The Lion in Winter (1968)

1183 A.D.: 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.

Director:

Anthony Harvey

Writers:

James Goldman (screenplay), James Goldman (play)

Stars:

Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins

Won 3 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 18 nominations.

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	...	Philip II
Jane Merrow	...	Alais
Nigel Stock	...	William Marshal
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

Storyline

It's Christmas 1183, and King Henry II is planning to announce his successor to the throne. The jockeying for the crown, though, is complex. Henry has three sons and wants his boy Prince John to take over. Henry's wife, Queen Eleanor, has other ideas. She believes their son Prince Richard should be king. As the family and various schemers gather for the holiday, each tries to make the indecisive king choose their option.

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Plot Keywords:

king henry ii | extramarital affair | british royal family | royalty | husband wife relationship | 

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Taglines:

The most significant reserved seat attraction of the year!

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 October 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

El león en invierno

Filming Locations:

Abbaye de Montmajour, Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,339, 16 December 2016, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$22,276,975, 20 January 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

Haworth Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min 137 min (70 mm)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Mono (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor) (uncredited)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the first time that Peter O'Toole filmed in his native Ireland.

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Goofs

A point of contention in the film is how many sons Henry has. Henry fathered 5 legitimate sons (William, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, John) and, as Eleanor alludes to, many illegitimate children, including two sons that he acknowledged. One of those illegitimate sons, Geoffrey of York, was raised in the royal household by Eleanor. Geoffrey of York was the only one of Henry's children to attend him at his deathbed.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Henry II: Come for me!

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Connections

Referenced in NCIS: Los Angeles: Blame It on Rio (2015)

User Reviews

Possibly the best dialogue ever written for a film... ever.

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.