Review of The Lion in Winter (1968) by David Y — 09 Feb 2006
Every family has its own particular brand of drama when they assemble for the holidays. My family is the sort that politely ignores and avoids any sort of topic that might cause friction. Of course, when this is taken to the extent that large portions of your life are ignored, it really is no less irritating than if my family were like Henry II's.
Come Christmas, he's let his wife-Eleanor- out of jail to play her queenly role, all three of his scheming, crown-hungry sons have assembled, and his mistress may end up married to any of them....
Or to Henry....or Eleanor may kill her. Ah families at Christmas, let the fun begin. And fun is exactly what The Lion in Winter is. It is a Shakespearean playground for two of the greatest actors in history, Peter O'Toole and Katerine Hepburn, to roar and strut and plot and emote their way across the screen in relentless, spectacular, jawdropping fun.
When you first meet O'Toole's Henry you would think there was no one in the world that could stand up to this old lion, but then Eleanor arrives and roars back as good as she gets. Outstanding movie, acting for the ages, and a merry Christmas for all.
This review of The Lion in Winter (1968) was written by David Y on 09 Feb 2006.
The Lion in Winter has generally received very positive reviews.
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