The Lion in Winter

1968 Directed by Anthony Harvey

The most significant reserved seat attraction of the year!

1183 AD: King Henry II's three sons all want to inherit the throne, but he won't commit to a choice. They and his wife variously plot to force him. An aging and conniving King Henry II of England and Ireland plans a reunion where he hopes to name his successor. He summons the following people for the holiday at his chateau and primary residence in Chinon, Anjou, within the Angevin Empire of medieval France: his scheming but imprisoned wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine; his mistress, Princess Alais, whom he wishes to marry; his three sons, gay Richard the Lionheart , Geoffrey, and John, all of whom desire the throne; and the young, but crafty King Philip II of France, who is also Alais' half-brother.

Peter O'Toole Katharine Hepburn Anthony Hopkins John Castle Nigel Terry Timothy Dalton Jane Merrow Nigel Stock O.Z. Whitehead Kenneth Ives Kenneth Griffith Henry Woolf Karol Hagar David Griffith

Country

Language

English

Alternative Titles

Un lion en hiver, Лев взимку

drama history

134 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Aaron ★★★★★ 12

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,…
Review by CJ Probst ★★★½ 6

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…
Review by sarah 3

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.
Review by cait ★★★★★

I watched this film twice in a row, it was that good. It has so much wit and so many great one liners that I had to check it wasn’t based off an Oscar Wilde play. Every line is quotable. The Lion in Winter is beautiful, sharp and hilarious. It has one of the greatest casts ever assembled, with Peter O’Toole, Katherine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton. They all deliver breathtaking performances, embodying comedy, tragedy, drama, and about every other genre you could think of. this film has the range!!!
Review by hllambis ★★★★

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.
Review by Florin Stan ★★★★ 11

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…

Recent reviews

Review by Megan ★★★★

Too many notable quotables to count
Review by cait ★★★★★

I watched this film twice in a row, it was that good. It has so much wit and so many great one liners that I had to check it wasn’t based off an Oscar Wilde play. Every line is quotable. The Lion in Winter is beautiful, sharp and hilarious. It has one of the greatest casts ever assembled, with Peter O’Toole, Katherine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton. They all deliver breathtaking performances, embodying comedy, tragedy, drama, and about every other genre you could think of. this film has the range!!!
Review by Carol Veloso ★★★★

Game of Thrones (1968)
This story could have been done bad soo easily, but man they nailed it!
Review by marmotmcmahon ★★★★★

Richard/Philip's relationship makes this movie required viewing for any bear/otter couples. Overall the movie is exhausting because it's so dialogue-heavy but worth it just because of the number of lines that echo in your head even years after watching.
Review by Ayoub ★★★★

Katharine Hepburn championing her gay son Richard's bid for the throne is gay rights
Review by Ronaldo Sosa ★★★★★

Showed it to my mom and the first thing she said after it was over was "This is so you".
Review by iamunblemished ★★★★★

Y'all gotta write Medieval flicks like this, o fellow filmmakers.
Review by Joshua Gonzalez ★★★★½

Verbal S&M for 2 hours should be exhausting after a while but after multiple viewings I've yet to tire of this marvelous picture. I could listen to Peter O'Toole, Katherine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, John Castle, Nigel Terry, and impossibly young Timothy Dalton spit invectives at each other for days.
Review by We Love Movies!!! 🎬 ★★★½

The Lion in Winter can be a tough watch if you haven’t done your historical research on Henry II beforehand .
It’s a film about the royal family and their squabbles and fights to see who will get succession to the throne , who will marry who and what lands they will get .
It’s a bit like a modern day soap opera but more highbrow.
I’d done a little bit of homework, so I managed to keep up but my wife just couldn’t get a grip on what was happening and I can totally sympathise .
This won three Oscars and was nominated for four more , back in 1969 and although you can appreciate some of the performances…