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The Lion in Winter (1968)

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Average Rating: 8.1/10
Reviews Counted: 22
Fresh: 21 | Rotten: 1

Sharper and wittier than your average period piece, The Lion in Winter is a tale of palace intrigue bolstered by fantastic performances from Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, and Anthony Hopkins in his big-screen debut.

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Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 4
Fresh: 4 | Rotten: 0

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Movie Info

The year is 1183. Like many a modern-day politician, Britain's King Henry II (Peter O'Toole) finds it occasionally useful to take his wife out of mothballs and parade her before the public. Henry's Queen Eleanor (Katharine Hepburn), long exiled to a faraway castle, is "invited" to join Henry and their three sons for a family reunion. In this way, Henry hopes to maintain a stronghold on his Empire and to prevent the balance of power from shifting to Eleanor or to one of his sons: Richard the

PG, 2 hr. 14 min.

Drama, Classics

Directed By: Anthony Harvey

In Theaters: Oct 30, 1968 Wide

On DVD: Jun 19, 2001

Nelson Entertainment

The Lion in Winter Trailer & Photos

Cast

Peter O'Toole
Henry II
Katharine Hepburn
Eleanor Of Aquitaine
Jane Merrow
Princess Alais
John Castle
Prince Geoffrey
Timothy Dalton
Philip II of France
Anthony Hopkins
Prince Richard (Richard...
Nigel Stock
William Marshall
Nigel Terry
Prince John
Kenneth Griffith
Strolling Player
O.Z. Whitehead
Bishop of Durham
Henry Woolf
Strolling Player

Critic Reviews for The Lion in Winter

All Critics (24) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (23) | Rotten (1) | DVD (7)

Director Anthony Harvey opened up Goldman's play into authentic spaces far from any proscenium, and remained faithful to an energetic drama propelled by its performances and dialogue.

December 21, 2007 Full Review Source: Film.com

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Mark Bourne

Film.com

Top Critic

...outdoorsy and fun, full of the kind of plotting and action people used to go to just plain movies for.

May 9, 2005 Full Review Source: New York Times

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Renata Adler

New York Times

Top Critic

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...

October 23, 2004 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Top Critic

One of the most revered films of all time...with hallmark performances from Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn and the film debuts of Anthony Hopkins, Timothy Dalton, Nigel Terry and John Castle.

April 10, 2002 Full Review Source: Washington Post

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Martie Zad

Washington Post

Top Critic

Peter O'TOole and Katharine Hepburn are superb as the bickering, yet loving Henry II and his meddling wife Eleanor of Aquitaine.

August 15, 2011 Full Review Source: Oscar Guy

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Wesley Lovell

Oscar Guy

A trashy, gossipy, anachronistic marital drama, about the royal squabbles of Henry II and exiled wife, is well-acted by Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn, who won a third Oscar for her wicked scheming; watch for Anthony Hopkins in his screen debut

June 22, 2007 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

MGM's DVD brings us a good transfer of a lovely print (2.35:1 anamorphic).... Anthony Harvey's audio commentary is dry yet informative and reasonably engaging.

April 6, 2006 Full Review Source: DVDJournal.com

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Mark Bourne

DVDJournal.com

A must-see for perhaps the most scathing verbal pyrotechnics ever committed to film.

September 26, 2004 Comment

Martin Scribbs

Low IQ Canadian Source: Low IQ Canadian

You'll either love or reject the idea of history as sitcom; either way, the lead performances are hard to deny.

August 16, 2003 Comment

Nick Davis

Nick's Flick Picks

Boring and overrated. Good acting.

February 23, 2003 Comment

Alex Sandell

Juicy Cerebellum

Theatrical and talky, but it's good talk by great performers.

December 29, 2002 Comment

Ken Hanke

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Lion in Winter

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King Henry II invites his estranged wife and three children to celebrate Christmas with his mistress, and the three sons vie for the throne.Only slightly better than the remake, this classic film, for which Katharine Hepburn won the Best Actress Oscar, is more fast-paced and sharply executed. Writer James Goldman's

January 16, 2012

Jim Hunter

Super Reviewer

Riveting. Dialogue of razor-sharp wit, layers of motives and intimate revalations, and captivating performances. Can't find a modern movie with dialogue this smart.

September 1, 2011

Matthew Slaven

Super Reviewer

The Lion in Winter Quotes

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1. Eleanor Of Aquitaine: In a world were carpenters get resurrected, anything is possible.
– Submitted by Oscar L (18 days ago)
1. Eleanor Of Aquitaine: Of course he has a knife, he always has a knife, we all have knives! It's 1183 and we're barbarians! How clear we make it. Oh, my piglets, we are the origins of war: not history's forces, nor the times, nor justice, nor the lack of it, nor causes, nor religions, nor ideas, nor kinds of government, nor any other thing. We are the killers. We breed wars. We carry it like syphilis inside. Dead bodies rot in field and stream because the living ones are rotten. For the love of God, can't we love one another just a little - that's how peace begins. We have so much to love each other for. We have such possibilities, my children. We could change the world.
– Submitted by Thomas A (3 months ago)
1. Prince John: You stink. You're a stinker and you stink.
– Submitted by Thomas A (3 months ago)