The Lion in Winter

I marvel at you after all these years. Still like a democratic drawbridge: going down for everybody.

The Lion in Winter is directed by Anthony Harvey and adapted to screenplay from his own play by James Goldman. It stars Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Jane Merrow, John Castle, Anthony Hopkins, Timothy Dalton, Nigel Stock and Nigel Terry. Music is by John Barry and cinematography by Douglas Slocombe.

1183 A.D.: King Henry II's (Toole) three sons all want to inherit the throne, but he won't commit to a choice. His sons and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine (Hepburn), variously plot to force him into a choice - but he himself has is own agendas as well.

An utter lesson in theatrical tropes shifted to the screen with brilliant result...

Katherine Hepburn is simply superb in this depiction of the truly dysfunctional relationship between Eleanor of Aquitaine, the estranged queen of England's King Henry II and her spouse. Peter O'Toole reprises his characterisation from "Becket" (1964), and together they spar and spat with aplomb. Aided by a wonderful screenplay from James Goldman that is full of sarcasm, pith and some wonderfully effective (and brutal) put-downs, we play through this most bizarre of family dynamics. It all centres around a Christmas court for which the Queen is released from her Salisbury house arrest to join the couple's three sons: the ambitious, but sexually ambiguous Richard (Anthony Hopkins), the King's favourite, but pretty weak John (Nigel Terry) and ...