| The Lion in Winter | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Anthony Harvey |
| Produced by | Joseph E. Levine Jane C. Nusbaum Martin Poll |
| 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[1] |
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 as Richard the Lionheart (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.
Contents |
Plot [edit]
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 surviving 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.
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 and Phillip meet to discuss terms, but Henry soon learns that Phillip has been plotting with John and Geoffrey, and that he and Richard were once lovers.
Henry 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, laughing it off with Henry before she leaves.
Though 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. There was a Christmas court at Caen in 1182 but 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 the Lionheart succeeded Henry II, and was followed by John.
Cast [edit]
- Peter O'Toole as King Henry II
- Katharine Hepburn as Queen Eleanor
- Anthony Hopkins (in his motion picture debut) as Richard the Lionheart
- 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 [edit]
In October 1967, the actors rehearsed at Haymarket Theatre in London.[2]. Production started in November 1967[3] and continued until May 1968.[4]
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 30 October 1968 (29 December 1968 London premiere).
O'Toole, who portrays Henry II in his old age, had played the same king as a young man in the film Becket just four years earlier.
The sculpted stone figures appearing during the main title music were a lucky, unexpected find by the director while shooting scenes in France. They were filmed along the artist's driveway and later edited to create the title sequence where they appear to be on interior walls of the castle.[citation needed]
Reception [edit]
The film earned an estimated $6.4 million in distributor rentals in the domestic North American market during its initial year of release.[5]
Awards and nominations [edit]
Academy Awards [edit]
The film received three awards out of 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 [edit]
The film received two wins out of seven 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 [edit]
The film received two wins out of seven 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 [edit]
British Society of Cinematographers
- Best Cinematography—Win for Douglas Slocombe
- Best Foreign Production—Win for Martin Poll
Directors Guild of America Awards
- Outstanding Directorial Achievement—Win for Anthony Harvey
- 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 [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "The Lion in Winter, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
- ^ Bergan 1996, p. 155.
- ^ Callan 2004, pp. 90, 100, 105.
- ^ Wapshott 1984, p. 145.
- ^ "Big Rental Films of 1969", Variety, 7 January 1970 p 15
Bibliography [edit]
- ^ "The Lion in Winter, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
- ^ Bergan 1996, p. 155.
- ^ Callan 2004, pp. 90, 100, 105.
- ^ Wapshott 1984, p. 145.
- ^ "Big Rental Films of 1969", Variety, 7 January 1970 p 15
- Paden, William (2004). In Utz, Richard; Swan, Jesse G. I Learned It at the Movies: Teaching Medieval Film in: Postmodern Medievalisms. Cambridge: Brewer. pp. 79–98.
- Bergan, Ronald (1996). Katharine Hepburn: An Independent Woman. Arcade Publishing. p. pg. 155. ISBN 9781559703512.
- Callan, Michael Feeney (2004). Anthony Hopkins: A Three Act Life. London: Robson Books. pp. 98, 100, 105. ISBN ISBN 186105761X.
- Wapshott, Nicholas (1984). Peter O'Toole: A Biography. Beaufort Books. p. 145. ISBN 9780825301964.
External links [edit]
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: The Lion in Winter (1968 film) |
- The Lion in Winter at the American Film Institute Catalog
- The Lion in Winter at the Internet Movie Database
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- 1960s drama films
- 1968 films
- Best Drama Picture Golden Globe winners
- Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners
- British drama films
- British LGBT-related films
- English-language films
- Epic films
- Films about dysfunctional families
- Films based on plays
- Films featuring a Best Actress Academy Award winning performance
- Films featuring a Best Drama Actor Golden Globe winning performance
- Films set in France
- Films set in the 12th century
- Films shot in the Republic of Ireland
- Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award
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