This Way, Mary: Quartet Expands John Barry's "Mary, Queen of Scots"

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Today, we're continuing our ongoing look at a recent crop of soundtrack releases!

The life of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587) has proved ample fodder for filmmakers over the years, from 1936's Mary of Scotland with Katharine Hepburn to 2018's Mary, Queen of Scots with Saoirse Ronan. Mary was just six days old when her father, James V of Scotland, died and she inherited his throne. She married Francis, the Dauphin of France in 1558, becoming queen consort of France. When she returned to Scotland as a widow in August 1561 in the wake of the Scottish Reformation, she was greeted by political tension and turmoil. That was just the beginning...she had two more husbands, the third of which might have murdered the second. She was imprisoned after an uprising, and forced to abdicate the throne. Mary fled to seek protection from her first cousin once removed, Elizabeth I of England, but as she had once claimed Elizabeth's crown as her own - she was a great-granddaughter of Henry VII - the monarch confined her for eighteen years. After being found guilty of a plot to assassinate Elizabeth, Mary was beheaded.

Of the many cinematic explorations of her brief but tumultuous life, the most well-regarded might be 1971's Mary, Queen of Scots starring Vanessa Redgrave as Mary and Glenda Jackson as Elizabeth. British director Charles Jarrott (Anne of the Thousand Days, Lost Horizon) always had a keen ear for music, and over the years worked with such luminaries as Georges Delerue, Michel Legrand, Henry Mancini, Ron Goodwin, Maurice Jarre, and Burt Bacharach. But one of the finest scores to come out of a Jarrott picture was from John Barry, composer of Mary, Queen of Scots. Now, the Quartet label has reissued the Academy Award-nominated score in a deluxe, expanded edition premiering the restored original film score and bonus tracks alongside the original soundtrack album.

The film, produced by Hal Wallis (Casablanca, True Grit), surrounded Redgrave and Jackson with a stellar supporting cast including Daniel Massey, Patrick McGoohan, Timothy Dalton, and Ian Holm. Wallis insisted on shooting as much on location as possible, and a rich score was needed to accompany the rich visuals. Three-time Academy Award winner John Barry was a bit of a specialist in historical drama, having scored The Lion in Winter (one of his Oscar winners) and The Last Valley. He would supply a score overflowing with melody and splendor befitting the grand scale as well as the humanity of the oft-told tale. Barry recorded his sumptuous music at London's CTS Studios, lushly writing for brass, strings, voices, and even bagpipes to bring the era to vivid and powerful life.

The original stereo soundtrack album (reprised as Tracks 1-14 here) preserved many of Barry's central cues including the liltingly delicate yet haunting "Mary's Theme," the melody of which would become the basis of the song "This Way, Mary" (recorded by Matt Monro and Johnny Mathis, among others) with lyrics by Don Black. It appears in various cues including "Mary at Chartley." The stoic "Vivre et Mourir," based on a poem written by the real-life Mary, was sung by Vanessa Redgrave in the film and on the soundtrack. Black adapted the melody into another song for Monro, "Wish Now Was Then." A strong brass and percussion fanfare, "But Not Through My Realm," introduces one of Barry's recurring themes. Another heard throughout the score is a commanding, regal motif for Elizabeth ("Journey to Scotland," "Journey to England"). Though the album was designed for the listening audience - the opening and closing versions of "Mary's Theme" are unique to the LP presentation - there's no shortage of suspenseful and dramatic cues including the ominous "Black Night," "Death at Kirk O'Fields," and the appropriately solemn "The Execution."

The 1971 soundtrack album is followed by the complete original score, as sourced from a newly-discovered mono tape from the Universal vaults. It nearly doubles the amount of original Barry music available from the movie, as the soundtrack LP presented a little more than half of what he wrote and recorded for Mary. The rest is, unsurprisingly, every bit as strong and varied even if many of these additional tracks are more atmospheric than richly melodic. The pensive "Queen of England by Right/Message for the Queen," bold "Letter to Elizabeth" fanfare, unsettling "Mary and Darnley Ride on Beach," and jarring "Murder of Riccio" are among the many key additions here, which also encompass further recurrences of the familiar motifs and more choral music. Four source cues also appear to round out this complete program.

The 20-page booklet has wonderfully informative liner notes from Barry biographer Jon Burlingame as well as numerous stills from the film as well as alternate cover artwork on page 20 (so the booklet can be flipped within the jewel case if that artwork is preferred). Chris Malone has beautifully restored and mastered the audio.

As well as it works within the film, John Barry's score to Mary, Queen of Scots is also a compelling listening experience on a purely musical level, filled with historical color, excitement, and drama. Quartet's Expanded Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is available now at the link below.

John Barry, Mary, Queen of Scots: Expanded Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Quartet QR504, 2022)

The Original Soundtrack Album (Decca LP DL 79186, 1971)