Lion In Winter, The (DVD)

During the beginning the film, when Henry II played by Peter O'Toole and Eleanor of Aquitaine played by Katherine Hepburn, meet for the annual Christmas fête during which the queen is released from imprisonment for purely ceremonial purposes. The opening quips reveal the nature of their adversarial relationship and of things to come. Henry II: How was your crossing? Did the waters part for you? Eleanor: It went flat when I told it to; I did not think to ask for more. How dear of you to let me out of jail. This depiction is priceless and a perfect indicator of the events to come during this Yuletide family reunion; which to say the least, a graphic depiction of the power struggle between Eleanor and Henry. This is a simplified depiction based upon fact; however, the overwhelming complexities of the history of The Duchy of Aquitaine, which at one time made up a third of France cannot be told with any coherency in a single film. There are other films such as Beckett and A Man For All Seasons; just to name a few, which provide minuscule insights into the history of medieval French and English histories which are better left to learned scholars in academia. These films are filled with historical inaccuracies and typically portray the various players simplistically as either entirely villainous or victims with whom the audience is entirely sympathetic to. It is the same with The Lion in Winter which, as are the numerous other productions chronicling the events of that period, are nothing but elaborate stagings that are meant to showcase the considerable talents of extraordinarily gifted actors. While the depictions of verbal fencing and intrigues are oversimplified they are nonetheless imbued with an appreciable quality that make them highly entertaining and believable; provided you don't take them too seriously. Hepburn and O'Toole are consummate actors blessed with rare talent; they are intellectual equals as are the characters they portray. The scenes of Ms. Hepburn's interaction with her various offspring in an effort to curry their favor are impressively touching as they are harshly revealing of the complexities of a formidable woman attempting to assess and influence her children; each endowed with decidedly different traits, temperaments and ambitions. The portrayal of the children themselves as individuals or interacting with one another are well served by enhancements in the script which tend to overstate the qualities of the characters. As I previously indicated, this technique is vital to differentiating the personae of each character, making it easier for the viewer to understand and relate to the character. Each scene is depicted with flawlessly targeted precision and dispenses with any superfluous embellishments and contain carefully placed moments of humor that preclude the need for overstated scenarios of comic relief in the strict Shakespearian sense. Although the premise of this film is that of a period drama, the plot is presented in such a way as to portray the lives of Henry's family as a modern, highly dysfunctional family gathered for a Christmas holiday in crisis mode, which makes the subject matter easier for the audience to understand and relate to. Mr. O'Tooles' performance is nothing less then perfection that is augmented by his strong intuitive sense of understanding how to navigate the complexities of interpreting his character in a completely convincing manner that is finely synchronized with the sensibilities of the audience. For the most part, the plot deftly conveys the essence of the storyline and is thoroughly entertaining, making each scene an enticement to look deeper into the lives of these two pivotal characters.

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 Lion in Winter is one of the last bigtime historic films of the mid 20th century, with a stellar cast, lovely medieval settings, and a literate (and sometimes humorous) script. Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn (who won an Oscar for best actress) carry off the roles of King Henry II and his wife, Eleanor of Aquataine, with amazing ease, grand intelligence, and as much love-hate fervor as they can muster. And they can muster a lot. Their characters' royal marriage is a battlefield, despite the queen's ordinary distance, her husband having long ago commanded her confinement to a distant castle. Now, during Christmastime 1183, with age threatening the king, he is pressed by nature to decide on a successor among his sons and calls his family together, including the queen, for a traditional yuletide gathering. Of course, the king's pleasure in the matter of who will succeed him diverges from the queen's. That he has also taken up with a young woman whom the queen raised as a daughter merely adds fuel to the fire. All in all, quite the story. Also, quite the restoration of the film. My MGM DVD from way back looked outrageously awful. The color constantly shifted, and nothing looked sharply focused. The sound was a muddle, too, and made the viewing experience even worse. Now, with this Kino-Lorber release, I can finally enjoy a movie that I really love.

A good copy of a great film

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.