The Lion in Winter (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Set in 1183, 'The Lion in Winter' (adapted from a play & directed by Anthony Harvey) takes place on Christmas Eve and begins with England's almighty Henry II (Peter O'Toole) summoning his politically ambitious family to a reunion that includes his wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine (Katherine Hepburn), whom he has kept exiled in a remote prison castle, to keep her from interfering with his ruling the kingdom. Vainglorious Henry is 50 yrs. old & is looking to choose his heir before he dies – I guess 50 was considered ancient, at the time.
His 3 sons, Eleanor's favorite, Prince Richard the Lion-Hearted (Anthony Hopkins, in his film debut), Henry's favorite, Prince John (Nigel Terry), & the more reserved Prince Geoffrey (John Castle) ... are all longing to take his crown. The reunion gets heated & nastier, with private & public arguing & backstabbing, due to the presence of King Philip of France (Timothy Dalton). Philip wants to know when his sister, Princess Alais, will be married to the heir of Henry's throne. Problem is, Henry has not appointed his heir, and he's sleeping! with! Princess! Alais! Melodrama of the highest order ensues.
I LOVE how the screenplay handles this grand situation in a series of juicy meetings btwn. the principal characters. The dialogue - while often used anachronistically - has a directness, a verve, and yet it also has a gracefulness & wit. Of course, it also helps to have some superb actors reciting this dialogue. And the performances are simply titanic. Peter O'Toole is simply great as King Henry II; are we surprised? Katherine absolutely rivets as the shrew & scheming queen. There is one scene in which Hepburn delivers a soliloquy into a mirror that I venture to say is one of the most impressive displays of immersive acting that I've ever seen. It is no wonder she won her 3rd of 4 Academy Awards for this; sharing it with Barbra Streisand.
And I was also very impressed by Anthony Hopkins & Timothy Dalton. Douglas Slocombe's cinematography (filmed on location in France, Wales, & Ireland), the grand medieval sets/costumes, & a memorable music score all lend greatly to the proceedings. But as mentioned, the superior aspects of the film include the rare & wonderful marriage btwn. a charismatic, intelligent script & the players who spout from it.
His 3 sons, Eleanor's favorite, Prince Richard the Lion-Hearted (Anthony Hopkins, in his film debut), Henry's favorite, Prince John (Nigel Terry), & the more reserved Prince Geoffrey (John Castle) ... are all longing to take his crown. The reunion gets heated & nastier, with private & public arguing & backstabbing, due to the presence of King Philip of France (Timothy Dalton). Philip wants to know when his sister, Princess Alais, will be married to the heir of Henry's throne. Problem is, Henry has not appointed his heir, and he's sleeping! with! Princess! Alais! Melodrama of the highest order ensues.
I LOVE how the screenplay handles this grand situation in a series of juicy meetings btwn. the principal characters. The dialogue - while often used anachronistically - has a directness, a verve, and yet it also has a gracefulness & wit. Of course, it also helps to have some superb actors reciting this dialogue. And the performances are simply titanic. Peter O'Toole is simply great as King Henry II; are we surprised? Katherine absolutely rivets as the shrew & scheming queen. There is one scene in which Hepburn delivers a soliloquy into a mirror that I venture to say is one of the most impressive displays of immersive acting that I've ever seen. It is no wonder she won her 3rd of 4 Academy Awards for this; sharing it with Barbra Streisand.
And I was also very impressed by Anthony Hopkins & Timothy Dalton. Douglas Slocombe's cinematography (filmed on location in France, Wales, & Ireland), the grand medieval sets/costumes, & a memorable music score all lend greatly to the proceedings. But as mentioned, the superior aspects of the film include the rare & wonderful marriage btwn. a charismatic, intelligent script & the players who spout from it.