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10 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 FEBRUARY 2019 FILM FILM BROUGHT into existence by an inspired arrangement of cast and crew and looking gorgeous at the other end of it, Josie Rourke's Mary Queen of Scots, though nominated for cosmetic prizes at this year's Academy Awards (costume design and hair and make- up), fails to live up to the rich premise of its subject matter thanks to a weak script and a sterile directorial approach. Based on John Guy's Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart, the adaptation has a couple of notable theat- rical talents at its core… and it shows, in a way that is not always flattering. Rourke, a veteran of the Donmar Ware- house theatre in London, here making her cinematic debut, works off a screenplay by playwright and, latterly, TV writing superstar Beau Willi- mon, who catapulted to fame upon taking the reins of the first four seasons of Netflix's House of Cards. On paper, this is a shrewd, even logical choice – surely, the man who gave us Frank Underwood and strategised his Machiavellian scheming in and around the White House would take to the equally politically serpentine tale of Mary Queen of Scots (Saoirse Ronan) and Queen Elizabeth (Margot Robbie) with some relish. Especially when you throw in an era-defining di- lemma into the mix – in this case, a tussle for succession and the urgent need to pro- duce an heir. Add a couple of scheming nobles – here embodied in the eminently hissable Lord Mait- land (Ian Hart), who is enabled by Mary's half-brother Earl of Moray (James McArdle) – along with ambitious suitor Lord Darnley (Jack Lowden) and a firebrand Protestant cleric John Knox (David Ten- nant) in full misogynist mode, and you've got a heated pot of intrigue ready to be stirred into a tangy, delicious broth. Alas. Alas. While both Ronan and Rob- bie wisely take to their roles with both relish and requisite sensitivity – gigs like this do tend to be career-defining – surrounded as they are by gor- geously photographed back- droRourke is clearly capable of directing actors, with each of the roles feeling utterly 'lived-in' despite the grandi- osity of what is being present- ed. Ronan certainly benefits from a visual treatment that is nothing short of iconic. No frame or strategic de- ployment of lighting is wasted in portraying her Pre-Raph- aelite to its full effect, and her natural talent also ensures that lighter moments are fully humanising, and not desper- ate attempts at getting the au- dience on her side. Robbie's Elizabeth, on the other hand, runs the risk of being portrayed as the arch- villainess of the piece, at least in the first half. Afflicted by a pox that re- sults in her having to put on clownish make-up that is doubtlessly historically cor- rect, it nonetheless feels as though the filmmakers went a Gothic step too far… one that is, perhaps, somewhat neces- sary given Robbie's youth and conventional beauty. The dynamic between the two women is what adds a wrinkle of intrigue to an other- wise staid attempt at replicat- ing the House of Cards (let's not say Game of Thrones) model to the historical pe- riod piece genre. In fact, the shifting nature of Elizabeth's sympathies is a welcome jolt of complexity as it unfolds towards the end, opening up a welcome gray-area chasm in what is otherwise a largely black-and-white hagiography of a would-be monarch who in truth deserves so much better. Boasting gorgeous costume and production design and a powerhouse set of performances from its talented leads, this latest foray into the tangled story of Mary Queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth is ultimately a hollow, tepid affair QUEEN PRISTINE SHEEN SPLEEN DEMEAN ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ The verdict While there is a worth- while and timely story nested in the core narrative of the tragic tale of Mary, Queen of Scots, Josie Rourke's take on it lacks any real rhythm or coherence, opting for talk over metaphor and hollow reiteration over carefully- threaded motifs. Willimon's script has very little to say beyond what's on the sur- face, offering no thematic substance and no resonant observations on what is oth- erwise a deeply significant period of the history of the British Isles. This results in a prosaic film clumsily cobbled together by two theatre-and- TV veterans who are clearly incapable of making the best of their current medium. Teodor Reljic Trudging for dominance Saoirse Ronan (centre) is the titular, embattled monarch in Josie Rourke's sterile historical pseudo-epic ★ ★ M A RY Q U E E N O F S C O TS ( 15 ) When court intrigue utterly fails to intrigue