The Lion in Winter
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Movie Reviews of The Lion in Winter
Movie Review: Too much of a good thing?
Summary: 3 Stars
Wonderful cast. Fascinating plot. Too much intrigue.
Intrigue was expected, even eagerly anticipated, but every single cast member was trying to manipulate each and every other cast member to such a great extent that not a single word was believable, and I had no idea what anyone's true motives were. At first it was interesting and challenging, but at some point it went overboard and I lost interest. Only O'Toole's Henry II character showed enough humanity that I cared what happened to him. The others went overboard in my view.
Interesting and well acted, but not a classic in my opinion.
Movie Review: Great Movie about Dysfunctional Family at Christmas
Summary: 5 Stars
What can you say about the ultimate dysfunctional family. King Henry keeps his wife locked in a castle miles away and only lets her out on Holidays. It's a great Christmas Movie... Think I'm nuts? Watch the film. You can't beat Peter O'Toole and Kate Hepburn duking it out over which of three unsavory Son's will take over the realm. It was a terrific play, and translates well to the screen. Killer dialogue. The DVD it's self was a good widescreen transfer. Nothing major in the Extras category, but a solid DVD of a terrific Movie. I wish they'd hurry up and put out Becket.Movie Review: 23 years old and it holds up
Summary: 5 Stars
Having just read the Alison Weir bio of Eleanor, I re-viewed this film that I had seen when it was in the theaters. As a film, only the sound betrays its age. For me, it was even better with the background fresh in my mind.
The movie provokes thought. While this is a hypothetical Christmas, the real ones must have been something like this. The facts of history are all on display, Alys and her dowery, the French king (son of Eleanor's first husband) ever ready to deal, the dubious sexuality of Richard, control of the Aquitaine, the naming of a successor before primogeniture was institutionalized, Henry's love child Geoffrey. The casting is perfect especially Hepburn and O'Toole, I can't imagine any others in these roles. The acting, the sets, the costumes... first rate. The ending is wonderful.
While the script is fantastic, it is only one reading of history. While this family has to be as complex and dysfunctional as the movie portrays, I think it's hard on Eleanor. She was a landed woman in her own right, and Henry was a philanderer of the first order, how SHOULD she have reacted? John might be overplayed as a simpleton, but when he does become king, he loses almost all of England's continental lands and signs away some rights of kings (Magna Carta). No wonder Eleanor wants Richard to be king.
Movie Review: Second best performance not given an Oscar...
Summary: 5 Stars
...Peter O'toole got cheated for the first also. This is simply amazing dialogue, performed with unbelievable energy and pacing. Few movies improve with each viewing, but this is it. Simply grand. Movie Review: A dysfunctional British royal family??? Who'da thunk it???
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm not going to attempt to compose a brilliant summary of this extraordinary film. Others have done an excellent job of that already. I merely wish to add my voice to those proclaiming "The Lion In Winter" as a masterpiece.
Even if the script WERE less than brilliant, a cast such as this could most likely win awards just reading aloud from the Peoria, Illinois telephone directory.
Oh, and just in case you wonder what relevance this historically based film might have for us today, consider that it was John [eventually crowned king] who signed the "Magna Carta" in the year 1215. This document was the first in British history in which a king agreed [admittedly under great pressure] to limit his monarchic power.
This, then, became the cornerstone of what was later to emerge as England's limited parliamentary monarchy and that of other nations as well. It further becomes the inspiration for limited government in general and more specifically for that republic that was to eventually emerge in the colonies across the big pond, so to speak.
Consider also that Richard was to go on and become King Richard II, famous for his crusades to the Holy Land.
Relevant today? You BET. And never was learning history so enjoyable as this film makes it.