Le lion en hiver

Original title: The Lion in Winter

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

35K

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Period Drama Biography Drama History

1183 A.D.: King Henry II's three sons all want to inherit the throne, but he won't commit to a choice. When he allows his imprisoned wife Eleanor of Aquitaine out for a Christmas visit, they... Read all1183 A.D.: King Henry II's three sons all want to inherit the throne, but he won't commit to a choice. When he allows his imprisoned wife Eleanor of Aquitaine out for a Christmas visit, they all variously plot to force him into a decision.1183 A.D.: King Henry II's three sons all want to inherit the throne, but he won't commit to a choice. When he allows his imprisoned wife Eleanor of Aquitaine out for a Christmas visit, they all variously plot to force him into a decision.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

35K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

4,813

1,452

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 3 Oscars
- 16 wins & 18 nominations total

Videos3

The Lion in Winter - 4K Restoration Trailer

Photos178

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Storyline

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Trivia
Katharine Hepburn bested Peter O'Toole as the top dog on the set. Known to be something of a tyrant on most of his shoots, O'Toole meekly obliged, when she told him, "Peter, stop towering over me. Come and sit down and try to look respectable." O'Toole readily admitted in her presence that she reduced him "to a shadow of my former gay-dog self. She is terrifying. It is sheer masochism working with her. She has been sent by some dark fate to nag and torment me." Her reply: "Don't be so silly. We are going to get on very well. You are Irish, and you make me laugh. In any case, I am on to you, and you to me."

Goofs
Christmas trees were a somewhat obscure German tradition, introduced to the British royal family, and, by extension, England, by Queen Charlotte. It was not commonly decorated in English homes until the introduction of this custom by Prince Albert. Even the concept of using glass balls was unknown to Germans until long after the 12th century.

Quotes
John: A knife! He's got a knife!
Eleanor of Aquitaine: Of course he has a knife, he always has a knife, we all have knives! It's 1183 and we're barbarians! How clear we make it. Oh, my piglets, we are the origins of war: not history's forces, nor the times, nor justice, nor the lack of it, nor causes, nor religions, nor ideas, nor kinds of government, nor any other thing. We are the killers. We breed wars. We carry it like syphilis inside. Dead bodies rot in field and stream because the living ones are rotten. For the love of God, can't we love one another just a little - that's how peace begins. We have so much to love each other for. We have such possibilities, my children. We could change the world.

Alternate versions
A 70mm version was released in Australia in 1969, and in the UK in 1973.

Connections
Featured in Precious Images (1986)

User reviews220

Featured review

9/10

The Theatre of Monarchy...

Performed to absolute perfection as Henry II plays feudal family chess to select his future heir. With a dialogue as sharp as a dagger, as cold as winter, with greed and jealousy and treachery conjoined. You'll struggle to find a more captivating piece of cinema, or indeed one whose protagonists you'll be so keen to explore further once you've absorbed it.