Review of The Lion in Winter (1968) by Gavin S — 28 Dec 2013

"The Lion in Winter" has a fantastic cast headlined by the immortal Peter O'Toole as King Henry II, Katharine Hepburn plays his wife Eleanor, and Anthony Hopkins (his film debut) as Richard, one of Henry's three sons.

Henry is fifty and all three want to inherit his throne, they all including his creepy wife devour each other on Christmas. I couldn't help thinking of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" while viewing this film, it can be considered a lesser, unintentional response to Mike Nichols' work.

With the exception of one dialogue, this is one of the most unpredictable films I've seen; it's a war of words, a family drama set in a kingdom. Peter O'Toole shines most brightly; the scene where he is with King Philip II of France to discuss matters is not only the best of the movie, but showcases O'Toole's monstrous acting prowess to its peak and further.

I don't think I really understood the point and intentions of its characters, the plot consists of a twist after a twist; it was really hard for me to distinguish humor from seriousness, so I think it's flawed.

Maybe it's a better film than I am giving credit for, but then I am reminded of specific scenes where dramatic dialogues feel empty, sometimes I am put off by it, it seems like a frail exercise in who can say the most cleverly insulting sentence to another.

I can't put this film all together in my head, and maybe this was the intention, I did enjoy it very much. It's an actor's delight.