gives enough screentime to perfectly cover not only the reign of Queen Elizabeth I but also the moments of which Mary Queen of Scots influences England’s reigning monarch.

4 Film: The Execution of Mary Stuart (1895)

One of the first films to ever be created, The Execution of Mary Stuart, is a brief look at the final moments of the fallen monarch’s life after being imprisoned by Queen Elizabeth I.

While this film does not hold a lot of substance, it’s a unique first look at how the monarch was depicted by directors hundreds of years after her reign. It’s also a must-watch for cinephiles and history buffs because this is one of the first films to ever be created.

3 Film: Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)

This film centers on the tumultuous rivalry between Queen Elizabeth I (Glenda Jackson) and Mary, Queen of Scots (Vanessa Redgrave). The heightened focus on the rivalry is meant to explore the hostile dynamic between the two female monarchs amid an era where it wasn’t popular to have women in such political, hierarchal, and monarchial power.

Both Glenda Jackson and Vanessa Redgrave are Academy Award-winning actresses and viewers can tell how skilled the women are as they embody to of the strongest female leaders in England and Scotland’s history.

2 Film: The Heart of a Queen (Das Herz der Königin) (1940)

The Heart of a Queen is a 1940 black and white German film that has a unique approach. This film serves to parallel the execution of Queen Marry of Scots due to her propaganda against the queen( which historically was a supposed assassination attempt) with the propaganda of World War II.

Cinephiles and historians would love this film because of director, Carl Froelich’s unique approach to the Queen Mary of Scots narrative. Audiences may need subtitles to understand the dialogue.

1 Film: Mary Queen of Scots (2013)

The 2013 film, Mary Queen of Scots, directed by Thomas Imbach, follows a familiar narrative course compared to other Films about the Scottish monarch. This film centers on a young Mary Stuart in France awaiting her marriage to the prince and then turns its attention to her reclaiming her Scottish throne.

This film, though not widely known, works to convey accurate costumes and near-authentic accents; however, audiences may need to turn subtitles on to be able to understand what some characters are saying. Overall, it’s a really good adaptation of the monarch’s rise to power and ascension to her Scottish throne.

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