Post by joekiddlouischama on Jan 5, 2019 8:39:15 GMT
I viewed Mary Queen of Scots on Thursday evening and deemed it "good/very good." The film is engrossing, austere, and coolly intense—sexually, mentally, and psychologically. The labyrinthine plot machinations possess some gaps, which is not necessarily a bad aspect because those gaps—not knowing exactly why or how something happened—create ambiguity and invite viewer participation, forcing each individual to contemplate whether certain allegations are veracious and why Mary Stuart's noblemen are constantly seeking to subvert her. By the same token, the movie's psychological dimensions are not strong enough to fully fill those gaps.
More impressive are Mary Queen of Scott's technical aspects. The fluid editing is superb, as are the sound mixing, sound editing, and cinematography. The movie makes outstanding use of its majestic Scottish locations and features many impressive compositions from all ranges (long shots, medium shots, two-shots, closeups). Indeed, those compositions can be quite painterly, to the point where one may be surprised to learn that the film's director, Josie Rourke, made her directorial debut with this movie. Additionally, the camera movements are elegant and unpretentious, the lighting is nuanced and appropriately opaque, and the visual metaphor in the climactic scene is intelligent and memorable.
Also noteworthy is Saoirse Ronan's performance as Mary. She makes the Scottish queen ambitious yet sensitive, at once indignant and humane, and she does so without resorting to showy theatrics. Ronan's performance here is more complex and commendable than her Oscar-nominated performances for Brooklyn (2015) and Lady Bird (2017). Meanwhile, Margot Robie provides an effective counterpoint as Mary's rival and doppelgänger, Queen Elizabeth of England, although casting an Australian to play an English queen is a tad curious.
If nothing else, Mary Queen of Scots will hypnotize you visually and technically, and its historical and character explorations are at least intriguing. The film's dryness and detachment fail to achieve genuine emotional potency, so the movie is arguably chilly as much as it is chilling. But there is a haunted quality that melds with the film's nearly ghostly cinematic look and mesmerizing montages. Mary Queen of Scots is perhaps analogous to Martin Scorsese's historical drama Silence from two years ago, except better from a character perspective.
More impressive are Mary Queen of Scott's technical aspects. The fluid editing is superb, as are the sound mixing, sound editing, and cinematography. The movie makes outstanding use of its majestic Scottish locations and features many impressive compositions from all ranges (long shots, medium shots, two-shots, closeups). Indeed, those compositions can be quite painterly, to the point where one may be surprised to learn that the film's director, Josie Rourke, made her directorial debut with this movie. Additionally, the camera movements are elegant and unpretentious, the lighting is nuanced and appropriately opaque, and the visual metaphor in the climactic scene is intelligent and memorable.
Also noteworthy is Saoirse Ronan's performance as Mary. She makes the Scottish queen ambitious yet sensitive, at once indignant and humane, and she does so without resorting to showy theatrics. Ronan's performance here is more complex and commendable than her Oscar-nominated performances for Brooklyn (2015) and Lady Bird (2017). Meanwhile, Margot Robie provides an effective counterpoint as Mary's rival and doppelgänger, Queen Elizabeth of England, although casting an Australian to play an English queen is a tad curious.
If nothing else, Mary Queen of Scots will hypnotize you visually and technically, and its historical and character explorations are at least intriguing. The film's dryness and detachment fail to achieve genuine emotional potency, so the movie is arguably chilly as much as it is chilling. But there is a haunted quality that melds with the film's nearly ghostly cinematic look and mesmerizing montages. Mary Queen of Scots is perhaps analogous to Martin Scorsese's historical drama Silence from two years ago, except better from a character perspective.
