The Lion in Winter
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Movie Reviews of The Lion in Winter
Movie Review: Forget the Lion, How 'Bout that Lioness!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I think that most people who have seen this movie agree that it's fantastic. Witty, wicked, wordy and visually beautiful "The Lion In Winter" took my breath away. There is one thing that many people might disagree with me about. I don't think that Henry (O'Toole) and Eleanor (Hepburn) are evenly matched. I think that Queen Eleanor aways had the upper hand and her loving husband responded by exiling her. I think that Queen Eleanor was smarter than her husband, he knew it & resented it. There was a great passionate love between these two that flamed out (at least on the male side).In her youth, Eleanor of Aquitaine was considered the most beautiful woman in the world, and she was educated at the most sophisticated court in the world, also she was loaded. When she married Henry, he was just a Duke, and she had been Queen of France, a bit of a letdown to say the least.
I can't help but think that Henry always resented his wife's wealth & superior station, but she loved him anyway.
Two of the saddest scenes in this movie involve Eleanor. One is while putting on a brave face, she demands that Henry kiss young Alice in front of her. Henry, never missing an opportuinity to hurt the Missus, gleefully obliges. Eleanor almost crumbles before your eyes, its a very moving & powerful scene. The other is when Eleanor is alone in her room & she picks up her looking glass and sees an old woman looking back; her silence speaks a thousand words.
O'Toole makes a wonderful Henry, selfish, cruel and ever inward turning without posessing the least amount of insight or self awareness.
This is a fabulous movie, and should not be missed.
Movie Review: The Royal Dysfunctional Family and the Height of Entertainment
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an unbelievably well acted movie with Katharine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole, whose characters are Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II, King of England. Included in this cast is Anthony Hopkins as an uncrowned Richard the Lion-Heart, and Timothy Dalton as King Philip II of France, and Nigel Terry as the ambitious but foolish Prince John. With the addition of the Geoffrey Duke of Brittany played by John Castle the group set themselves against one another seeking to manipulate and use whatever political means available to secure the throne of England when Henry II, finally falls. Each character is antagonistic towards the other and will stop at nothing at receiving the coveted prize.
Their hatred for one another is expressed in their endless plotting and continuous insulting of one another through witty sarcasm, and venomous spewing. The dialogue is truly what makes this drama entertaining, coupled with each character's attempt to dominate the other through secrecy and political intrigue. In their desire for blood, the pain of each character emerges through their acknowledgement of such, which has fueled the hatred and has embittered their lives. The cast truly engages with one another which truly engages us. It is both a riveting story and an interesting piece of historical fiction.
Note: The Lion in Winter has inspired many to discover more about Eleanor of Aquitaine (myself included). She was a woman who was a legend in her own time so much so that history has always referenced her to being of her homeland, Aquitaine, rather than the Queen of England or France, both of which were titles she possessed in her lifetime.
Movie Review: When Titans Bestrode the Earth...
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the type of film that reminds us of the power of acting to involve us with people we initially do not know. It also is a shocking reminder of the poverty of today's actors to make us care about those we see on the screen. The emotional detachment of most of today's American cinema (e.g., Pearl Harbor) stands in stark contrast to the violent emotionalism as exhibited in this magnificent film. John Barry's score beautifully reflects this film's multi-faceted emotional appeal. Hepburn (Eleanor) and O'Toole (Henry II), along with the Plantagenet siblings, are engaged in a fratricidal all-out war, in which evreything and anyone is fair game. Emotional warfare is as lethal a weapon as Dirty Harry's Magnum, and all the players use it to great effect. The Lion in Winter is virtuoso acting at its highest form, and the dialogue written for the entire cast is pitched high, but still undeniably effective. "What family doesn't have its troubles?" asks Eleanor as one titantic battle subsides and the principals mend their wounds in anticipation of the next conflict. What that question asked can be seen in film after film since then, but few films are able to demonstrate the high stakes of emotional claims as being paired with political and social stakes like this one -- maybe Godfather I and II had that depth of writing and acting, but few others. This is film-making at its finest: no glitz, relatively simple sets, authentic costumes, and the best cast you could possibly have at the time. What more could you want? Grab this movie in any format you can find it in...it's a film you'll want to see again and again.Movie Review: A Domestic Drama of Epic Proportions
Summary: 5 Stars
It has been many years since I first viewed this film. I was a teenager, an English lit major and dazzled by the verbal pyrotechnics. I still keenly recall Eleanor's evocative and erotic lines about first meeting Henry; "He had a mind like Aristotle and a form like mortal sin...we shattered the commandments upon the spot!" Whew! Eleanor, both historically and fictionally was either the last of the grand pagan matriarchs, or the first truly modern woman. The screenwriter understood she was the equal of her husband, King Henry, and their remarkable marriage/alliance was a decades long tug of war for supremacy. It is the sunset of their lives we find them in this film. They treat their own adult children as pawns in their ceaseless struggle for power. Henry flaunts his young mistress, while Eleanor wields her wealth, erotic past, and influence over her eldest son. The movie is seamless; and immensely refreshing in that a piece about Henry II doesn't focus on Beckett. He's mentioned, of course, but only as a sidebar. Hepburn if memory serves was actually older than O'Toole but that mere physical fact only serves to reinforce the illusion of a clash between titans. After all, Eleanor too was older than Henry. Of the supporting cast I can think of no weak links. Anthony Hopkins as the sexually confused Richard the Lionheart adequately presages the remarkable career to follow. Again, I highly recommend this film. I've often mused that if Oscar Wilde had ventured to write a historical drama the results may have been similar to The Lion In Winter. I can offer no higher praise.Movie Review: One of the 20 best films ever made -- period
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw this movie in a theater when it was first released. I have also seen it about four or five times since on TV. Trust me, the big screen is much better, but even on TV, this movie has such incredible depth that it will be around for many years to come. The somewhat recent TV production with Patrick Stewart and Geln Close as Henry and Eleanor was very good, but not in the same league as Peter O'Toole's Henry and Katherine Hepburn's Eleanor.
This film has perhaps some of the most crisp and witty dialog I've ever heard. I always thought Peter O'Toole should have got an Oscar for his work in this film, and also for his excellent work in Beckett.
Set in 1183 in England, the film portrays the venemous relationship between Henry and Eleanor and their three sons, John Geoffrey and Richard. Beneath the venom and hurt is something of a bond of love between Eleanor and Henry that unfolds throught the film. Also, not to be missed is a young Anthony Hopkins as Richard, who in history is the Richard The Lion Heart who goes to the crusades, and in his absence England is ruled by his brother John, aho in 1215 is forced to sign the Magna Charta.
There are so many excellent reviews of this film that I feel inadequate to improve on them. Let me just say that if you want to spend a couple hours watching two of the world's greatest actors work with a sparkling script and an outstanding set, then get this movie. I don't see how you will disappointed.