The Lion in Winter (2003) (TV)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Andrei Konchalovsky

Writers (WGA):

James Goldman (play)
James Goldman (teleplay)

Release Date:

23 May 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

All of Britain and half of France were his kingdom. But there was one thing Henry II would never control . . . His Family. (DVD)

Plot:

King Henry II (Patrick Stewart) keeps his wife, Eleanor (Glenn Close) locked away in the towers because of her frequent attempts to overthrow him...

Plot Keywords:

King Henry II | Plantagenet | Brother Brother Relationship | Royalty | Politically Divided Family

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Glenn Close	...	Eleanor of Aquitaine
Andrew Howard	...	Richard
Patrick Stewart	...	King Henry II
Antal Konrád	...	Toastmaster
John Light	...	Geoffrey
Soma Marko	...	Young Prince John
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	...	Philip
Rafe Spall	...	Prince John
Yuliya Vysotskaya	...	Alais
Clive Wood	...	William Marshall

Runtime:

Brazil:153 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Spain:7 | Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-15

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Company:

Flying Freehold Productions

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Henry breaks the ice on his water basin in order to wash, but the room is warm enough that no one's breath frosts the air.

Quotes:

John: He has a knife, a knife!
Eleanor of Aquitaine: Of course he has a knife! I have a knife. We all have knives. It's 1183 and we're all barbarians!

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2004) (TV)

Better than You Think

I wonder if the first person reviewing this film actually saw it or is so beholden to the original that they couldn't accept this version. The original is a masterpiece - no question. But to say this remake is inferior in every way is a gross overstatement. In fact, Patrick Stewart brings a more conniving and regretful interpretation to King Henry which is an interesting approach. Richard the Lionheart is portrayed in a much more somber and serious way here than in the original (Hopkins overacted quite a bit but this was toned down). Prince Geoffrey is far superior in this movie; far more manipulating and quietly seething. Glenn Close is not Hepburn but she does a worthy job portraying Eleanor. Prince Philip is also portrayed in a more serious manner (less prissy than Dalton's rendition). The real letdown is Prince John who is borderline retarded. He's so clearly a blundering mean-spirited moron in this movie that you simply can't buy that King Henry would want him as a successor. Aside from that shortcoming (which is large I must admit), this movie works and is enjoyable and as feisty as one can hope.