The Lion in Winter

Rating:
Summary: Wholesome family entertainment
Review: Just kidding. This is the ultimate depiction of a deeply and truely dysfunctional family. But, what a tale it is. This kind of film is timeless. I recently watched the Showtime Original version (Patrick Stewart & Glenn Close), and found it just as captivating. I favor this 1968 version better; nobody out does O'Toole and Hepburn. Peter O'Toole is seathingly into his role as Henry. Even better is Katherine Hepburn as Eleanor (a role I consider to be tailer-made for her). My favorite understatement in motion picture history is stated by her. "What family doesn't have its ups and downs." The scene in which this quote appears makes the statement totally true. It is such a pity that she had to share her third Academy Award victory with Miss Diva Streisand for FUNNY GIRL. The supporting cast are remarkably on mark. Especially, Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton, both making their film debut in THE LION IN WINTER. If you haven't seen this movie, please do. It is worth the time!!!

Rating:
Summary: The best film of 1968!!
Review: The film "The Lion in Winter" is a wonderfully acted and brilliantly done. It is a simple story. Henry II (played marvelously by Peter O'Toole) wants his youngest son John (played by Nigel Terry) to be his successor to the English throne. His wife, Eleanor of Acquitaine (played brilliantly by Katharine Hepburn who deserved an Oscar for her performance) wants her son Richard (played by newcomer Anthony Hopkins) to sit on the throne. They battle it out over the Christmas holiday with the King of France in attendance (played by Timothy Dalton in his debut as well) This film is great beacuse it features so many great things. Marvelous acting, super direction and a rousing music score. (by John Barry who also won an Oscar) Not to mention a spectacular storyline. (James Goldman who won an Oscar as well) If you're looking for a great dramatic film this is it!!! A landmark achievement!!

Rating:
Summary: All Families Have Their Ups and Downs
Review: Christmas 1183: King Henry II (Peter O'Toole) in the September of his years is doing a little estate planning by choosing a successor and dividing up the kingdom. He summons his three sons and his estranged wife, Eleanor(Katharine Hepburn), who has been imprisoned for plotting civil war against Henry, for a Christmas court. All the best laid plans of mice and men. Naturally, there are resentments among the boys as to who should succeed Henry and Eleanor gleefully stokes the fire of this powderkeg. To say sparks fly is an understatement. The raw emotion on display here is a virtual inferno and the only beneficiary is a delighted audience. Anthony Harvey colorfully transfers James Goldman's play to the screen. O'Toole, who in my mind deserved the Oscar for his work here, literally explodes on the screen as Henry. He is literally a lion personified. Hepburn, who did win the Oscar, gives a multi-hued performance here. Yes, she is devious and unrelenting, but there is an underlying sadness in her character. You can see on her face that she rues the sad state of affairs she finds herself in. The joy of this film is to watch these accomplished actors tackle great dialogue which is a rarity in films these days.

Rating:
Summary: The "Lion" Roars With Power
Review: There are movies I see now and then that impress me so much with their acting I'm speechless. I find it hard to convey just how much I truly appreciate it. One this list goes "A Streetcar Named Desire", Brando and Leigh I've always felt are almost battling over who will be more memorable, or "Rachel, Rachel" Woodard just seems to be that character nothing more can be said or Gena Rowlands in "A Woman Under the Influence" then there are modern film such as "21 Grams". I thought "Grams" was the best film of 2003 strongly because of the acting and here we have Anthony Harvey's "Lion in Winter" and once again I'm blown away. How this movie lost the Academy Award to "Oliver" makes my head spin. Here, without doubt is the best film of 1968.

Originally a play written by James Goldman, who also adapted his own screenplay, is a film that reaches a Shakespearian level of drama. Like Shakespear we have a story that deals with lust, greed, and revenge.

King Henry II (Peter O' Toole) must decide which of his three sons will be his succesor. He has his own favorite, as does his wife Eleanor (Katherine Hepburn). Soon the sons are plotting against one another and their father. Meanwhile Henry and Eleanor are at each other's throat as their marriage is one in name only.

The way the cast, which includes Anthony Hopkins (making his screen debut) and Timothy Dalton, Jane Merrow and John Castle actually seem to become these characters is the strenght of the film.

In trying to be objective and present both sides to you I'm finding it difficult to think of the film's flaws. If anything perhaps the ending is disappointing only because we thought there was a resolution between two of these characters. But, other than that I can't think of any other flaws to point out.

The movie was nominated for seven Oscars and won three; "best actress", "best screenplay", and "best score". To me this is one of the ultimate masterpieces.

Bottom-line: A masterpiece that hits a level of drama only matches by Shakespear. Has some of the most powerful acting you will find in a Hollywood film.

Rating:
Summary: Stunning Character Studies In Fine Historical Drama
Review: When Katharine Hepburn as the wily Eleanor of Acquitaine states after one of the numerous family "clashes", in the classic 1968 historical drama "The Lion in Winter", that "all families have their ups and downs", she was probably making the biggest understatement of the century when one views this totally jaw dropping excursion into family conflict, intrigue and deception. Often quite rightly referred to as the "Medieval Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", what this film may lack in continent-wide scope that one comes to expect from such historical dramas, the film more than makes up for in an almost savage and raw depiction of one family in disintergration, that being the less than perfect family of King Henry the Second of England. Told over the gathering of his totally unlovely clan for a Christmas Court at Chinon Castle, the occasion is anything but festive but luckily provides us viewers (who are thankfully watching the proceedings from the comfort of our far away living rooms!), with a superb series of human dramas and conflict that while emotionally draining to watch do nevertheless offer us some of the most splendid acting to come out of an historical drama during the 1960's and certainly preserves forever two of possibly the finest performances ever delivered by acting greats Katharine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole on screen.

Based on his acclaimed stage play "The Lion in Winter", by James Goldman the action unfolds as the family of King Henry the Second of England gathers for the annual Christmas court. His long estranged wife Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine is released from her own imprisonment where she has been detained for plotting against her husband, to attend and the couple's less than perfect three sons Richard (Anthony Hopkins), Geoffrey (John Castle), and John (Nigel Terry), are also present but all have their own agendas and personal axes to grind. The tension is heightened by the fact that Henry also has his young mistress Alais (Jane Merrow), present who he intends to marry which guarantees an explosive family occasion. The gathering turns from being a Christmas get together into a cold blooded struggle for power to see which of the three sons will be named successor to Henry. Eleanor backs eldest son Richard despite his complete distrust in her while Henry favours youngest son John. Middle son Geoffrey is left to fight his own battles and matters are soon complicated by the arrival of King Philip of France (Timothy Dalton), who joins in the Christmas gathering and very soon is playing his own games to get what he wants against his hated rival King Henry. The Christmas period is a far from happy one as one member of the family sets out to destroy the other and the battle royale that takes place between Eleanor and Henry in actual fact achieves nothing as they fight themselves into a stale mate which is not resolved before the court breaks up and Eleanor returns to her captivity until the next time she is brought out for a family gathering. Meanwhile the war weary sons and their father must learn then to live with the fully exposed hatred and mistrust that they all feel for each other for another whole year with no one obtaining the promised crown that they all so murderously desire.

What really of course makes "The Lion in Winter", stand out so superbly even to the present day is the series of outstanding performances by both seasoned performers and from those often just starting out in their film careers. Katharine Hepburn in my belief has never been better than in this role and totally deserved her third Academy Award as Best Actress for 1968. She was a fascinating actress playing one of history's most fascinating women and rarely does a marriage of actress and role work so well as here where Hepburn plays Eleanor of Aquitaine as a seasoned manipulator out to play the battle of wits to the fullest against her husband so as to achieve what she wants for herself and her favourite son Richard. Despite the age difference between herself and Peter O'Toole never it seems have an historical couple been so realistically portrayed and you can almost see the the long festering battle scars of their turbulent marriage being reopened within the first 10 minutes of their first meeting. Despite their powerful acting off each other the younger members of the cast also manage to shine and Timothy Dalton in his screen debut as King Philip really excelss in his scenes as the devious King of France who is not above playing off one member of this sad family against the other to get what he wants. "The Lion in Winter", also contains interesting early work by the "three sons", Anthony Hopkins,( in a superb performance as the inwardly tormented and sexually confused eldest son Richard), John Castle as the hard to read middle son, and especially Nigel Terry who portrays youngest son John as an almost pathetic halfwit who nevertheless has a definite calculating side to him. "The Lion in Winter", is not your typical medieval epic full of bright costumes, jousting and fair maidens in distress and it is significant in actually trying to depict the court life of Henry the Second complete with its filth, poverty, lack of any real glamour, and spartan living conditions. While none of the characters are actually likeable these deglamourised surroundings suit the story perfectly in displaying a less than perfect environment for less than perfect individuals. The film at times does betray it's stage origins however with the powerful dialogue that is being delivered that is not a major drawback. The action at times is "opened out", for the screen and we are treated to some wonderful vistas such as my favourite when we witness Queen Eleanor's dramatic arrival at Chinon Castle on her barge wrapped in rich furs against a stark winter background. The period recreation in fact is first rate and is always how I would imagine a medieval Castle would look when fully inhabited by a sprawling court.

Watching "The Lion in Winter", is certainly both an exhausting and exhilarating experience for viewers and in this savage story of human nature at it's worst you can't help but feel yourself drawn into the unpredictable and often deadly twists and turns of the plot and of the characters true intentions. More of a film that involves intense characterisations and crushing dialogue than historical pageantry "The Lion in Winter", works especially well in the acting department for that very reason where dialogue wins out over spectacle. Superb performances, a fine literate and at times disturbing script and just enough historical background combine here to make this film essential viewing for all lovers of early British history and for those that want to witness a family Christmas celebration like none they (hopefully), will experience themselves. Katharine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole rarely reached greater acting heights than in their performances here where they literally feed off each other to stunning dramatic effect. Be sure to savour the down side of playing the English succession game in the powerful movie version of John Goldman's "The Lion in Winter", soon.

Rating:
Summary: . A Favorite Movie .
Review: Honestly, I haven't watched a film with either the stunning acting or dialogue this one contains. From sheer laughter to a breakdown in utter sulking--Hepburn, O'Toole aswell and playwright James Goldman deliver a monument of human expression that won't be forgotten.



Rating:
Summary: They don't make them like this anymore
Review: See my review of the 2004 remake as contrast.
This is, simply put, the greatest movie I have ever seen.
Peter O'Toole is exactly how I pictured Henry II: arrogant and volatile, yet somehow sympathetic; he can calmly discuss one minute and roar the next like the titular character he is. Hepburn as Eleanor is brilliant, a latter-day Helen whose beauty has long since started to fade, living to scheme against Henry and to manipulate her sons against him and against one another. The supporting cast, including the debut performances of Timothy Dalton and Anthony Hopkins, is similarly spectacular. Let's just say this is Richard the Lionhearted as you never imagined him.
But the acting skill of the cast is only half of the game; part of the genius of this film lies in its dialogue. There is almost no action and yet never a dull moment (this from someone who likes big explosions as much as the next theatergoer). The quips and jokes, jabs and insults, are delivered with impecable timing.
My favorite exchange:
Henry (roaring, and dripping with sarcasm): How was your crossing? Did the sea part for you?
Eleanor (calmly, and equally sarcastic): It went flat when I told it to. I didn't think to ask for more.

Wow.

Rating:
Summary: Christmas 1183, and all's not well.....
Review: King Henry II has let his Queen, Elinor of Aquitaine, out of prison for the Christmas holidays. He also plans to name a successor, since their eldest son Henry III is dead. Problem is, he favors the youngest, John, while Elinor favors the eldest, Richard. King, Queen, Princes John, Richard, and Geoff, King Phillip of France and his sister, Alais all wrestle for position in this 'not for the faint of heart' family drama.

Richard O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn deliver one of their best performances in their roles. This is one of the first times I recall seeing Anthony Hopkins (Richard) and Timothy Dalton (Phillp).

The only negative I can post is the soundtrack. I'm not sure the Latin chants are quite appropriate to the action. Have been tempted to turn off the opening music until the dialogue begins.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent example
Review: of how great acting can surpass the film itself. Watch this for the acting, which is truly dazzling, the photography, which is amazing, or the direction, which is sharp. Otherwise, the dialogue to WAY too stagy in too many parts, and the plot itself has more than a few uninteresting slowdowns. One of those films that seems FAR longer than it is.

Rating:
Summary: I haven't seen it but...
Review: The West Wing's POTUS Bartlet & Toby quote from the film in a season three episode:
"Geoffrey says, 'You fool! As if it matters how a man falls down.' And Richard says, 'When the fall's all that's left, it matters a great deal.'"
It's Bartlet's favourite movie - recommendation enough for me.