The Lion in Winter (1968)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Anthony Harvey

Writers:

James Goldman (play)
James Goldman (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 October 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History

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.

Plot Keywords:

Estranged Wife | Battle Of The Sexes | British History | Dysfunctional Family | Dysfunctional Marriage

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

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

Runtime:

134 min | UK:137 min (70 mm version)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

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:

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

Company:

AVCO Embassy

Trivia:

Katharine Hepburn affectionately referred to Peter O'Toole as "pig" during filming. Every day at five o'clock the two would unwind over a cigarette and a glass of white wine.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Eleanor refers to syphilis in 1183, although the first recorded outbreak was in 1494. The term 'syphilis' wasn't coined until 1530.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Henry II: Come for me!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Media Vita in Morte Sumus (1993) (V)

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".