Lion In Winter, The (DVD)

This sharply portrayed and picturesque film is no less than a stunning masterpiece! Finely capturing the gusting momentum of a kingdom and its contending rule, all the while bootying the intricacies of family passion & strife, this movie grasps all by masterfully portraying it within the frame of a Christmas holiday spent at the beauteous castle of Chinon. The year is 1183, and Henry II, insatiate King of the British Empire summons forth his family: his wife - Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, and their surviving sons Richard, Geoffery, and John. They meet at Chinon - and like every gathering of this family must always have been, this meeting is momentous ~ James Goldman wholeheartedly deserved the Oscar he won for this screenplay -- for, not only is it in tune to every orchestral note of this history, but it is also precise as a dagger in its eloquence ~~ I've rarely heard a more masterful script portrayed on film! Such a prodigious screenplay must needs have a brilliant cast and musical score to give it flesh and blood -- and herein you'll find it most heartily delivered! Katharine Hepburn is absolutely stellar in her portrayal of perhaps one of the most fascinating women in history: the much-acknowledged "Queen of Love" throughout Europe before she became Queen of France, fighting in the Crusades alongside her husband Louis VII of France - and then Queen of England, wife of Henry II, who had imprisoned her for many years for joining her sons in plots against him. Henry would free her at times for such holiday family gatherings as this. Hepburn's scenes with Peter O'Toole, as Henry, are pure electrically-charged art! As King and Queen, parents to the three aspired heirs to the throne, they lay blame and conspire against each other, and their sons will stop at nothing to acquire what they each feel that they deserve: succession to the throne. To add to this tangled web of deceit are the young King Phillip of France and his sister, Alice, who had been raised in the household of King Henry, betrothed to Richard since her infancy. While Eleanor and her sons each plot with the French King, Henry openly exhibits his ongoing love affair with Alice~~ The chemistry of this well-casted drama is flawless - every line spoken a masterpiece of wit and daring. This movie is a rare find, indeed!

The product, as it were, is perfect. Print transfer is just right, clear as a bell. The film itself is brilliant and finds the cast, writer, and director at the top of their respective games. As a stage play with rich language and twists and turns and characters with twisted agendas it is converted magnificently to the screen. This is "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?" set in Medieval Times and the family dysfunction here is epic. Set during Christmas "holdays" in 1183, Peter O'Toole as Henry ll frees imprisoned Queen Eleanor played by Katharine Hepburn for a verbal donnybrook as they both plot Henry's succession. Anthony Hopkins in his first screen role is stellar as the repressed and Oedipal first born Richard The Lionheart and a very young Tomothy Dalton does an awesome turn as the slimy King of France. Hepburn plumbs the depths in this very modern psychodrama; "I even made poor Louis take me on Crusade. How's that for blasphemy. I dressed my maids as Amazons and rode bare-breasted halfway to Damascus. Louis had a seizure and I damn near died of windburn... but the troops were dazzled." For all her awesome presence and naturalism in her 1930s-1940s classics, this might be her best effort and it did not go unnoticed, she won the Academy award for this portrayal of Eleanor Of Aquitaine. O'Toole chomps scenery with the best of 'em and as the wild eyed and agenda-driven Henry ll he is tops. The chemistry between he and Kate belies their 25 year age difference, the two of them match each other blow for blow while serving the script brilliantly. It's a tour de force really, a great study of two actors fulfilling their roles while truly playing WITH each other. Damn, they're good. The Lion In Winter rules, the high standard of this production is timeless. 5 Stars for certain.

One of the problems endemic to movies adapted from stage plays is the annoying boxing in of the action - everything must take place in the same two or three locales. Anthony Harvey, director of THE LION IN WINTER, manages to overcome this handicap by bringing the historical setting to a rich, credible life. As you watch, you find yourself leaning forward in fascination, muttering, "So *that's* what it was like." Still, though, a movie like this lives or dies based on the writing and the performances, and both aspects are nearly flawless. The script has a certain '60's stridency in parts, but God knows it's infinitely better than most plays from that era. The characters trade barbed ripostes like seasoned pros - even Anthony Hopkins' hulking Richard III is a wit - but the movie is better as catharsis than light entertainment. The story is a sad one, not grim, but flavored with the wistful remorse of the king and his queen, who have ended up making far less out of their lives than they could have and are acutely aware of the fact. The performances are great across the board - everyone knows who Hepburn, O'Toole, Hopkins, and Dalton are, but the lesser-known John Castle and Jane Merrow ace theirs perfectly well (both of them also turned in good performances in episodes of THE PRISONER, as did this film's briefly-seen Kenneth Griffith). I got my friends to watch this by telling them it was THE BIG KAHUNA in the Middle Ages; it's not, of course, but the principal joy of each film is the same: the pleasure of watching a pack of wonderful actors tearing into each other with maximum gusto. In short, this movie is a definite to-own. The DVD's extra features are practically nonexistent, but there is an interesting and illuminating commentary by the director. Even if there weren't, though, the superior presentation would still warrant a purchase.

The Lion In Winter was a wonderful DVD to watch with Peter O’Toole and Katherine Hepburn acting their best roles. They did a phenomenal job of Portraying the turmoil between King Henry ll and his Queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine around the year 1183 AD. If you enjoy wonderful acting an old movies, this is a great movie/DVD for you to buy and watch. Highly recommended.

Quality acting involving a historical event from 12th century England. Brilliant movie. I was hoping for English subtitles (for hearing impaired) which is pretty standard these days, but this was not included. Nevertheless, a quality product.

I have been watching a lot of old favourites from the 1960s and 70s lately. And not all of them have aged well. However, this film was a masterpiece back then and it still is today. It is one of those rare films which have not lost any of their appeal 50 years later. The DVD I bought is perfectly serviceable, both picture and sound quality are perfectly adequate. However, the recent digitally restored version of the film is by all acounts a massive improvement. The film is based on a play and while the sets in the stark and forbidding castle are wonderfully evocative and probably quite near the truth, it is the outstanding performances of the cast, especially the two leads, that make this film so enjoyable. The film score by John Barry is excellent and really does add to the medieval feel of the film. It is Christmas 1163 and king Henry II (Peter O'Toole) has let his wife Eleanor (Katharine Hepburn) out of prison so she can join the family for the holidays. Their three sons are present, Henry flaunts his young mistress in Eleanor's face, and Philip, the young king of France, is also expected. Henry wants to settle the question of who will succeed him to the throne and everybody is plotting and scheming and forming and breaking alliances with everybody else. Both O'Toole and Hepburn are on top form and deliver every line of the razor sharp script to perfection. Anthony Hopkins makes his big screen debut as Henry's son Richard, the man who wants to be loved by everybody and is loved by nobody, John Castle is just too delicious as the devious Geoffrey, the clever middle son despised by everybody and who, in turn, despises everybody else. Timothy Dalton (also making his big screen debut in this film) is rather magnificent as the cocky young King Philip. Somewhat less impressive is John Terry as the simple prince John, but he does provide a bit of comic relief in this dark tale of power and deceit. Wonderful film, wonderful cast, highly remcommended all round.

Der Löwe im Winter (Originaltitel: The Lion in Winter) nach dem gleichnamigen Theaterstück von James Goldman mit Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepurn und Timothy Dalton stammt aus dem Jahr 1968 und war eine britische Produktion. Doch gehen wir ein wenig auf das Familienglück von Henry II. ein. Weihnachten 1183 auf der französischen Burg Chinon. Der alte König Henry II. muss einen Nachfolger aus einen seiner drei Söhne bestimmen. Aber einer ist intriganter als der andere und ob sie wirklich ein Königreich führen können, misstraut er. Er hat zudem noch seine liebe Ehefrau Eleanor, mit der er eine Hassliebe verbindet, in der englischen Burg Old Sarum eingesperrt und holt sie zu jedem Weihnachtsfest heraus. Dabei wird sie jedoch mit einer sehr jungen Geliebten ihres Ehemannes konfrontiert. Die Erkenntnis, dass sie alt und verbraucht wirkt trifft sie sehr. Eleanor will das ihr Lieblingssohn Richard an Macht gewinnt und die Krone einfordert. Und so entsteht wieder ein intrigantes Ränkespiel um die Nachfolge von Henry II. Doch nicht nur die Söhne wollen die Krone, auch der französische König Philipp II. von Frankreich streckt seine Finger nach der Krone aus. Der Film ist ein dialoglastiger Film ohne Action. Es ist ein Bühnenstück mit hervorragenden Schauspielern die mehr als gekonnt das Ränkespiel rüberbringen. Dazu noch die sehr intelligenten und teilweise sehr spitzen und spitzfindigen Texte die man selten so in einen Film zu hören bekommt. Und für die, die diesen Film lieben ist er einfach viel zu kurz. Und obwohl ich ihn schon unzählige Male gesehen habe, verfliegt der Film ein jedes Mal wie im Fluge. Dazu noch die Filmmusik von John Barry (allein schon die Titelmusik ist ein Hammer) unterstreicht die Filmszenen perfekt. Aber das alles wird sicher nicht jedem gefallen, denn Hass, Intrigen, Rachsucht, Machtgier erleben wir jeden Tag in jeglicher Form. Aber alles geballt auf über zwei Stunden ist wahrscheinlich schwer zu verdauen oder könnte für andere langweilig wirken, weil das mittlerweile in der Jetztzeit schon zu oft z.B. in TV-Serien gezeigt wurde und in der Literatur oft wiederkehrend ist. Doch damals 1968 war der Film in dieser Form fast ein Novum (auch wenn es ähnliches schon vorher gab). Der Film erhielt drei Oscars. Katharine Hepburn erhielt für ihre Darstellung ihren dritten Oscar von vier. John Barry, der Filmkomponist erhielt für seine Komposition ebenfalls einen Oscar und auch das Drehbuch erhielt einen. Peter O'Toole, Bester Film, beste Regie und Kostüme wurden zwar für den Oscar nominiert, konnten aber keinen einkassieren. Für einen nichtamerikanischen Film war das bemerkenswert. Es gab dann noch Auszeichnungen von Society of Film and Television Arts Awards für Katharine Hepburn und John Barry und den Golden Globe für Peter O'Toole und für den besten Film des Jahres. Laufzeit: 135 Minuten. Qualität der Blu-ray: Bildqualität: 1080/24p in 2:35.1 (breite Balken oben und unten). Das Bild ist einfach großartig. Das Bild ist scharf, die Kontraste gut, die Farben sind intensiv und die Bildkörnung fällt nur gering aus. Die Überarbeitung ist sehr gut gelungen und ein Umstieg von DVD auf Blu-ray zahlt sich aus. Tonqualität: Deutsch und Englisch in DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo. Die Dialoge sind gut verständlich.

Imprescindible. Aunque sólo por ver a Peter y Katherine ya merece la pena. Adaptación de una obra de teatro de Broadway de James Goldman (si, el autor de esa joya que es "Robin y Marian"), es una excelente película sobre el poder. Como curiosidad, uno de los hijos es interpretado por un joven Anthony Hopkins.