Queen of Hearts: Mary Queen of Scots in Popular Culture

In Episode 1 of the HippFest Podcast (or HippCast for short), we are delighted to share with you a lively and fascinating talk by Donald Smith, originally presented in March 2022, ahead of our Festival Opening Night screening of The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots (1923).

'The Loves of Mary' was a real highlight of the festival, the world premiere of a new restoration of an extremely rare film presented with live improvised piano, plus the famous Scottish storyteller, Andy Cannon taking the role of our very own Film Explainer or 'McBenshi'. This memorable screening event was made even richer by Donald's talk, which set the scene perfectly for this near-hundred-year-old costume drama.

Donald Smith is an author, storyteller and director of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival since 1989. His many publications include Storytelling Scotland, A Pilgrim Guide to Scotland, Wee Folk Tales: in Scots and Folk Tales From The Garden. Donald has also staged over a hundred plays and was a moving force behind the Scottish Storytelling Center and a National Theatre for Scotland.

If you would prefer, there is a full Episode Transcript available here. Links to resources mentioned in this episode are below:

• The Execution of Mary Queen of Scots (1895) - courtesy of The National Library of Scotland's Moving Image Archive
• The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots (1923) programme notes - by commissioned for the Hippodrome Silent Film Festival 2022
• The Ballad of the Five Marys - written by Donald Smith, Luath Press
• Archive Film Agency on YouTube
• Celluloid Tapestry on YouTube