The Lion in Winter ***** (1968, Peter O’Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, Jane Merrow, Timothy Dalton, Nigel Terry) – Classic Film Review 1000

Director Anthony Harvey’s superb, stirring, sterling triple-Oscar-winning 1968 classic costume period drama is the cat-fighting story of duelling divas at Christmas at the English court. It won Oscars for Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score, and was nominated for four other Oscars.

It’s 1183 and the three sons of the ageing and ailing King Henry II’s all desperately want to inherit his throne. But the wily old man won’t commit to making a choice so they plot to force his hand, involving the conniving Queen in their conspiracies.

Katharine Hepburn won a Best Actress Oscar for her electrifying performance as the exiled wife Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine battling with King Henry II over his successor. It plays in the most strangely but entertainingly anachronistic fashion, like it’s a posh modern-day American family drama soap, a kind of period Dynasty.

Incidentally, Hepburn tied with Barbra Streisand for Funny Girl for the Oscar, becoming the third performer to win consecutive awards, and the first to win three awards for lead roles. Anthony Harvey accepted the award on her behalf.

Peter O’Toole is at least the equal of Hepburn, and on top form too as Henry, but, though nominated (for the third time) as Best Actor, he didn’t win again. He was the second actor (after Bing Crosby) to be twice Oscar nominated for playing the same character after playing Henry II in Becket (1964). Shamefully he never did win an Oscar, after being nominated eight times.

He did win a Golden Globe, though, for The Lion in Winter and the film won a second for Best Motion Picture – Drama. The New York Film Critics voted it their Best Film too.

But there were also Oscars for James Goldman’s expert, thoroughly entertaining adaptation of his own play and John Barry’s courtly, ideal score. He also won the Bafta Award for Best Film Music. Along with Hepburn’s Best Actress award, that was the only Bafta approval.

This richly enjoyable movie runs the whole dramatic gamut of funny, sad, tragic, disappointed and bitter, and happily it’s not remotely like a school history lesson, though you do learn a few facts as you go along.

Jane Merrow appears in her most famous, Golden Globe-nominated role as Alais, the lovely young adoring mistress to King Henry, and there are highly striking, impressive and promising film débuts for Anthony Hopkins (as Prince Richard the Lionheart) and Timothy Dalton as the young but crafty King Philip II of France, who is also Alais’s brother.

Nigel Terry is also making his promising film debut (as John). John Castle (Geoffrey), Nigel Stock (William Marshal), Kenneth Griffith (Strolling Player) and O Z Whitehead (Bishop of Durham) are also notable among the distinguished cast.

Douglas Slocombe’s cinematography, art director Peter Murton’s set designs and Margaret Furse’s costume designs are a total treat and feast for the eyes.

It was nominated for four other Oscars: Best Picture (Martin Poll), Best Actor (Peter O’Toole), Best Director (Anthony Harvey) and Best Costume Design (Margaret Furse).

Oscar-nominated director Anthony Harvey.

Peter O’Toole died on 14 December 2013, aged 81. Nigel Terry died on 30 April 2015, aged 69. The Oscar-nominated director Anthony Harvey died on 23 November 2017, aged 87. He also directed Hepburn in The Glass Menagerie, Grace Quigley and This Can’t Be Love.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1000

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com

Jane Merrow appears in her most famous role as Alais.