The Lion in Winter (1968 film)

For the 1966 Broadway play, see The Lion in Winter.

The Lion in Winter
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Anthony Harvey
Produced by	Joseph E. Levine
Written by	James Goldman
Starring	Peter O'Toole Katharine Hepburn Anthony Hopkins John Castle Nigel Terry Timothy Dalton
Music by	John Barry
Cinematography	Douglas Slocombe
Editing by	John Bloom
Distributed by	Avco Embassy Pictures
Release date(s)	30 October 1968
Running time	134 min.
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	$10 million
Box office	$22,276,975

The Lion in Winter is a 1968 historical drama made by Avco Embassy Pictures, based on the Broadway play by James Goldman. It was directed by Anthony Harvey and produced by Joseph E. Levine from Goldman's adaptation of his own play, The Lion in Winter. The movie starred Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, John Castle, Anthony Hopkins (in his film debut), Jane Merrow, and, in early appearances, Timothy Dalton and Nigel Terry. The critically acclaimed film was a commercial success (the 12th highest grossing film of 1968) and won three Academy Awards, including one for Hepburn as Best Actress (tied with Funny Girl's Barbra Streisand). There was a television remake in 2003.

Synopsis

The Lion in Winter is set during Christmas 1183, at King Henry II's château and primary residence in Chinon, Anjou, within the Angevin Empire of medieval France. Henry wants his youngest son Prince John (1166–1216, the future King John of England, reigned 1199–1216) to inherit his throne, while his estranged wife Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine (whom he keeps locked in the Salisbury Tower at Windsor Castle) favours their oldest son Prince Richard the Lionheart (1157–1199, the future King Richard I of England, reigned 1189–1199) as heir. Meanwhile, King Philip II of France, the son and successor of Louis VII of France, Eleanor's ex-husband, has given his half-sister Alais, who is currently Henry's mistress, to the future heir, and demands either a wedding or the return of her dowry.

Katharine Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitaine.

As a ruse, Henry agrees to give Alais to Richard and make him heir-apparent. He makes a side deal with Eleanor for her freedom in return for Aquitaine, to be given to John. When the deal is revealed at the wedding, Richard refuses to go through with the ceremony. Having believed Henry's intentions, John, at the direction of middle brother Prince Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany (1158–1186), plots with Philip to make war on England. Henry finds out, dismisses all three sons as unsuitable, and locks them in the dungeon. He makes plans to travel to Rome for an annulment, so that he can have new sons with Alais, but she says he will never be able to release his sons from prison or they will be a threat to his future children. Henry sees that she is right and condemns them to death, but cannot bring himself to kill them, instead letting them escape. He and Eleanor go back to hoping for the future, with Eleanor going back on the barge to prison, while both the King and Eleanor laugh it off.

Although the background and the eventual destinies of the characters are historically accurate, The Lion in Winter is fictional; none of the dialogue or action is historical. Although there was a Christmas court at Caen in 1182, there was no Christmas Court at Chinon in 1183. In reality, Henry had many mistresses and many illegitimate children; the "Rosamund" mentioned in the film was his mistress until she died. The article on the Revolt of 1173–1174 describes the historical events leading to the play's events. As a matter of historical record, Richard succeeded Henry, and was followed by John.

Cast

• Peter O'Toole as King Henry II
• Katharine Hepburn as Queen Eleanor
• Anthony Hopkins (In his motion picture debut) as Richard
• John Castle as Geoffrey
• Nigel Terry as John
• Timothy Dalton (In his motion picture debut) as King Philip II
• Jane Merrow as Alais
• Nigel Stock as Captain William Marshall
• Kenneth Ives as Queen Eleanor's guard
• O.Z. Whitehead as Hugh de Puiset, the Bishop of Durham

Background and production

The film was shot at Ardmore Studios in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland and on location in Ireland, Wales, and in France at Abbaye de Montmajour, Arles, Château de Tarascon, Tarascon, and Tavasson, Saône-et-Loire. The film debuted on October 30, 1968 (December 29, 1968 London premiere).

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

The film received three wins and seven nominations.

• Best Actress—Win for Katharine Hepburn, tied with Barbra Streisand for Funny Girl (the only time this has happened for actresses in Academy history)
• Best Adapted Screenplay—Win for James Goldman
• Best Music Score—Win for John Barry
• Best Picture—Nomination for Martin Poll
• Best Director—Nomination for Anthony Harvey
• Best Actor—Nomination for Peter O'Toole
• Best Costume Design—Nomination for Margaret Furse

BAFTA Awards

The film received two wins and six nominations.

• Best Actress—Win for Katharine Hepburn, jointly awarded with Hepburn's performance in Guess Who's Coming To Dinner
• Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music—Win for John Barry
• Best Cinematography—Nomination for Douglas Slocombe
• Best Costume Design—Nomination for Margaret Furse
• Best Screenplay—Nomination for James Goldman
• Best Sound Track—Nomination for Chris Greenham
• Best Supporting Actor—Nomination for Anthony Hopkins

Golden Globe Awards

The film received two wins and five nominations.

• Best Motion Picture – Drama—Win
• Best Actor—Win for Peter O'Toole
• Best Actress—Nomination for Katharine Hepburn
• Best Motion Picture Director—Nomination for Anthony Harvey
• Best Original Score—Nomination for John Barry
• Best Screenplay—Nomination for James Goldman
• Best Supporting Actress—Nomination for Jane Merrow

Other awards

British Society of Cinematographers

• Best Cinematography—Win for Douglas Slocombe

David di Donatello Awards

• Best Foreign Production—Win for Martin Poll

Directors Guild of America Awards

• Outstanding Directorial Achievement—Win for Anthony Harvey

Laurel Awards

• Best Female Dramatic Performance—Win for Katharine Hepburn
• Best Drama—Nomination

New York Film Critics Circle Awards

• Best Film—Win

Writers' Guild of Great Britain

• Best British Screenplay—Win for James Goldman

Writers Guild of America Awards

• Best Written American Drama—Win for James Goldman

See also

• List of historical drama films

References

• William D. Paden, "I Learned It at the Movies: Teaching Medieval Film". In: Postmodern Medievalisms, ed. Richard Utz and Jesse G. Swan (Cambridge: Brewer, 2004), pp. 79–98.

External links

• The Lion in Winter at the Internet Movie Database