Rating: 
Summary: What a Lioness!
Review: Katherine Hepburn's fans have their own favorite film of hers. This is mine. It is sheer pleasure to observe not only her overall performance (for which she received one of her four Academy Awards for best actress) but also her interaction with O'Toole who obviously adores her. (Who wouldn't?) Those who have read Amy Kelly's magnificent biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine already know how much she and Hepburn share in common, notably their exceptional intelligence and determination. As Anthony Harvey directs her and as Eleanor is portrayed by James Goldman in his Academy Award-winning screenplay, Hepburn more than holds her own with estranged husband King Henry II (O'Toole) despite his almost total control of her exile from his court. What must she do to end her castle-arrest and thereby gain her freedom? Henry wants a divorce so he can marry his mistress, Princess Alais (Jane Merrow), and also regain the Aquitaine to which Eleanor has legal rights. Eleanor has no intention of allowing either when Henry permits her a brief respite to join him and their sons for Christmas. They have three: Philip (Timothy Dalton) King of Spain, Prince Richard (Anthony Hopkins), and Prince John (Nigel Terry). What we have here is a 12th century soap opera...but a royal detergent of the very highest possible quality.Not much happens. That is, there is very little physical action in this film but the mind games, duels of wit, conspiracies, temporary alliances, betrayals of confidence, accusations and threats, innuendoes, bluffs, sarcasm, flattery, posturing, etc. are non-stop. The script has a turbocharged literacy. Also, the film is visually stunning, especially given the fact that interior decorators in 1183 A.D. had to work within rather severe limitations. John Barry received an Academy Award (for the music score) and The Lion in Winder was also nominated for best film but lost out to (believe it or not) Oliver! What I most enjoy is the dialogue between Henry and Eleanor. The film sags a bit when they are not together on screen. The supporting cast is few in number but generally effective. However, Hepburn and O'Toole totally dominate the scenes in which they appear and their personalities dominate the scenes in which they are elsewhere. Although I greatly appreciate the clearer image and sound of the DVD format, I am underwhelmed by the quality and number of supplementary materials which are unworthy of this great film. Presumably something will soon be done about that.
Rating:
Summary: Every family has its ups and downs
Review: As Eleanor herself said, every family has its ups and downs. What will enthrall any history buff, major or minor, is that this film (based on the award-winning play) focuses just one holiday, one short span of time in the tempestuous lives of Henry II and his family. The plot spins into a tale of intrigue, love, hate, obsession, and ambition that distills the intricate web of family that both unites and divides them into a no-holds-barred battle of ambition. The entire cast performs above and beyond the call of duty, with Katherine Hepburn as the splendid Eleanor of Aquitaine, a woman out of legend, and Peter O'Toole as the indomitable Henry Plantagenet, King of England.
Rating:
Summary: great film, bare bones dvd edition
Review: This is such a great film, with a fantastic cast, fine script and spectacular premise. Peter O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn put the "fun" in "dysfunctional family" as they flex their chops, and Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton debut in James Goldman's adaptation of his play. For the Christmas holidays Henry II has released his wife, Eleanor of Aquitane, from the prison in which he has held her for 10 years, since she led an uprising against him. The heir, Prince Henry, is dead, and the three remaining sons are vying for the title of heir apparent as their parents negotiate, manipulate and deceive each other. A lifetime of memory and bitterness is always ready to burst from them, and sparks fly in the many interactions that transpire between the characters. This movie will help anyone feel better about their own weird family! Special features are a mediocre -- a trailer and audio commentary by director Anthony Harvey. Subtitles are available in French or Spanish. (I wish English captions had been included as well.) This is an incredible film that deserves a better dvd edition, but I can't bring myself to give it anything but 5 stars anyway. Terrific.
Rating:
Summary: I know that you know that I know...
Review: that there will be pork in the tree tops by morning!!" A witty, wonderful, tongue-in-cheek costume drama about Henry II, King of England, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine and their malevolent, scheming children, Richard, Geoffrey and John. Kate Hepburn and Peter O'Toole (who looks great in a beard) are wonderful together. A young Anthony Hopkins plays the depressive Richard (it's hard to imagine how this Richard became known as the Lion Hearted...), and Nigel Terry as the disgusting John. They whine, they lie, they plot, they zing each other with sarcastic one-liners, they gather private armies and threaten borders. These dysfunctional Royals from the 12th Century make Charles and Diana look like Ward and June!!
Rating:
Summary: An Interesting Drama wtih Plots and a Real Life Family
Review: I am a sucker for old movies. When I first saw The Lion in Winter, I fell in love with Timothy Dalton as King Philip II. He was amazing! I love to watch this movie because it doesn't portray women as ditzy people and the family is real!! They hate eachother and have their ups and downs. Everyone is plotting against everyone else and its one of the best movies that I have watched in a long time. But if you're looking for a comedy, this is not your movie...I mean, it has humor but its dry not laughing so hard you could cry. It is a very good film and I recomend it to anyone
Rating:
Summary: My favorite movie!
Review: This is a wonderfully done film built on the story of the most fascinatingly dysfunctional family in all of history. It was shot in France and Britain, and the level of acting is just something you don't get out of Hollywood. Katharine Hepburn's Eleanor of Aquitaine is probably the finest performance of her career, which is saying quite a bit. Peter O'Toole and Hepburn play off of one another with amazing force and passion, and Anthony Hopkins and the rest of the cast also perform magnificently. The script is wonderful too- blackly funny and witty at times and strongly emotional at others. Rent it!
Rating:
Summary: What A Knowledgable Family!
Review: First things first: I LOVE THIS MOVIE! Katherine Hepburn is marvelous as Eleanor of Acquitane, and as such, gives Medea a run for her money as the Most Manipulative Mother in History. Be sure to check out a VERY young pre-Sir Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton. 5 out of 5!
Rating:
Summary: The best of its kind.
Review: This is a movie for people who are interested in more than special effects and inane dialogue. Contrary to most, if not all, of what is spewed out of Hollywood these days to an increasingly undiscerning audience, this one requires some thought and attention. The dialogue, at times, demonstrates the heights to which prose can rise, and the situations are as real as any that the common person might face. Alienation from loved ones, striking out at those we love because they hurt us, failing to gain what we seek because we accept less than what we truely desire; in short, the common human experience. Yet it ends on a positive note, one that affirms that the deeds of the past may yet be swallowed by the possibilities to come. The acting is well done, and the characters well defined. It is a movie that stands apart, and one that will be remembered by all who demand quality in their entertainment.
Rating: 
Summary: talk talk talk ...
Review: This movie is impossible to watch. It's embarassingly melodramatic, running at full volume, no doubt to hide its lack of structure. The characters are always making anachronistic historical points. Its obsession with royal issues would give even the british press a headache. But worst of all -- the incredibly pointless, endless and unpretty scenery shots. No, that's not the worst part -- I forgot the fact that these are the worst performances imaginable by these actors. I've never seen Anthony Hopkins this bad. Or Peter O'Toole so over-the-top. Or Katherine Hepburn so desperately asking herself "how am I going to make this interesting?" This pseudo-psycho-history holds up so badly and seems so unreal today, that it will be completely forgotten 20 years hence and good riddance. [Sappy] poetic obsessions with cartoon historical figures have seen their last days, I hope, I hope ...
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent in every aspect...
Review: I have never seen a costume drama this small in scope be so compelling. Katharine Hepburn's Oscar-winning performance as Eleanor of Aquitaine is everything it is made out to be. Peter O'Toole earned an Oscar nomination - and should have won. (But, like always, he "real best actor" lost.)
It's almost comical to see Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) and James Bond (Timothy Dalton) in such small roles. The former is wonderful as the emotionally distressed Prince Richard; the latter is equally as entertaining as the sneaky Philip II. Nigel Terry is appropriately annoying as Prince John. But John Castle is, in my opinon, the best of the actors playing the three sons of Eleanor and Henry II. His performance as Prince Geoffrey equals O'Toole's as the English king.
John Barry's musical score is almost as wonderful as the acting. The cinematography is closed-in and almost uncomfortable at times, but it suits the nervous atmosphere of the film very well.
10 out 10, definitely.
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