There is a wonderful tradition, not just in Hollywood but also in major movie-making centres in other parts of the world, for producing costume dramas that can stand the test of time. The two hours and eight minutes’ worth of ‘Mary Queen of Scots’ received huge acclaim and loads of award nominations around 1971 and 1972, following its original release.

The eponymous Queen was played by the irrepressible Vanessa Redgrave and her cousin’s role, Queen Elizabeth the First of England, was played magnificently by Glenda Jackson. It is amazing that such a phenomenal production, with a support cast that included Trevor Howard, Patrick McGoohan, Nigel Davenport, Ian Holm and even Timothy Dalton should have remained unavailable since its theatrical release 39 years ago.

Of course, some of the subject matter remains questionable, as John Hale’s original screenplay did highlight a meeting between the two Queens, which history states categorically never took place. Yet, that matters hardly a jot, when the acting colossuses of Redgrave and Jackson delivered such a hearty feast of unforgettable talent. This is an historical drama that demanded the highest reverence by its players and they acted their cotton socks off to deliver it in spades.

Naturally, the costume mistress, Margaret Furse, deserves recognition for her unerring eye towards authenticity but the equally beguiling locations of both Alnwick and Bamburgh Castles, both in Northumbria, while not actually Holyrood Palace (in Edinburgh), where most of the real historical action unfolded, served well in supporting the needs of the film-makers. Of course, the story-line is as much about religious prejudice between the Roman Catholic Scottish ruler and her Protestant English rival, as it is about a power struggle between the Royal Stuart and the Tudor lines and which of them would reign supreme over Great Britain and its inhabitants.