It’s Christmas 1183, and King Henry II (Peter O’Toole) is planning to announce his successor to the throne. The jockeying for the crown, though, is complex. Henry has three sons and wants his boy Prince John (Nigel Terry) to take over. Henry’s wife, Queen Eleanor (Katharine Hepburn), has other ideas. She believes their son Prince Richard (Anthony Hopkins) should be king. As the family and various schemers gather for the holiday, each tries to make the indecisive king choose their option. The action is mostly contained within one day, a Christmas Eve.
Katharine Hepburn delivers an amazing, Oscar-winning performance ‘that must be seen to be believed in this dazzling all-star film that is not to be missed. Behind the great stone walls of an English castle, the world’s most powerful empire is in crisis. Three sons struggle to win their father’s favoras well as his crown. King Henry II and his queen, Eleanor (Katharine Hepburn), engage in a battle of royal wits that pits elder son Richard (Anthony Hopkins) against his brothers, while the cunning King Philip of France (Timothy Dalton) takes advantage of the internal fracturing in his bid to destroy their kingdom. Set in the Middle Ages.
One of the joys which movies provide too rarely is the opportunity to see a literate script handled intelligently. “The Lion in Winter” triumphs at that difficult task; not since “A Man for All Seasons” have we had such capable handling of a story about ideas. But “The Lion in Winter” also functions at an emotional level, and is the better film, I think. – Roger Ebert
Starring Peter O’Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, John Castle, Nigel Terry.
Note: Though the background and the eventual destinies of the characters are historically accurate, The Lion in Winter is fictional; none of the dialogue or action is historical. There was a Christmas court at Caen in 1182 but there was no Christmas Court at Chinon in 1183.