The Lion in Winter – 1968
This was a period piece that was packed full of heavy drama and complex characters. It was on par with other dramatic period pieces like A Man for All Seasons and Becket. In fact, Peter O’Toole played the exact same character that he played in Becket, but at a much older age. That being said, The Lion in Winter was in no way a sequel to Becket. The plays upon which the two films were based were penned by different authors, Jean Anouilh for Becket, and James Goldman for The Lion in Winter.
O’Toole played King Henry II of England. His wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, was played by Katherine Hepburn. Their three sons, Richard the Lionheart, Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany, and King John of England, were played by Anthony Hopkins, John Castle, and Nigel Terry. Timothy Dalton played King Philip II of France. And lastly, to round off the cast, Jane Merrow played Alys, Countess of Vexin, Henry’s beloved mistress.
The film’s drama was very well done. It was inherent in the plot. Henry keeps Eleanor locked in a prison most of the time, but brings her out for special occasions like religious holidays and state events. The two share a love-hate relationship, and even at the end of film, it is unclear whether they love each other or not. The film’s conflict arise out of this contentious marriage, and the event of Christmas, for which Henry calls on Eleanor to attend him.
During this Holiday visit, the matter of the successor to the throne of England is to be decided. Henry wants John to be the heir to the throne. Eleanor wants Richard to be the next King. None of the three boys have any love for their parents, as none of them were ever shown any love from them. The plotting and scheming that goes on, which involves the visiting King of France, and Henry’s mistress, is engaging and even intense, at times. And just in case you are wondering, the issue of Henry’s heir is never resolved. If you want to know which son became the next King of England, you’ll have to look it up on your own.
Katherine Hepburn turned in a spectacular performance. As a matter of fact, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the roll, and I thought it was well-deserved. The way she delivered her lines, her body language, and her air of haughty nobility was fascinating to watch. O’Toole also did a wonderful job as the childish Henry. He acted out his wild emotions and made decisions without considering the consequences. O’Toole was perfect for the part.
I also have to give special notice to the three sons. They each had their own distinct personality and Hopkins, Castle, and Terry each created memorable and well-developed characters. Richard was bold and aggressive. Geoffrey was scheming and ambitious. John was childish and hateful (and bordering on moronic). The three characters, while not entirely likable, were very well-written and perfectly cast.
The sets and costumes were also spot-on, though for the most part, there were very few costume changes in the film. The movie was filmed at various locations in Ireland and France, showing of some incredibly beautiful countryside next to some wonderful medieval castles. The scenes where Eleanor was arriving and departing by boat were particularly lovely. This was a thoroughly enjoyable film. The language, as one might expect from a British historical drama, was, at times a bit verbose, but it was incredibly well written. Some of it was almost poetic, despite the intense and dramatic nature of the dialogue.
Just as an interesting note, I have to mention that of the three sons, I was most impressed with Anthony Hopkins’ performance, in which there was some incredibly homo-erotic tension between Richard and King Phillip. But what was even more impressive was the fact that this was his big-screen debut. It just goes to show you how impressive an actor Hopkins is.