The Lion in Winter (1968)

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:

Christmas | Throne | Mistress | King Henry II | England

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
David Griffith	...	Strolling player (as Mark Griffith)

Directed by
Anthony Harvey

Writing credits
James Goldman		(play)
James Goldman		(screenplay)

Produced by
Joseph E. Levine	....	executive producer
Jane C. Nusbaum	....	associate producer
Martin Poll	....	producer

Original Music by
John Barry

Cinematography by
Douglas Slocombe

Film Editing by
John Bloom

Casting by
Paul Lee Lander

Art Direction by
Peter Murton

Costume Design by
Margaret Furse

Makeup Department
Bill Lodge	....	makeup artist
A.G. Scott	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Basil Appleby	....	production manager
Jim Brennan	....	unit manager
René Brun	....	production manager: France
Víctor Merenda	....	production manager: France
John Quested	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Al Burgess	....	second assistant director
Kip Gowans	....	assistant director
Patrick O'Brien	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Ted Clements	....	assistant art director
Peter James	....	set dresser
Gilbert Margerie	....	art director: France
Gus Walker	....	construction manager

Sound Department
Chris Greenham	....	sound editor
Gerry Humphreys	....	dubbing mixer (as Gerry Humphries)
Simon Kaye	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael Browne	....	chief electrician (as Michael Brown)
Robin Vidgeon	....	assistant camera
Michael Walter	....	grip
Chic Waterson	....	camera operator
Keith Blake	....	clapper loader (uncredited)
Bob Penn	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Robert Willoughby	....	special still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
David Baker	....	wardrobe
Vi Murray	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Lesley Walker	....	assistant editor

Music Department
John Barry	....	conductor
Sidney Margo	....	music contractor (uncredited)
Robert Richards	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Pamela Carlton	....	continuity
Jilda Smith	....	production secretary
Emanuel Azenberg	....	play associate producer: Broadway (uncredited)
Walter Hyman	....	play producer: Broadway (uncredited)
Alan King	....	play producer: Broadway (uncredited)
Eugene V. Wolsk	....	play producer: Broadway (uncredited)

Production Companies

• AVCO Embassy
• Haworth Productions

Distributors

• Embassy Pictures Corporation (1968) (USA) (theatrical)
• AVCO Embassy (1968) (UK) (theatrical)
• BMG Video (1998) (UK) (VHS)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (1986) (UK) (VHS)
• Globo Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (1994) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Momentum Pictures Home Entertainment (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Nelson Entertainment (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1981) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2000) (UK) (VHS)

Other Companies

• L. & H. Nathan  costumes
• Lee Lighting  lighting
• Solters & Digney  publicity

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:

Eleanor greets King Philip by telling him that she could have been his mother. This is in fact, true. Eleanor's first husband, Louis VII, later fathered Alais by his second wife and Philip by his third. Eleanor's marriage to Louis was annulled by the Pope when she was unable to bear him sons. She gave Henry five boys, two of whom died before the action of the movie takes place.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the fight between Eleanor's guard and the jail-keep, Eleanor's guard pushes the other against the wall and knocks the sword out of his hand. When the jail-keep draws his knife, suddenly Eleanor's guard is against the wall instead.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Henry II: Come for me!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The West Wing: H. Con-172 (#3.11)" (2002)

THE film of 1968!

What were those Academy fools thinking?! They ignore a powerhouse performance by Peter O'Toole and trounce Anthony Harvey's inspiring direction! But the final indignity was in giving the best picture award to an over-praised, undeserving, insignificant musical called OLIVER! If they had a least half a brain in their heads they could've given to FUNNY GIRL but they only shoot themselves in the foot when the deserving go unrecognized. It only goes to show the Academy's just jealous. The script and Kate's performance at least were given the royal treatment but it still leaves bitter resentment when Cliff Roberston, one of Hollywood's most less-than-adequate actors cops the best actor away from O'Toole... possibly Hollywood's most underrated, not to mention unrecognized actors of the highest caliber. Hepburn's Eleanor of Aquitaine had witty lines, quiet but still present anger and fire underneath the surface but O'Toole as Henry II gave the more powerful performance... an aesthetic that echoed Taylor and Burton for WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? only Taylor was the gutsy performer and Burton doled out the cut-lows and the intellect. To coin a phrase from the British... "he (O'Toole) was bloody robbed!"

The story is set in Britain, 1183. Henry II is on the throne and has ten years earlier imprisoned his wife Eleanor of Acquitaine after co-conspirating a civil war against him. She and their three sons (Richard, the eldest, a brave warrior on the battlefield, whom Eleanor wants to succeed Henry as king; Geoffrey, the quietly vicious, unappreciated middle son of whom neither of them love with a plot for every occurrence and John, the piggish, dirty, thieving brat is their youngest whom Henry for some unknown reason wants on the throne) are all requested to appear at their palace of Chinon for the Christmas holidays. Also invited is young King Philip II of France whose elder sister Alais is the treasured and much-loved mistress to Henry. Philip wishes to have Alais mearried off to one of Henry's sons (preferably Richard) in order to form an alliance between England and France made between Henry and Philip's father, the late King Louis. But meanwhile, Philip is also plotting with all three boys and Eleanor to tear Henry's kingdom apart. Eleanor is merely in on it to get back at Henry for loving Alais (whom she had raised as a surrogate daughter) and the late Rosmund, an old rival of Eleanor's whom Henry replaced her with.

This film has it all: infidelity, betrayal, family dysfunction and a script that crackles with venom, wit and plot-twisting motivation. See it if only for O'Toole and Hepburn's first-rate performances.