The documentary opens with the statement that Mary Queen of Scots was years ahead of her time and then promptly forgets to ever substantiate that claim.
The visuals are generally fuzzy and include some images that have nothing to do with Mary. We’re also occasionally shown a small group of men dressed in kilts running through the woods or sitting by a stream eating lunch which may be picturesque, but had nothing to do with the story the narration was relaying. Other visual fillers are a woman tying bows on a rattle, examining some pearls or flipping pages in a book giving the impression that this was a very low budget project.
Basic information such as when she was crowned is wrong. They have the date correct, but incorrectly tell you that she was just 9 months old when she was a year and a day old at the time of the coronation.
We’re told at one point that Mary’s mother was confined to Stirling Castle unable to seek help from the French. A short few minutes later, we’re told that she was able to beg for help from France.
The story of Lord Darnley’s death is given a date 2 years before his marriage to Mary.
The narrative can be very confusing. One comment makes it sound as though Mary was already a captive when she had her son and another series of comment makes it sound as though Mary was held captive for a total of 37 years.
At the end of the documentary they say Mary had been a pawn all her life which hardly seems like qualifications for the claim at the beginning that she was ahead of her times. The spurious comment that it was Mary’s beauty that made Elizabeth I turn against her further degrades the quality of this documentary.
There are much better documentaries available and there are also many scholarly books which do far better justice to this interesting woman!
Prime Video
Mary Queen of Scots: The Red Queen
Who was Mary Queen of Scots? What role did she play in the history of Great Britain? Take a journey of discovery across the majestic landscapes of Scotland, England and France to find the woman behind the legend in this fascinating look into history.
Watch for $0.00 with Prime
By ordering or viewing, you agree to our Terms. Sold by Amazon.com Services LLC.
Customers who watched this item also watched
More details
- Producers
- Wolfgang FettenMichelle Justice
- Studio
- Cobra Entertainment
- Content advisory
- Violence
- Purchase rights
- Stream instantly Details
- Format
- Prime Video (streaming online video)
- Devices
- Available to watch on supported devices
Customer reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2018
Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2021
Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2018
Verified Purchase
