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The Lion in Winter (1968)
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Overview
User Rating:
Your Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
30 October 1968 (USA)
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Tagline:
The most significant reserved seat attraction of the year!
Plot:
1183 AD: King Henry II's three sons all want to inherit the throne, but he won't commit to a choice. They and his wife variously plot to force him. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Won 3 Oscars.
Another 11 wins
&
16 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(17 articles)
Quiz: Who won two consecutive Oscars?
(From Gold Derby. 9 February 2010, 4:42 PM, PST)
Peter Murton, Acclaimed Production Designer, Passes Away
(From CinemaRetro. 6 February 2010, 9:05 AM, PST)
(From Gold Derby. 9 February 2010, 4:42 PM, PST)
Peter Murton, Acclaimed Production Designer, Passes Away
(From CinemaRetro. 6 February 2010, 9:05 AM, PST)
User Reviews:
Possibly the best dialogue ever written for a film... ever.
more (141 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Peter O'Toole | ... | Henry II | |
| Katharine Hepburn | ... | Eleanor of Aquitaine | |
| Anthony Hopkins | ... | Richard | |
| John Castle | ... | Geoffrey | |
| Nigel Terry | ... | John | |
| Timothy Dalton | ... | King Philip of France | |
| Jane Merrow | ... | Alais | |
| Nigel Stock | ... | Capt. William Marshall | |
| Kenneth Ives | ... | Queen Eleanor's guard | |
| O.Z. Whitehead | ... | Bishop of Durham | |
| Fran Stafford | ... | Lady in Waiting | |
| Ella More | ... | Lady in Waiting | |
| Kenneth Griffith | ... | Strolling player | |
| Henry Woolf | ... | Strolling player | |
| Karol Hagar | ... | Strolling player |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
134 min | UK:137 min (70 mm version)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) |
Mono (35 mm prints)
Certification:
Iceland:16 |
Australia:PG |
Canada:PG (Ontario) |
Argentina:13 |
Finland:K-12 |
Sweden:11 |
USA:PG |
West Germany:12 |
Germany:16 |
Portugal:M/12 (DVD rating) |
Singapore:PG |
Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) |
UK:A (original rating) |
UK:15 (video rating)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The original Broadway stage production written by James Goldman opened at the Ambassador Theatre in New York on March 3, 1966 and ran for 92 performances. The cast included Rosemary Harris as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Robert Preston as Henry II, and Christopher Walken as King Philip of France. Rosemary Harris won the 1966 Tony Award (New York City) for Actress in a Drama. A 1999 revival starred Stockard Channing as Eleanor and Laurence Fishburne as Henry II.
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Goofs:
Anachronisms: The song Alais sings while Henry is fighting John is called "Allon, Gay Bergeres." This chanson was written by Guillaume Costeley during the Renaissance, nearly 400 years after the events in the movie take place.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in Media Vita in Morte Sumus (1993) (V)
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FAQ
Is this movie based on a novel?Is this movie based on real events?
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I love this film. I love this film. I am not sure that I can say that phrase enough when describing this movie. Lion in Winter is quite simply one of the strangest and most beautiful movies that I have ever seen. It is some wierd amalgam of a 'home for the hollidays' type family drama, and Machiavellian political intrigue.
The essential plot is that it is 1183 and Henry II must declare his successor to the Plantagenet throne. He invites his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine (played by Katherine Hepburn), who is in exile, and his sons to along with king of France, to Christmas dinner. Over the course of the evening truths are told and arguments are had, the film rolls over all of the conventions of the many genres that it plays with and turns them into something new and beautiful.
The film could have been written by Machiavelli himself, and often smacks of the Mandragola. The film demonstrates family disfunction within a very interesting, medieval paradigm. While the film is about issues such as family, loyalty and love, ultimately is most gratifying as a vehicle for O'Toole and Hepburn to chew the scenery and dig into a few truly juicy roles.
It is fantastic film that any lover of dialogue driven drama-comedy should rent and watch over and over again.