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,…

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…

Based on a play by James Goldman that is fictional but centers around historical facts and characters, The Lion in Winter is a historical drama about King Henry II and his family during Christmas of 1183. Henry (Peter O'Toole) has to decide which of his three sons will inherit the throne: Richard (Anthony Hopkins in his debut), a formidable soldier with a heart made of stone; Geoffrey, a cold and calculated man lacking honor; and John, the youngest and Henry's favorite, a simpleton with no muscles nor brain. Henry allows wife Eleanor (Katharine Hepburn) out of imprisonment for the holiday while King Philip II of France is Henry's guest at the castle.

The movie takes place almost entirely inside or…

"Power is the only fact"

Ah. A good, old fashioned medieval drama. This is the original game of thrones (without all the incest).

The Lion in Winter is a criminally unseen period drama. It's a master class in acting, presenting an interesting plot filled with memorable characters and one hell of a script. It's a tour-de-force in nearly all it's aspects, whether they be technical or human.

The film takes place during Christmas 1183, King Henry II desires for his youngest son Prince John to inherit his throne, while his estranged wife Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine (whom he keeps locked away) favours their oldest son Prince Richard the Lionheart. Meanwhile, King Philip II of France, Eleanor's ex-husband, has given his…

Flickchart Ranking: 77/100

The Lion in Winter looks to be an excellent William Shakespeare play being adapted to the big screen if only it were. Adapted from the Broadway play by James Goldman it sure looks and feels like one.

It’s Christmas during 1183 and the focus is on the tale of King Henry II played by Peter O’Toole. As everyone comes together during this time of celebration it seems to be all about a matter of choice. As Henry must choose a successor as heir to the throne while also choose who’ll be the mistress of Alais played by Jane Merrow. She would go to his eldest Richard the Lionheart played by Anthony Hopkins but she's already Henry’s mistress.…

Although this is not directly a sequel, The Lion in Winter finds Peter O’Toole reprising his role as King Henry II after his successful turn in Becket four years previously. Once again this is a look at the King’s personal relationships, but this time with the members of his own family during one tempestuous Christmas reunion: wily Queen Eleanor (Katherine Hepburn) and their three disgruntled sons (Anthony Hopkins, John Castle and Nigel Terry). What follows is a dazzling display of wit, intrigue and dysfunctional family politics that might be occasionally hard to follow but when it seems most complicated really just operates on the assumption that everybody is plotting against everybody else! Adapted from a stage play of the same…

A script featuring dialogue that surely many actors would kill to perform, and directors would kill to be at the helm of. And for this, the cast assembled is absolutely amazing, and it even features a John Barry score.

Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn give it their all, and effortlessly seem to engage the audience for 30 minutes at a time in a single room as they argue and spit venom at each other almost endlessly. The cunning and hatred on display really, truly seems to hide the undercurrent of undeniable love between the two, but also means you never know what each is plotting. They're so well written, and the actors certainly do justice to this. And as mentioned…

To be honest I was looking for something else and my drop of disappointment has nothing to do with the objective quality of the film: I wanted something big, and I wanted something medieval.
While the second request was met, it surely wasn't the epic adventure I was looking for.

It's still an interesting and deserving piece, based on a broadway play that manage to squeeze elements deriving from years of battles, plotting and treachery on a single night drama. The adaptation works perfectly, but I was in the mood to see the whole thing.

The musical score, set design and cast are all deserving a mention.
The intro was one of the most intriguing I've seen, and a better…