Synopsis
What family doesn’t have its ups and downs?
Henry II and his estranged queen battle over the choice of an heir.
1968 Directed by Anthony Harvey
Henry II and his estranged queen battle over the choice of an heir.
Un lion en hiver, Лев взимку, Il leone d'inverno
If you thought YOUR family Christmas gatherings were dysfunctional, just watch The Lion in Winter, or read a sampling of my favorite quotes:
- "I'd hang you from the nipples, but you'd shock the children."
- "A king? Because you put your ass on purple cushions?"
- "Well, what shall we hang... the holly, or each other?"
- "Oh Eleanor, you've brought me my tombstone! You spoil me!"
- "I'm vilifying you for God's sake— pay attention!"
Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn are a pairing made in heaven.
Nigel Terry as the dopey prince looks like a Monty Python character and I could never take him seriously
Also baby Timothy Dalton as a sneaky French king rules
Part of Buddy the Elf, What's Your Favorite Color?
“I hope we never die.” “So do I.” “Do you think there’s any chance of it?”
The year was 1969. Nominations for the 1968 Academy Awards were soon to be announced. Naturally, the films leading the Oscar discussion and the nomination field were 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick’s dazzling venture into the far reaches of space, human evolution, and the future, and Rosemary’s Baby, Roman Polanski’s American debut featuring an oustanding Mia Farrow performance and a memorable exploration of maternal anxiety and paranoia. The two films combined to sweep the ceremony held in March, with 2001 winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Cinematography,…
Things I realized while watching this gem:
- Katharine Hepburn is the queen of focus crying and getting whatever tf she wants
- Peter O’Toole’s character looks like a lion
- This is my favorite performance from him, and I’m 100% aware that Lawrence of Arabia exists
- This is one dysfunctional family and you can’t spell dysfunctional without fun.
- It’s baby Anthony Hopkins 😲🥺
“Well, what shall we hang: the holly, or each other?”
Classically filmed and designed, it's a powerhouse of a picture that holds up more than fifty years later as a testament to the kind of actors that could burn it all to the ground around them and still make every moment of the film look so damn beautiful.
This is just what I need to get me in the Christmas spirit 🎄
George RR Martin completely stole the character Cersei Lannister from Eleanor in this film. You can't convince me otherwise.
- Both have long dark blonde hair
- Both associate with red and gold, especially their iconic dress
- Both are married to a big fat brown beard loser
- Both have three children who they love unconditionally
- The three children also thirst for power and the throne
- One is naive, one is truly monstrous, and the youngest is a bumbling idiot
- Both women are underestimated by the men around them due to the times, despite being the most powerful
- Both resort to poison to deal with their enemies
- Both like to drink red wine
-…
If the dialogues of today's films were half important and transcendent than they are in this film, I'm sure they would be much more interesting.
Katherine Hepburn’s voice really annoys the shit out of me. It was always irritating but as she grew older it got worse. It makes me want to stick ice picks in my ears. That’s not to say she isn’t a great actress because she is. But she sounds like a pretentious death rattle.
Peter O’Toole was the star of my favorite film of all time so he gets a free pass for everything he ever did. Even Caligula. I own Caligula on Blu-ray.
Sooooooo, I’m sort of typing this while I’m watching it because it’s preeeeeeetty boring. 2 hours and 14 minutes huh? Pfffffffffffff. Twiddles thumbs. I’ve never written ‘twiddled’ before now. I guessed right. Great cast. 2 great actors…
There is something so endearing about the fact that Katharine Hepburn was a big fan of Peter O'Toole and wanted desperately to make a film with him after seeing Lawrence of Arabia because... well, same. This movie is hilarious and spectacular in its own right, but my goodness is that the most magnificent pairing. You can tell the two of them are just having a blast working with each other and it is a real privilege to watch. They are unbelievably strong, but then they also have the most tremendous supporting cast. This film is just as good as everyone always said, and it flies by in the blink of an eye.
This is the first play I was ever in. La Serna High School, Whittier California, 1989. Teenagers playing 50 year olds. This film is pretty good too.
If you're looking for a family drama that takes place over the course of 24 hours on Christmas Eve: WATCH THIS MOVIE. Game of Thrones wishes it could be this smart and sharp. The screenplay is honestly out of this world and the performances knock it out of the park. Katharine Hepburn AND Peter O'Toole!!! This two hours and twenty minutes flies by so fast.......sigh. God bless movies.
I was lucky to see the 4K restoration of this on the big screen and BOY was it pretty.