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Storyline
King Henry II (Patrick Stewart) keeps his wife, Eleanor (Glenn Close) locked away in the towers because of her frequent attempts to overthrow him. With Eleanor out of the way he can have his dalliances with his young mistress (Yuliya Vysotskaya). Needless to say the queen is not pleased, although she still has affection for the king. Working through her sons, she plots the king's demise and the rise of her second and preferred son, Richard (Andrew Howard), to the throne. The youngest son, John (Rafe Spall), an overweight buffoon and the only son holding his father's affection is the king's choice after the death of his first son, young Henry. But John is also overly eager for power and is willing to plot his father's demise with middle brother, Geoffrey (John Light) and the young king of France, Phillip (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). Geoffrey, of course sees his younger brother's weakness and sees that route as his path to power. Obviously political and court intrigue ensues. Written by
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All of Britain and half of France were his kingdom. But there was one thing Henry II would never control . . . His Family. (DVD)
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Did You Know?
Goofs
Henry breaks the ice on his water basin in order to wash, but the room is warm enough that no one's breath frosts the air.
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Quotes
John:
He has a knife, a knife!
Eleanor of Aquitaine:
Of course he has a knife! I have a knife. We all have knives. It's 1183 and we're all barbarians!
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I have seem 20-30 historical movies and this is by far the best. I never thought improvement of the O'Toole/Hepburn classic was possible, but I was wrong. This one gives a more accurate portrayal of the times and how little England as a country was to the Empire. The monarchy was more of a landlord and accumulating wealth was the order of the day. This was done through good governing and fear, as this movie accurately depicted. It was especially gratifying to see that the role of all the children was established. The original was based more on the King and Queen, with not as much emphasis on collateral figures. And, the acting was spectacular.