Christmas, 1183, fifty year-old King Henry II of England is hosting his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine (who he keeps imprisoned in a tower in France), and children in a nice family celebration of the holidays...
The Lion in Winter is a stage play adapted to the screen by its author James Goldman. As such, it is as well written as any Shakespeare adaptation I've seen. The plot concerns Henry's deliberations on who best to succeed him on the throne and the maneuverings of the various princes and Queen Eleanor to try to influence the King's decisions.
Helping drive the action along is the fabulous dialog between the main characters Henry (Peter O'Toole) and Eleanor (Katharine Hepburn). What a treat it is to see the bickering among the royals! There are wisecracks by the bushel. You'll laugh. You'll cry. There is no way my words can do justice to the delivery by these two fine actors. It has to be seen to be appreciated.
In my opinion, this is the best performance by either O'Toole or Hepburn, despite many, many others. They are perfect for the roles. Despite Hepburn being about twice as old as O'Toole in real life, they are made up to look very similar in age. Together, they provide an electrifying performance as the royal couple. After a terrific knockdown, drag-out battle that leaves the viewer breathless, Eleanor simply says, "All families have their ups and downs." !!??
Supporting cast includes a young Anthony Hopkins as Richard the Lionhearted, and his brothers John and Geoffrey, played by Nigel Terry and John Castle. These three perform well but do not begin to come close to the principal players performances. Richard does have a few good lines and his homosexuality is outed by young Timothy Dalton as King Phillip of France, who was also invited to the dinner. Dalton does a good job of portraying a foppish, bitter king who had much of his kingdom stolen by Henry years earlier. See Becket, also starring Peter O'Toole, which details this part of the story if you are interested.
The setting is mainly in the drafty halls of an 11th Century Norman Keep, well photographed by Douglas Slocombe. Music, horns and chants, by John Barry also sets a regal tone.
Incidentally, Henry's children, Richard and John, figure in the legend of Robin Hood, with Richard the good king and John the usurper.
For those who enjoy a drama with electrifying dialogue and little action, this is your movie. Also recommended are O'Toole in Becket, and The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring the inimitable Errol Flynn.
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