The Lion in Winter

During the beginning the film, when Henry II played by Peter O'Toole and Eleanor of Aquitaine played by Katherine Hepburn, meet for the annual Christmas fête during which the queen is released from imprisonment for purely ceremonial purposes.The opening quips reveal the nature of their adversarial relationship and of things to come.Henry II: How was your crossing? Did the waters part for you?Eleanor: It went flat when I told it to; I did not think to ask for more.How dear of you to let me out of jail.This depiction is priceless and a perfect indicator of the events to come during this Yuletide family reunion; which to say the least, a graphic depiction of the power struggle between Eleanor and Henry.This is a simplified depiction based upon fact; however, the overwhelming complexities of the history of The Duchy of Aquitaine, which at one time made up a third of France cannot be told with any coherency in a single film.There are other films such as Beckett and A Man For All Seasons; just to name a few, which provide minuscule insights into the history of medieval French and English histories which are better left to learned scholars in academia.These films are filled with historical inaccuracies and typically portray the various players simplistically as either entirely villainous or victims with whom the audience is entirely sympathetic to.It is the same with The Lion in Winter which, as are the numerous other productions chronicling the events of that period, are nothing but elaborate stagings that are meant to showcase the considerable talents of extraordinarily gifted actors.While the depictions of verbal fencing and intrigues are oversimplified they are nonetheless imbued with an appreciable quality that make them highly entertaining and believable; provided you don't take them too seriously.Hepburn and O'Toole are consummate actors blessed with rare talent; they are intellectual equals as are the characters they portray.The scenes of Ms. Hepburn's interaction with her various offspring in an effort to curry their favor are impressively touching as they are harshly revealing of the complexities of a formidable woman attempting to assess and influence her children; each endowed with decidedly different traits, temperaments and ambitions.The portrayal of the children themselves as individuals or interacting with one another are well served by enhancements in the script which tend to overstate the qualities of the characters. As I previously indicated, this technique is vital to differentiating the personae of each character, making it easier for the viewer to understand and relate to the character.Each scene is depicted with flawlessly targeted precision and dispenses with any superfluous embellishments and contain carefully placed moments of humor that preclude the need for overstated scenarios of comic relief in the strict Shakespearian sense.Although the premise of this film is that of a period drama, the plot is presented in such a way as to portray the lives of Henry's family as a modern, highly dysfunctional family gathered for a Christmas holiday in crisis mode, which makes the subject matter easier for the audience to understand and relate to.Mr. O'Tooles' performance is nothing less then perfection that is augmented by his strong intuitive sense of understanding how to navigate the complexities of interpreting his character in a completely convincing manner that is finely synchronized with the sensibilities of the audience.For the most part, the plot deftly conveys the essence of the storyline and is thoroughly entertaining, making each scene an enticement to look deeper into the lives of these two pivotal characters.

The Lion in Winter is one of the last bigtime historic films of the mid 20th century, with a stellar cast, lovely medieval settings, and a literate (and sometimes humorous) script. Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn (who won an Oscar for best actress) carry off the roles of King Henry II and his wife, Eleanor of Aquataine, with amazing ease, grand intelligence, and as much love-hate fervor as they can muster. And they can muster a lot. Their characters' royal marriage is a battlefield, despite the queen's ordinary distance, her husband having long ago commanded her confinement to a distant castle. Now, during Christmastime 1183, with age threatening the king, he is pressed by nature to decide on a successor among his sons and calls his family together, including the queen, for a traditional yuletide gathering. Of course, the king's pleasure in the matter of who will succeed him diverges from the queen's. That he has also taken up with a young woman whom the queen raised as a daughter merely adds fuel to the fire. All in all, quite the story.Also, quite the restoration of the film. My MGM DVD from way back looked outrageously awful. The color constantly shifted, and nothing looked sharply focused. The sound was a muddle, too, and made the viewing experience even worse. Now, with this Kino-Lorber release, I can finally enjoy a movie that I really love.

This movie is beyond superlative. From the costumes and scenery, which reflect both the historical King Henry II's general disdain for pomp and foppish comforts, as well as the likely reality of life in a 12th century castle, to the sheer magnificence of the dialogue, this movie is without peer. Peter O'Toole is magnificent as the aging King Henry II, at once a powerful and energetic warrior, who has found some peace in his latter years, and wants to maintain that peace. Katherine Hepburn as Queen Eleanor, the richest and most powerful woman in Europe, is nothing short of legendary. Richard Burton, as Richard the Lionheart, is entirely believable...one can easily imagine that Richard really was like Burton portrayed him. The rest of the cast are exemplary and the perfectly chosen for their roles.This play is magnificent on the stage, but O'Toole and Hepburn give THE definitive performance. The dialogue is both emotive and literate and filled with humor. But within moments those humorous lines can become powerfully sad and tragic. Modern day writers and filmmakers could learn much from watching this movie, far from dumbing down the dialogue, this play raises the dialogue to the level of truly grand.Possibly one of the most powerful moments ever committed to film is O'Toole's performance when, in the chamber of King Philip of France, the betrayal of all of his sons is revealed. The moment when Geoffrey reveals John's treachery O'Toole plays as if he were accepting a physical blow. His speech, "My life, when it is written, will read better than it lived", is filled with the tragic reality of lost hope, of lost love, of lost opportunity. It is an affecting and moving scene, played perfectly by one of the truly great actors.In short, this movie is as perfect as movies can be. The perfect confluence of script, cast, direction, scenery, musical score...it doesn't get any better than this.

A seminal movie about a man who acted on his morality but was betrayed for it.