IMDb > The Lion in Winter (1968)
The Lion in Winter
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The Lion in Winter (1968) More at IMDbPro »

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The Lion in Winter (1968) -- Trailer for this classic period piece set in 1183

Overview

User Rating:
8.1/10   12,377 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 8% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Anthony Harvey
Writers:
James Goldman (play)
James Goldman (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Lion in Winter on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
30 October 1968 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | History more
Tagline:
The most significant reserved seat attraction of the year!
Plot:
1183 AD: King Henry II's three sons all want to inherit the throne, but he won't commit to a choice. They and his wife variously plot to force him. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 3 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 16 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(9 articles)
Swank's 'Amelia' Performance Gets First Oscar Kiss
 (From Get The Big Picture. 20 October 2009, 3:02 PM, PDT)
Anthony Harvey Recalls Directing "The Lion In Winter" At Loews Jersey City
 (From CinemaRetro. 1 May 2009, 1:14 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Magnificent cinematic medieval chess game, with every intricate move superbly thought out. more (139 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Peter O'Toole ... Henry II

Katharine Hepburn ... Eleanor of Aquitaine

Anthony Hopkins ... Richard
John Castle ... Geoffrey
Nigel Terry ... John

Timothy Dalton ... King Philip of France

Jane Merrow ... Alais
Nigel Stock ... Capt. William Marshall
Kenneth Ives ... Queen Eleanor's guard
O.Z. Whitehead ... Bishop of Durham
Fran Stafford ... Lady in Waiting
Ella More ... Lady in Waiting
Kenneth Griffith ... Strolling player
Henry Woolf ... Strolling player
Karol Hagar ... Strolling player
David Griffith ... Strolling player (as Mark Griffith)
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Directed by
Anthony Harvey 
 
Writing credits
James Goldman (play)

James Goldman (screenplay)

Produced by
Joseph E. Levine .... executive producer
Jane C. Nusbaum .... associate producer
Martin Poll .... producer
 
Original Music by
John Barry 
 
Cinematography by
Douglas Slocombe 
 
Film Editing by
John Bloom 
 
Casting by
Paul Lee Lander 
 
Art Direction by
Peter Murton 
 
Costume Design by
Margaret Furse 
 
Makeup Department
Bill Lodge .... makeup artist
A.G. Scott .... hair stylist
 
Production Management
Basil Appleby .... production manager
Jim Brennan .... unit manager
René Brun .... production manager: France
Víctor Merenda .... production manager: France
John Quested .... production supervisor
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Al Burgess .... second assistant director
Kip Gowans .... assistant director
Patrick O'Brien .... second assistant director
 
Art Department
Ted Clements .... assistant art director
Peter James .... set dresser
Gilbert Margerie .... art director: France
Gus Walker .... construction manager
 
Sound Department
Chris Greenham .... sound editor
Gerry Humphreys .... dubbing mixer (as Gerry Humphries)
Simon Kaye .... sound recordist
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Michael Browne .... chief electrician (as Michael Brown)
Robin Vidgeon .... assistant camera
Michael Walter .... grip
Chic Waterson .... camera operator
Keith Blake .... clapper loader (uncredited)
Bob Penn .... still photographer (uncredited)
Robert Willoughby .... special still photographer (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
David Baker .... wardrobe
Vi Murray .... wardrobe
 
Editorial Department
Lesley Walker .... assistant editor
 
Music Department
John Barry .... conductor
Sidney Margo .... music contractor (uncredited)
Robert Richards .... orchestrator (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Pamela Carlton .... continuity
Jilda Smith .... production secretary
Emanuel Azenberg .... play associate producer: Broadway (uncredited)
Walter Hyman .... play producer: Broadway (uncredited)
Alan King .... play producer: Broadway (uncredited)
Eugene V. Wolsk .... play producer: Broadway (uncredited)
 
Crew believed to be complete


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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
134 min | UK:137 min (70 mm version)
Country:
UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm prints)
Certification:
Iceland:16 | Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/12 (DVD rating) | Singapore:PG | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | UK:A (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating)
Filming Locations:
Abbaye de Montmajour, Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône, France more
Company:
AVCO Embassy more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Eleanor greets King Philip by telling him that she could have been his mother. This is in fact, true. Eleanor's first husband, Louis VII, later fathered Alais by his second wife and Philip by his third. Eleanor's marriage to Louis was annulled by the Pope when she was unable to bear him sons. She gave Henry five boys, two of whom died before the action of the movie takes place. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: No such thing as a 'Christmas tree' in the 12th century. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Henry II: Come for me!
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "The West Wing: H. Con-172 (#3.11)" (2002) more

FAQ

Is this movie based on a novel?
Is this movie based on real events?
more

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
55 out of 61 people found the following comment useful.
Magnificent cinematic medieval chess game, with every intricate move superbly thought out., 1 March 2001
10/10
Author: gary brumburgh (gbrumburgh@aol.com) from Los Angeles, California

"The Lion in Winter" is a crowning achievement in cinematic story-telling. Adapted by Oscar-winning James Goldman from his witty, triumphant 1966 Broadway play that originally starred Robert Preston and Tony-winner Rosemary Harris, the story evolves around aging King Henry II mulling over a successor to the Plantagenet throne among his male progeny, while bringing his estranged, hateful clan together for the Christmas holidays.

Sparks really do fly in this wickedly elaborate chess game as the family player pieces weave thick webs of deceit and hatch insidious plots against each another, forming unholy, protean alliances that put those "Survivor" contestants to shame. The pure joy comes from seeing all of them try to outmaneuver each other with every new and different playing piece put on or taken off the board, hatching alternative schemes as fast as one can say "Long live the King!"

Robust, boisterous Peter O'Toole is a raging marvel as the battered but not yet beaten monarch, agonizing over the untrusting, Machiavellian-like brood he's sired, yet relishing the absolute power he holds and dangles over them. The glorious O'Toole is alternately barbarous and bombastic in one of the best roles of his career, and his loss of the Academy Award over, of all people, John Wayne, remains a travesty of justice.

The king's "brood" includes eldest son and heir-apparent, Richard (known as The Lion-hearted) whose fierce courage and burly warrior stance masquerades a forbidden tenderness detrimental to his standing as a king. Anthony Hopkins, in an auspicious screen debut, embodies these tortuous complexities within Richard perfectly, especially in his scenes as "mummy's favorite." The youngest and pruniest of the three princes is John, a rumpled, drooling, inane man-child impossibly spoiled as the King's favorite, played to pathetic amusement by a terrific Nigel Terry. Neglected middle son, Geoffrey, excellently portrayed with jaded, sliver-eyed cunning by John Castle, is a human blueprint of treachery and deceit. Resentful at being overlooked as even a possible contender, he's willing to sell his parents and brothers down the river for exact change.

Also invited to Christmas court is King Phillip II of France, on a revenge mission himself, who locks horns with Henry over lost lands and becomes a willing participant in these under-handed games. Timothy ("007") Dalton drips with smug, venal charm as the slender, softer, inexperienced king who can only battle Henry with words and wit, not weight. The only unblemished pawn here is Alais, the King's adoring young mistress, who is maliciously thrown to the lions by all as lady-in-waiting bait for the dueling princes. Demure, fragile Jane Merrow is the perfect choice for this innocent songbird with nothing and everything to lose

I have saved the best performance for last. As the King most duplicitous irritant, the inimitable Katharine Hepburn portrays Henry's duly banished Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine with all the unparalleled skill and inspired passion imaginable. Handed on a silver platter the lion's share of the best lines, Hepburn more than delivers the goods here, stealing the ripe proceedings from her talented co-stars. To watch her consummate Eleanor is to see the art of acting in its most passionate form. She is a revelation of perks and prods, of vibrant colors and shadings. She inhabits the passion, the power, the breeding, the deceitfulness, the desperate longing owed this character. Imprisonment (for inciting rebellions against her husband), has not dampened the fighting spirit nor dulled the sharp, calculating mind of this Queen. As in chess, this player is the game's most venturesome and versatile piece, and Hepburn more than lives up to its reputation, a worthy opponent with the best odds to check-mate her King. I have been known to say that the four-time Oscar winner was awarded for all the wrong movies -- excepting this one. She is unforgettable.

Topped with a glorious, inspiring, sometimes furious score (Oscar-winner John Barry), "The Lion in Winter" makes up for its stark, one-note surroundings with its bold, rich characters and ingenuous plotting. It is a hallmark of Gothic temperament and tone. As the old adage goes, "it's not who wins, it's how you play the game." 'Tis so true. So let the games begin!

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Over rated? katfish38
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