The Lion in Winter

Oscar in the Middle Ages

1968
Color
2 hours and 14 minutes

Academy Awards

Actress

Katharine Hepburn

Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

James Goldman

Original Score for a Motion Picture (not a Musical)

John Barry

Academy Award Nominations

Best Picture

Martin Poll

Director

Anthony Harvey

Actor

Peter O'Toole

Costume Design

Margaret Furse

For a decade King Henry II of England has kept his wife Eleanor in confinement and kept her extensive territories in France under his control. Now at Christmas, 1183, she comes to visit the family at Chinon. With their eldest son dead, it is necessary for Henry to choose which of their three surviving sons -- Richard, Geoffrey or John -- will succeed him to the throne. Everyone has their own agenda, and issues are complicated by the presence of King Philip II of France and Henry's affair with Philip's sister Alais, who has been engaged to Richard since they were both children.

It may seem soap-operatic, but All My Children has nothing on this film. This is family drama at its most vicious -- but it is also dialogue at its most brilliant. The setting is about as accurate as a 60's film can get, and while there are a few flaws in the historical details, there are absolutely none in the performances, delivered with power and insight by a superior cast.

The Lion in Winter was the film debut for both Anthony Hopkins (Richard) and Timothy Dalton (Philip). It was the second time Peter O'Toole played Henry --the first time was in Becket four years earlier. And it was Katharine Hepburn's third Oscar. In addition to U.S. Academy Awards, the film received British Academy Awards, Golden Globes, the New York Film Critics Circle Award, and awards from the British Society of Cinematographers and the Directors Guild of America. For a complete list of nominations and awards, visit the awards page at the Internet Movie Database.  

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Find out more at the IMDb

Find out more about Henry II and Eleanor in Who's Who in Medieval History.

 

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