Stars: Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Nigel Terry, Anthony Hopkins, Timothy Dalton

Summary: Set over the Christmas of 1183, this classic of royal costume dramas concerns Henry II's effort to choose a worthy successor.

Set over the Christmas of 1183, this classic of royal costume dramas concerns Henry II's effort to choose a worthy successor. Powerful Henry II (Peter O'Toole) favours his youngest son John (Nigel Terry), while his strong-willed wife Eleanor (Katherine Hepburn) feels the honour should be bestowed upon eldest son Richard the Lionhearted (Anthony Hopkins, in his screen debut). This disagreement leads the family to a war of wills that will stress every bond of love, trust, and honour. This acclaimed adaptation of James Goldman's play was also the first film for Timothy Dalton. Academy Award Nominations: 7, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor--Peter O'Toole. Academy Awards: 3, including Best (Adapted) Screenplay, Best Actress--Katharine Hepburn (shared with Barbra Streisand for her role in Funny Girl).

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In this 12th-century version of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Henry II of England (Peter O'Toole) and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine (Katharine Hepburn), meet on Christmas Eve to discuss the future of the throne. These two are having slight marital problems, as she is kept in captivity most of the year for raising a rebellion against him, and he flaunts his young mistress. Then there are the problems raised by their three treacherous and traitorous sons. James Goldman won an Oscar for the brilliant screenplay, based on his Broadway play. It is a tad wordy, as the action is kept to a minimum, but those words are sharp as daggers. The humour is wicked and black and delivered with very dry, dead-on precision. Sparks fly and the screen sizzles whenever Hepburn and O'Toole tango, which is often. Both were nominated for Academy Awards for their vigorous performances. (She won, he didn't.) There is also an infamous homoerotic exchange between Philip of France (Timothy Dalton) and Richard the Lionhearted (Anthony Hopkins). Both actors were making their feature film debuts. --Rochelle O'Gorman, Amazon.com

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Year:	1968
Release Date:	September 8, 2003
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	M P 263 D
Keywords:	General, Winter, Lion, Drama
Genre:	Drama