The Lion in Winter (1968 film)
| The Lion in Winter | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster | |
| Directed by | Anthony Harvey |
| Written by | James Goldman |
| Produced by | Martin Poll |
| Starring | Peter O'Toole Katharine Hepburn |
| Cinematography | Douglas Slocombe |
| Edited by | John Bloom |
| Music by | John Barry |
| Distributed by | AVCO Embassy |
Release dates |  30 October 1968  29 December 1968 |
Running time | 137 min. (DVD) |
| Language | English |
The Lion in Winter is a 1968 historical costume drama made by Embassy Pictures, based on the Broadway play by James Goldman. It was directed by Anthony Harvey and produced by Martin Poll from Goldman's adaptation of his own play, The Lion in Winter. The music score was by John Barry and the cinematography by Douglas Slocombe.
The film stars Peter O'Toole (reprising, yet not copying, his 1964 role from Becket) as King Henry II of England and Katharine Hepburn as his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Richard the Lionheart was played by Anthony Hopkins in his film début, John by Nigel Terry, and Geoffrey by John Castle. Timothy Dalton also made his film début as King Philip II of France. Nigel Stock played Captain William Marshall.
Background and production
The film debuted on October 30, 1968 (December 29, 1968 London premiere).
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.
An interesting aspect of the film was that Hepburn was 61 years old and, thus, the same age as her character Eleanor of Aguitaine was in 1183, the film's plot year.
Hepburn won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role. The musical score by John Barry also won an Oscar, as did Goldman's adaptation of his play.
Plot
The film is set during Christmas 1183 at Henry Plantagenet's château (castle) and primary residence in Chinon, Anjou, part of the Angevin Empire in France.
The film opens with the arrival of King Henry II's (Peter O'Toole) wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine (Katharine Hepburn) from prison; the story immediately centres on the conflict and shifting alliances between the estranged couple and their adult sons and heirs to the throne: prince Richard the Lionheart (Anthony Hopkins) (the future King Richard I of England), Geoffrey Duke of Brittany (John Castle), and prince John (Nigel Terry) (the future King John I of England). Also present in the château and pursuing their own intrigues with the family are King Philip II of France (Timothy Dalton), the son of Eleanor's ex-husband, and Philip II's half-sister Alais (Jane Merrow), a daughter of Louis VII of France. Alais was betrothed to Richard, but is in fact Henry II's mistress. In reality, Henry had many mistresses and many illegitimate children. The "Rosamund" mentioned in the film was Henry II's mistress until she died.
The article on the Revolt of 1173-1174 describes the historical events leading up to the fictional events in the film.
Awards and nominations
Academy Awards
The film received seven nominations.
Wins
- Best Actress - Katharine Hepburn
- Tied with Barbra Streisand for Funny Girl
- Best Music Score - John Barry
- Best Screenplay - James Goldman
Nominations
- Best Picture - Martin Poll
- Best Director - Anthony Harvey
- Best Actor - Peter O'Toole
- Best Costume Design - Margaret Furse
BAFTA Awards
Wins
- Best Actress - Katharine Hepburn
- Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music - John Barry
Nominations
- Best Cinematography - Douglas Slocombe
- Best Costume Design - Margaret Furse
- Best Screenplay - James Goldman
- Best Sound Track - Chris Greenham
- Best Supporting Actor - Anthony Hopkins
- UN Award - Anthony Harvey
Golden Globe Awards
Wins
- Best Motion Picture
- Best Actor - Peter O'Toole
Nominations
- Best Actress - Katharine Hepburn
- Best Motion Picture Director - Anthony Harvey
- Best Original Score - John Barry
- Best Screenplay - James Goldman
- Best Supporting Actress - Jane Merrow
Other Awards
Wins
David di Donatello Awards
- Best Foreign Production - Martin Poll
Directors Guild of America Awards
- Outstanding Directorial Achievement - Anthony Harvey
Laurel Awards
- Female Dramatic Performance - Katharine Hepburn
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
- Best Film
Writers' Guild of Great Britain
- Best British Screenplay - James Goldman
Writers Guild of America
- Best Written American Drama - James Goldman
References in popular culture
The film is identified as the favourite of the fictional US President Josiah Bartlet in the TV series "The West Wing", episode H. Con-172.