The Lion in Winter (1968)

Directed by

Anthony Harvey

Genre

drama film, medieval film, historical film, LGBTQ-related film, Christmas film

Country

United Kingdom

Runtime

2h 09m

Rated

PG

Rating

7.4 of 10 from 406 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

In 1183, King Henry II and his estranged wife Queen Eleanor gather their three sons and guests for a Christmas court. The family fights over who will inherit the throne, using schemes and betrayals against each other.

wittytensedramaticsharp-tonguedbitingclaustrophobictheatricalemotionally intense

What happens

The Lion in Winter is a 1968 historical drama film centred on Henry II of England and his attempt to establish a line of succession during a family gathering at Christmas in 1183. His efforts unleash both political and personal turmoil involving himself, his estranged wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, their three surviving sons, the French king Philip II, and Philip's half-sister Alais, who is Henry's mistress. The film was directed by Anthony Harvey, written by James Goldman, and produced by Joseph E. Levine, Jane C. Nusbaum, and Martin Poll. It stars Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn, with Jane Merrow, John Castle, Anthony Hopkins, Timothy Dalton (in his film debut), Nigel Stock, and Nigel Terry appearing in support. Based on Goldman's play The Lion in Winter, the film was a critical and commercial success, winning three Academy Awards (including Hepburn's win for Best Actress, making her the first three-time winner in the category). O'Toole, who had previously played Henry II in Becket (1964), was also nominated for Best Actor. Having been nominated for Becket as well, this made him only the second person to be nominated twice for playing the same character, after Bing Crosby. A television remake of the film was released in 2003. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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