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 (Peter O'Toole) 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 (Nigel Terry) to take over. Henry's wife, Queen Eleanor (Katharine Hepburn), has other ideas. She believes their son Prince Richard (Sir Anthony Hopkins) should be King. As the family and various schemers gather for the holiday, each tries to make the indecisive King choose his or her 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 Lion in Winter" is about love and hate between a man and a woman and their sons. It's also about politics, vengeance, greed and ambition. It other words it's about life.

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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:

The Lion in Winter

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,339, 18 December 2016

Gross USA:

$18,177

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$18,177

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

The only movie that year to be nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress Oscars.

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Goofs

In describing Eleanor, Henry references Camelot. Camelot was first mentioned in the poem "Lancelot, le Chevalier de la Charrette" (c. 1177) by Chrétien de Troyes, and only in passing without any description. De Troyes served at the court of Eleanor's daughter until 1172, so Henry most-likely knew of him, but it is unlikely that Henry knew of the poem.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Henry II: Come for me!

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Alternate Versions

The roadshow release included an overture and entr'acte, and had an intermission, but the general release version did not.

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Connections

Featured in Maltin on Movies: Medieval Special 2 (2012)

User Reviews

the lion is king of the jungle, and of England

Katharine Hepburn won her third Oscar for "The Lion in Winter", playing brassy queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Her role is sort of an interesting counterbalance to Peter O'Toole, as King Henry II. That is, she's elderly and he's young. Maybe it was an allusion to the growing generation gap in the world at the time.

But anyway, this is what epic tales of royalty are supposed to be. It shows Henry's conflicts in wondering who will succeed him. Never dragging, the movie truly gives one the feeling of being with these people and understanding their lives. One of the most interesting scenes - in my opinion at least - is when Eleanor says something about sex. I usually wouldn't expect someone of Katharine Hepburn's generation mention sex in a movie. But she does a great job here (well duh). Also starring are a very young Anthony Hopkins and an even younger Timothy Dalton. All in all, "The Lion in Winter" is a perfect movie in every way, and affirmed 1968 as one of the best movie years ever, with "2001: A Space Odyssey", "Funny Girl", "The Odd Couple", "The Planet of the Apes", "Romeo and Juliet", "Candy", "The Night of the Living Dead" and "Bullitt".