Good start, but then it gets ruined

A lot of fun.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

The Lion in Winter is basically a study on immorality as a whole, as every single character seems to want to further their own agenda's and everyone seems to want to cheat eachother for self benefit. With every character having these kind of traits, it is ofcourse not easy to relate to them, but when a story is told this way with incredibly intellectual yet still coherent dialogue and some of the greatest acting and actors on the screen this makes for a fascinating immorality tale.The greatest star because of this is obviously the incredible screenplay by James Goldman as this film is such an incredible display of dialogue, editing & verbal debates in general. The symbolism and depth in the dialogue is incredible, yet it also manages to make common sense, such is the masterful skill of Goldman's screenplay. It is a motion picture fueled by its incredible use of dialogue, yet it also consists of excellent silent scenes which are used to bring out the incredible score by John Barry. Both elegant ( such as the incredible scene where Eleanor first arrives on the boat ) and haunting ( In the scene when Henry II reflects on the complications with his children near the castle walls ) John Barry's score is a stroke of genius and adds to the depressing yet also sometimes beautiful nature of this film.Yet without the incredible energetic acting by the incredible cast this film has, it would not be able to reach the level it has eventually reached. The entire cast all pull off absolutely stunning performances, but the lead performances by Peter O'Toole ( Henry II ) & Katharine Hepburn ( Eleanor of Aquitaine ) are the greatest of them all. Such stunning energetic verbal debates are constantly arising between the two of them and the intellectuality is just incredible yet believeable in these conversations. Also great performances by an early role of Anthony Hopkins, Nigel Terry, John Castle & a very young Timothy Dalton as each has an incredible screen presence and every single one just embodies their character perfectly.Yet while mostly being an indoor dialogue ridden film it also has a couple of great outdoor shots with fantastic cinematography, such as the one as stated earlier where Eleanor first arrives. It does give us time to breathe after extended verbal battles between Henry and often times either his sons or Eleanor by often times seeing him mindlessly wandering the castle halls due to his sons or Eleanor's immorality.It is such a fine display of great writing and energetic acting combined with fantastic music and a witty constantly twisting plot that it doesn't matter that immorality is the most common theme in the film, as it is a condition that is shown so splendidly that it is in itself an immersive artpiece on the study of the concept of immorality.

The Lion in Winter (1968) Director: Anthony Harvey Watched: April 2018 3/10 {Clue: This film would have been better categorized as such} Challenging and exhausting film to watch and not in a good way, Outside research necessary to better understand (e.g., Eleanor has been imprisoned for aiding their eldest son- now deceased- in treason), Maybe an entertaining read or play where the overacting, yelling, and ruthless but witty banter might be better received, Every time it seems the serious part is about to begin or one feels something approaching care, it is revealed as an artifice, Downright chaotic and difficult to take seriously with every character having multiple ulterior motives, endless inconsequential feuds, cruelty laced altercations that somehow warp into love scenes and back again, and constant retracting of words and nullification of actions, Yes, even Henry and Eleanor's closing lines are laughs- as he is sending her back to prison- mere moments after Henry tried to execute his sons as a punishment for treason, but instead lets them run away! Acrostic is a form of poetry where the first letters in each line, paragraph, or word are doubly used to spell a name, phrase, or word. The word "acrostic" comes from the Greek words "akros" (outermost) and "stichos" (line of verse). Read the appropriate letters in the poem vertically to reveal the extra message, called the "acrostich"! #Acrostic #PoemReview

1183 AD: King Henry II (Peter O'Toole)'s three sons all want to inherit the throne, but he will not commit to a choice. They and his wife (Katharine Hepburn) variously plot to force him.The best part of this film? When John says, "You stink. You're a stinker and you stink." Hilarious. The worst part? Katharine Hepburn. Although she plays a very good Eleanor of Aquitaine, and really gets into the conniving of the character (much more than Glenn Close in the remake), she still has that annoying quality that only Hepburn had.Luckily, Peter O'Toole and the supporting cast shine and make up for any shortfalls there might be. A true classic of the historical royal genre (or whatever the proper term is).

Certainly well mounted but is it really much more than a soap opera circa 1150? Katherine Hepburn is Eleanor of Acquitaine, released from jail by husband Henry II (Peter O'Toole) for Christmas. Their power struggle to name an heir to the throne goes on for two hours plus with witty one- liners thrown out like Molotov cocktails. The two leads, along with Anthony Hopkins, Timothy Dalton, Jane Merrow, John Castle, and Nigel Terry, act up a storm reciting James Goldman's acid tinged dialog with a lot of gusto. One is left, however, with a feeling of emptiness as this movie drones on and on. It's exhausting. The direction (which consists primarily of having a camera follow the players around) is by Anthony Harvey and the production values are all first rate from the cinematography by Douglas Slocombe to the faux-regal score by John Barry. This movie one many awards including the Oscar for its screenplay.