The Lion in Winter
by Anthony Harvey
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DVD details
Actor: Anthony Hopkins, John Castle, Katharine Hepburn, Nigel Terry, Peter O'TooleDirector: Anthony Harvey
Cinematographer: Douglas Slocombe
Editor: John Bloom
Producer: Jane C. Nusbaum
Producer: Joseph E. Levine
Producer: Martin Poll
Writer: James Goldman
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 2.35:1
Running Time: 134 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-06-19
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
DVD Reviews of The Lion in Winter
DVD Review: Old married King and Queen in a love-hate relationship
Summary: 4 Stars
The middle ages is not kind to divine right (robber baron) kings
who live by their wits and strength of arms.
Were there ever any royal "good sons" in England?
In this movie three kings of England appear: Henry II, Richard the Lionhearted and Prince John. We are told that Richard is gay
and that John is a buffoon, while the middle brother on who history is remarkably silent is a conspirator.
The classic interchange between Henry and Eleanor is probably what made this a great movie,
but the stagging, costumes and casting are just very, very good with
several great actors in the supporting role.
The dialog just tears holes in reality that seem beyond repair?
DVD Review: The power has not neither scruples nor ethic codes!
Summary: 5 Stars
This remarkable retelling of acerbic wits from James Goldman's play has as central focus the dazzling performance of Mrs. Katherine Hepburn who (to my mind made her most towering masterwork along her well known artistic trajectory) as Leonor of Acquitaine who matches with her lovely hated husband Henry II (Peter O' Toole). This tormented relationship of struggling power deals with the well known conflict of interests respect the next successor of the Royal crown. The King has his eyes focused in John (Nigel Terry) a very singled-mind and easily handled, while Leonor has her hopes centered on Richard (Anthony Hopkins in his debut) , but the the third son Geoffrey also aspires and so, after the previous agreement established by Henry II and the King of France Philip the state of things will reach its boiling point.
We will presence this dark plot of personal ambitions, unstoppable thirst of power, overpowering greediness, betrayal and double crosses. Father versus son, brother versus brother, mother versus sons; a true scorpions ` nest which reminds a twist of fate respect the monumental Shakespeare's "King Lear".
The semiotic language is another remarkable aspect to cite. Watch for instance two clever sequences, the first one when John is relegated by his father in the middle of a rough discussion, and falls close to a cage of pigs, giving a regrettable speech. The other deals when the King in the middle of the night irrupts through the subterranean levels of his castle where the dogs bark just when the Real guards make their appearance.
The formidable cinematographic rhythm (although its undeniable theatrical nature), the fabulous illumination, the splendid script, accurate direction, the acidic speeches and this priceless cast make of this film a true classic and one of the most notable artistic achievements ever made.
A film that should not be absent from your invaluable collection.
DVD Review: Sheer Delight
Summary: 5 Stars
The older I get the more I love this comedy-drama about the competition among the three sons of Henry II (Peter O'Toole) and Eleanor of Aquitaine (Katherine Hepburn), over who will succeed Henry as King of England (and, at the time, much of France). Henry keeps Eleanor locked up in prison in England most of the year while he pursues romances with much younger women, but he brings her over to France for annual his Christmas court, and the sparring begins. Eleanor favors the competent but possibly homosexual eldest son Richard; Henry favors spoiled, bizarre John. Middle son Jeff is not even under consideration, to his great resentment. All three of the sons are happy to work with the conniving King Philip of France to betray their parents to get what they want. Line after line of witty, thoughtful dialogue woven into a dense exploration of power, politics, and family relationships in medieval Europe. It's almost impossible to imagine such an intelligent, tightly focused script being filmed any more, not by the studios, not by the independents. The castle is authentically primitive with mud, straw-strewn floors and mangy-looking dogs wandering everywhere. Hepburn and O'Toole's performances may seem hammy to some, but the obvious delight they take in each other is infectious. Although their marriage was motivated by politics (England wanted the vast European territory Eleanor stood to inherit), theirs was for many years a true love match. It's heartbreaking as they look back from their old age at the passion they once shared and confront the horrors their sons have become. At the end, after all their manipulations and maneuverings against each other to try to ensure that John or Richard will succeed Henry, it's clear that Henry and Eleanor still have great affection and respect for each other. Henry calls out to Eleanor as she sails back to her English jail, "I hope we live forever." You wish this remarkable, immensely entertaining couple would do just that. DVD Review: Tennessee Williams meets Ivanhoe!
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie shares the top spot on my personal ten best list with "2001: A Space Odyssey". Play/screenwriter James Goldman had the idea of putting the spirit and dialogue of a Tennessee Williams family-centered drama into a well known medieval setting: The household of Henry II, Plantagenet, of England, brilliantly played by Peter O'Toole, and it works unlike any other medieval period piece you've ever seen!
The Plantagenet family is as dysfunctional as anything you've seen in "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" or "Suddenly Last Summer", with covetous children, ("Excalibur's" Nigel Terry, "Blow-Up's" John Castle and Anthony Hopkins, doing a bad Richard Burton imitation,) lusting after their parents' land and power, and a king who has imprisoned his wife, Queen Consort Eleanor of Aquitaine, mother of his three sons, for ten years due to conspiratorial behavior. This role is played by the brilliant Katherine Hepburn.
This is topped off by a near familial connection with the truly Machiavellian, newly crowned king of France, Philip II, played by an unrecognizable Timothy Dalton. He plays the Plantagenets like a harp, corrupting the oldest, Richard (yes, the "Lionhearted",) and holding the betrothal of his sister to Richard over Henry's head like the Sword of Damocles. Through all of this, Henry and Eleanor spar with each other AND their sons over the heirs they prefer to succeed Henry, the king PLAYING like he favors the gimpish John so as to get concessions out of Eleanor and Richard, and Eleanor favoring Richard, who she has apparently turned into the ultimate momma's boy. Both of them generally ignore the vastly more presentable and level headed Geoffrey, whom Henry and Philip see as a bit of a weasel. Geoffrey makes his resentment for generally being ignored by Henry and Eleanor known throughout the movie, and you have to wonder, as the brood is portrayed by the actors here, why DID they disdain him?! Henry states HIS take on Geoffrey pretty succinctly: "Geoffrey...! There's a masterpiece! He isn't flesh, he's a DEVICE! He's wheels and GEARS...!"
The deep, personal bollides are thrown back and forth like ninja stars in this drama, gouging each character to the bone. Henry:"I'm vilifying you, for God's sake! Pay attention!!" Eleanor: "How many spindly, ricket-ridden, milky, wizened, dim-eyed, gammy-handed, limpid line of THINGS, will you beget?" Geoffrey: (Dripping sarcasm) "I know...you know I know...I KNOW you know I know. We know Henry knows, and Henry knows we know it. We're a knowledgeable family!" Eleanor: "Be Richard's chancellor!" Geoffrey: "Rot!" Eleanor: "Sons? That is the ONE THING of which I would think you'd have had enough! We could populate a country town with country girls who bore you sons! How many are there? Let me count the [...]!" John: "If I should suddenly burst into flames, there isn't a living soul who would pee on me to put the fire out!" Richard: "Let's strike a flint and see..." I'm not even sure "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" was this entertaining, dysfunctionality-wise!
Geoffrey and John ally themselves with Philip and things really get heavy as they witness the most shocking scene in the movie from behind a tapestry in Philip's guest quarters. This scene may actually be the basis for the erroneous assertion that Richard the Lionhearted was gay. He probably wasn't. If he were, and considering that this was roughly taking place during the same period as the Spanish Inquisition was getting started, chances are both Philip AND Richard would have been excommunicated SOOOO fast, their heads would have spun, if not been lopped off!
O'Toole and Hepburn chew the scenery like pros, and you'll wonder why O'Toole didn't win an Oscar for best actor for what is easily his best role ever. This film revived Hepburn's career and launched those of Dalton, Hopkins and Terry. (And only won FIVE Academy Awards!)
NOWHERE will you find a more effective and entertaining movie with a medieval setting, and I defy you to come away from viewing this film without becoming a MAJOR fan of Peter O'Toole or Katherine Hepburn's prodigious acting talents!
HIGHLY recommended!
DVD Review: A lamentable mess
Summary: 2 Stars
I was so excited to get this DVD and watch it, and was truly hoping to love this movie. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. The constant drama, scheming and wrangling, excessively verbose rambling dialogues and bellowing were non-stop. Ambition was the only trait any character had. The intensity was ratcheted very high, and never ebbed or flowed. It was one dimensional the entire way through. The lines are often horribly delivered, by amazing actors no less, and I blame the script. While I understood the plot perfectly, I could not relate to any characters drive and motives, it was so overdone. I couldn't summon up any emotional connection for these characters, except slightly for Princess Alais.
There were many main characters, 7 to be exact, and 0 other characters. No secondary characters. They basically had the screen all to themselves most of the movie. Extras were rarely seen, and never had their characters developed. No interesting ladies maids, castle servants, etc. These 7 people were given pretty much the entire script. This was better suited for the stage.
The makeup on Katherine Hepburn was horrendous. Good lord, they weren't wearing makeup then, just wash the womans face and let her act. The set was well done however, very believable, although it could have been a bit more elegant I thought, considering their stature as King and Queen. It was very drab in coloring, and I realize this may have been to lend it authenticy, but they never took any opportunity to use color strategically. In one scene, all three princes, plus the queen are standing together all wearing brown. Nothing to break up the monotony.(Many period pieces can be colorful yet authentic, Braveheart, for example.) This movie came off more as an onstage play that happened to be filmed. I was tired when it was over. This will be going to the donation bin for me. I will, however, give the Glenn Close/Patrick Stewart version a shot, as I really do love a good historical period piece.
Description of The Lion in Winter
Katharine Hepburn delivers an amazing (Variety), Oscar?(r)-winning* performance 'that must be seen to be believed (Boxoffice) in this dazzling (Los Angeles Times) all-star film that is not to be missed. Behind the great stone walls of an English castle, the world's most powerful empire is in crisis. Three sons struggle to win their father's favoras well as his crown. King Henry II (Peter O'toole) and his queen, Eleanor (Katharine Hepburn), engage ina battle of royal wits that pits elder son Richard (Anthony Hopkins) against his brothers, while the cunning King Philip of France (Timothy Dalton) takes advantage of the internal fracturing in his bid to destroy their kingdom. *1968: ActressIn this 12th-century version of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Henry II of England (Peter O'Toole) and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine (Katharine Hepburn), meet on Christmas Eve to discuss the future of the throne. These two are having slight marital problems, as she is kept in captivity most of the year for raising a rebellion against him, and he flaunts his young mistress. Then there are the problems raised by their three treacherous and traitorous sons.
James Goldman won an Oscar? for the brilliant screenplay, based on his Broadway play. It is a tad wordy, as the action is kept to a minimum, but those words are sharp as daggers. The humor is wicked and black and delivered with very dry, dead-on precision. Sparks fly and the screen sizzles whenever Hepburn and O'Toole tango, which is often. Both were nominated for Academy Awards? for their vigorous performances. (She won; he didn't.) There's also an infamous homo-erotic exchange between Philip of France (Timothy Dalton) and Richard the Lionhearted (Anthony Hopkins). Both actors were making their feature-film debuts. --Rochelle O'Gorman
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