History is messy. Movies are messier. When the Mary Queen of Scots movie 2018 first hit theaters, everyone expected a standard costume drama filled with stiff collars and even stiffer British accents. What we actually got was a vibrant, neon-lit, politically charged tug-of-war between two of history’s most formidable women. Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie basically went toe-to-toe in a film that cares way more about "vibes" and emotional truth than checking every single box in a history textbook.
It’s been years since it came out, but people are still arguing about it. Why? Because it dared to change the narrative.
Directed by Josie Rourke, who came from a heavy theater background, the film isn't trying to be a documentary. If you go into this looking for a minute-by-minute breakdown of 16th-century Scottish tax law, you’re going to be bored out of your mind. But if you want to see a visceral exploration of how power destroys sisterhood, this is the one.
The Meeting That Never Happened
Let’s address the elephant in the room immediately.
In the Mary Queen of Scots movie 2018, Mary and Elizabeth I have this incredible, tension-filled secret meeting in a barn draped with flowing laundry. It’s the climax of the film. It’s beautifully shot. It’s also completely made up.
In real life, these two cousins never actually met face-to-face. They spent years writing letters—sometimes polite, often passive-aggressive, always loaded with subtext—but they never stood in the same room. Historian Guy John, who wrote the biography Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart that the movie is based on, has often defended the creative choice. The logic? A film is a visual medium. You can’t have two lead actresses just sitting at desks writing letters for two hours. Well, you could, but nobody would buy a ticket.
The movie uses this fictional meeting to highlight the tragedy of their relationship. They were the only two people in the world who could truly understand the burden the other was carrying. Honestly, seeing them together on screen makes the eventual execution feel a lot more personal. It’s a narrative device that trades factual accuracy for emotional resonance. Some historians hated it. Most audiences loved the drama.
Saoirse Ronan and the Weight of the Crown
Saoirse Ronan is a force.
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As Mary Stuart, she brings this weird mix of youthful arrogance and crushing loneliness. You have to remember, Mary was a widow by eighteen and a queen since she was six days old. She wasn't some shrinking violet. In the Mary Queen of Scots movie 2018, Ronan plays her as a woman who genuinely believes she has the divine right to rule both Scotland and England.
She speaks multiple languages in the film—French, English, and even a bit of Latin—which is totally accurate to the real Mary’s upbringing in the French court.
The contrast with Margot Robbie’s Elizabeth I is staggering. While Mary is depicted as traditionally beautiful and fertile, Elizabeth is shown slowly disappearing behind layers of lead makeup and elaborate wigs. This wasn't just for style. The real Elizabeth I suffered from smallpox in 1562, which left her skin scarred. The film leans hard into the idea that Elizabeth felt physically diminished by Mary’s presence. It’s a brutal look at the beauty standards of the 1500s.
The Messy Politics of the Scottish Court
The Scottish lords were, to put it mildly, a nightmare.
The film does a decent job showing how Mary was basically surrounded by men who wanted her to fail. James Douglas (Earl of Morton) and her half-brother James, Earl of Moray, are portrayed as constantly plotting in the shadows. It’s like Game of Thrones but with more damp wool.
One of the most controversial elements of the film was the depiction of David Rizzio, Mary’s secretary. The movie portrays Rizzio as a queer man who is fully accepted by Mary. When he’s eventually murdered in front of her—which actually happened, and it was horrific—the film frames it as a direct attack on Mary’s personal happiness and her progressive (for the time) court.
Some critics argued this was "modernizing" the past too much. Others pointed out that the 16th century was way more complex and less "straight" than Victorian historians later pretended it was.
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That Wardrobe Though
Costume designer Alexandra Byrne went rogue. Instead of using period-accurate silks and velvets, she used denim.
Yes, denim.
If you look closely at the costumes in the Mary Queen of Scots movie 2018, you’ll notice that many of the outfits are made of indigo-dyed fabric that looks remarkably like your favorite pair of jeans. Byrne’s reasoning was that these people lived in a cold, wet, muddy environment. Silk wouldn't last five minutes on a horse in the Scottish Highlands. Denim (or a rugged equivalent) felt more "real" even if it wasn't strictly historical.
It gives the movie a gritty, tactile feel. You can almost smell the rain and the woodsmoke. It moves away from the "museum" aesthetic of older biopics.
The Downfall and the Legacy
Mary’s life was basically a series of bad decisions fueled by bad luck.
Her marriage to Lord Darnley (played by Jack Lowden) was a disaster. The movie shows him as a drunk and a philanderer, which is pretty much what the historical record says too. Then there’s the whole Earl of Bothwell situation. Was Mary kidnapped and forced to marry him, or was she a willing participant in the murder of her husband? The movie takes a bit of a middle ground, but it leans toward Mary being a victim of the men around her.
By the time we get to the end of the Mary Queen of Scots movie 2018, Mary has spent nearly twenty years in English captivity. The film fast-forwards through this a bit, focusing instead on the final moments.
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The execution scene is arguably one of the best ever filmed for this period. Mary disrobes to reveal a bright red dress—the color of Catholic martyrdom. This is a cold, hard fact. She really did that. It was her final act of defiance against Elizabeth. She wasn't going out as a traitor; she was going out as a saint.
Why You Should Care Now
We live in an era of "reclaimed" histories.
People are obsessed with seeing the "hidden" side of famous figures. This movie fits right into that. It asks: what if these two women had been allowed to be allies instead of rivals? The tragedy isn't just that Mary died; it's that the patriarchy of the 16th century made it impossible for two female leaders to coexist.
If you’re looking to get the most out of a rewatch or your first viewing, keep these things in mind:
- Watch the background characters. The Scottish lords are usually the ones actually moving the plot, while the Queens are the ones dealing with the fallout.
- Pay attention to the makeup. Elizabeth’s transformation is a metaphor for her losing her humanity to her crown.
- Ignore the geography. The movie makes it look like you can gallop from Edinburgh to London in an afternoon. You can't.
Actionable Ways to Explore Further
Don't just take the movie's word for it. If the drama of the Mary Queen of Scots movie 2018 hooked you, dive into the actual primary sources.
Start by reading the Casket Letters. These are the documents that supposedly proved Mary was involved in her husband's murder. Most modern historians think they were forged, or at least heavily edited, to frame her. Looking at the "evidence" used against her makes the movie's portrayal of the scheming lords feel much more grounded.
Next, check out the National Portrait Gallery's online archives. Compare the real portraits of Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart to the actresses in the film. You'll see exactly where the costume designers took inspiration and where they decided to invent something entirely new to fit the movie's mood.
Lastly, if you're ever in Edinburgh, go to Holyrood Palace. You can stand in the actual room where David Rizzio was killed. There’s a small brass plaque on the floor. Seeing the actual physical space—which is much smaller and more claustrophobic than in the movie—really puts the violence of Mary's reign into perspective.