by Hal Erickson
synopsis
The life of Mary, Queen of Scots was distilled into a single ten-minute reel in this French production from Pathe Freres. None of the political subtleties of Mary's lifelong struggle with Queen Elizabeth were dwelt upon. Instead, the characters, all dressed in uncomfortable period costumes, gesticulated wildly before a series of cardboard and canvas backdrops. The "best" was reserved for last, wherein the beheading of Mary Stuart was depicted in all its gruesome detail. By 1908, most filmgoers were sophisticated enough to realize that the head which tumbled from the chopping block was a papier-mache phony.
