The Lion in Winter (1968) - film review

Christmas, 1183.  King Henry II of England summons his estranged wife Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine and their three sons, Richard, John and Geoffrey, to Chinon Castle to resolve the matter of his inheritance.  Henry favours his youngest son John, the only one of his offspring that he loves, but Eleanor is determined that Richard should inherit the royal crown.  When John conspires with Geoffrey and King Phillip II of France to start a war against England, Henry is incensed and decides to disinherit all of his sons.  He plans to have his marriage to Eleanor annulled so that he may marry his mistress, Alais, in the hope that she will bear him more suitable heirs.  Alais convinces Henry that whilst his other sons live, her children risk being murdered by them.  The King has but one option - to butcher his own sons...

With its authentic visuals, meticulously crafted screenplay and mesmeric performances, The Lion in Winter is among the best of the spate of lavish historical dramas that assailed cinema audiences in the 1960s.  Based on a successful Broadway play by James Goldman, the film recounts an entirely fictitious story of Medieval family strife and intrigue that challenges the assertion that the dysfunctional family is a product of the 20th Century. 

The plot may be a work of fiction, but the characters are closely modelled on what is known of their historical counterparts, and the story is plausible, if not factually accurate.  If nothing else, the film serves as a gentle introduction to one of the most fascinating periods in English history.  If you enjoy this film, the likelihood is you’ll soon be nipping off to the library or going on-line to find out more about Henry, his dragon of a wife, and their three conniving little brats (two of whom ended up ruling England, admittedly not very well).

One of the delights of this film is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously.  Although the script has a considered, literary quality and the characterisation is as true to life as you could expect of any great historical drama, there is an undercurrent of sly humour which runs throughout the piece.  When Henry goes off to slice up his three grown-up sons, Queen Eleanor sighs, "Well, every family has their ups and downs".  The Plantagenets were just like any other household, really.

The Lion in Winter was the second film to be directed by Anthony Harvey, who had previously worked as a film editor, most notably on Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita (1962) and  Dr Strangelove (1964).  Harvey, assisted by his equally talented cinematographer, Douglas Slocombe, combines the classical approach for the period drama (unfussy camerawork which favours the actors and the dialogue) with the occasional stylistic flourish (such as some inspired crane shots and camera movements) to remind us of the historical context and pep up the drama.

Although the film stands up well in all other departments, it is the acting above all else that makes it a superlative piece of drama.   Although just 36 when he made the film, Peter O’Toole is convincing as the 50-year-old Henry and plays the monarch as a flawed tyrant, terrifyingly villainous one minute, dripping with pathos the next.  It is worth noting that O’Toole had previously played a younger Henry II just four years previously, in Peter Glenville’s highly acclaimed Becket (1964).

Katharine Hepburn is an inspired choice for the role of the shrewd Eleanor of Aquitaine, another highly complex character which the actress invests with extraordinary vitality and humanity.  The part won Hepburn her third Best Actress Oscar (the previous year she had won the same award for her performance in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)).  Timothy Dalton (the future James Bond) makes an impressive film debut as the King of France, as smooth and slimy a villain as you can imagine, whilst Anthony Hopkins proves his mettle in what was only his second film role. 

The Lion in Winter is classic period drama at its most compelling.  A magnificent screenplay and fautless performances bring to life a period of English history that, judging by this film, was far more colourful than the dry paragraphs in those old school textbooks led us to believe.  If the real Eleanor of Aquitaine was anything like Katharine Hepburn’s depiction of her then history is the ultimate soap opera.

© James Travers 2009

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