The Lion in Winter (2003) (TV)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Andrei Konchalovsky

Writers (WGA):

James Goldman (play)
James Goldman (teleplay)

Release Date:

23 May 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

All of Britain and half of France were his kingdom. But there was one thing Henry II would never control . . . His Family. (DVD)

Plot:

King Henry II (Patrick Stewart) keeps his wife, Eleanor (Glenn Close) locked away in the towers because of her frequent attempts to overthrow him...

Plot Keywords:

King Henry II | Plantagenet | Brother Brother Relationship | Royalty | Politically Divided Family

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Glenn Close	...	Eleanor of Aquitaine
Andrew Howard	...	Richard
Patrick Stewart	...	King Henry II
Antal Konrád	...	Toastmaster
John Light	...	Geoffrey
Soma Marko	...	Young Prince John
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	...	Philip
Rafe Spall	...	Prince John
Yuliya Vysotskaya	...	Alais
Clive Wood	...	William Marshall

Runtime:

Brazil:153 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Spain:7 | Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-15

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Company:

Flying Freehold Productions

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: 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.

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!

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2004) (TV)

New adaptation for TV from classic film such brilliant as the original

The picture is set in Christmas 1183, the medieval monarch Henry II(Patrick Stewart) finds surrounded by astute and ambitious relatives which want to regain politics and personnel rewards.The king pretends announce his heir and invites his estranged wife Eleanor of Aquitaine(Glenn Close)imprisoned by conspiracy, also comes the King Philip II of France(Jonathan Rhys Meyers).Both confront wits over the succession to the English throne and much else .The heir election between the three sons,the valiant Richard(Howard),the opportunist Geoffrey(Light) and the the vain,useful John(Spall) will originate intrigues,blackmail and hates.The grown brothers are fraught with tension rapidly changing alliances and completed with a cutting edge psychological manipulation .In spite of possession a kingdom spread all Great Britain and halve France, there's one thing which Henry II never could to control : his own family.

The film is inspired on true events,thus occurred certainly the sons' rebellion incited by Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine for the marriage King Henry II inherited the occidental France ,however the coup failed and Henry ordered her entry into a convent but she was freed when died Henry and Richard Lionheart was crowned until the third crusade(intervening along with Philip II and vanquished Acre)which was crowned John with no Land.This English domain over France will cause length conflict known the hundred years wars(1339-1453).Besides appears famous knight William Marshall(Clive Wood) and is mentioned the enemy archbishop Thomas Becket whom ordered to kill(played another film by Richard Burton and again Henry II by Peter O'Toole). Besides Philip AugustusII Capeto(Jonathan Rhys Meyers)who truly combated against Henry II and his sons Richard and John whom defeated in Bouvines(1214) battle.

This television movie is an excellent costume epoch drama with superb dialog and magnificently realized medieval personages.Patrick Stewart and Glenn Close make triumphant characterizations.This brilliantly scriptwritten picture rendered from his own play by James Goldman. The atmospheric and spectacular music is by Richard Hartley.

Sensational production design by Roger Hall. The film is well directed by Andrei Konchalovsky(Siberiada). The flick will like to medieval drama buffs and historic cinema enthusiastic