The Lion In Winter
It should be no surprise that I love me some costume dramas. I have been fascinated with European history for a long time now, predominantly the time period from the viking excursions to England up to the Renaissance. I am ALSO interested in the Renaissance, and a few other important eras in history, but England and France during the Middle Ages, from the Norman Conquest up through the death of Henry VIII, are just the most compelling human saga I've ever had the pleasure to read about.
Henry II is one of the most fascinating men to rule during that era. He wasn't a traditional king, rarely staying in one place for very long and being a hands on ruler concerned with expanding and solidifying his kingdom and influence, getting the magnates in line and stratifying his power to make it unshakable. His marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine is one of the most interesting relationships in history. She was a cunning noblewoman, influential and persuasive and with a knack for intrigues that was just as keen as even the most capable ruler's of the day. They were, oddly, a very well suited power couple since Henry preferred to stay on the move and Eleanor was a mastermind at running affairs at home. They produced many sons and daughters, notably Richard I (the Lionheart), John (of Magna Carta fame and the authority figure in both ivanhoe and Robin Hood) among others. Henry II had to quell multiple rebellions engineered or enabled by Eleanor and their sons and while he would have been well within his rights to end their lives, he never did. His sons, he always forgave and his wife he exiled and locked for over a decade, only letting her out for special occasions.
This all really happened. Truth is stranger, and more interesting, than fiction.
There's also the whole Thomas Becket thing, but we'll leave that for now.
This movie is based on a play of the same name and stars Peter O'toole as Henry II, Katherine Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Anthony Hopkins as Richard I, Nigel Terry as John and Timothy Dalton as King Philip of France. The film is about a Christmas party Henry wants to have with his entire family so he summons them to the castle at Chinon (Henry never had a central seat of authority) for a family get together. Given his history with all of these people, and their various squabbles with one another, it shouldn't come as any surprise that things don't go as planned. Philip complicates things because Henry is trying to shore up things on the French coast and Philip is demanding that certain contractual agreements be fulfilled, which Henry doesn't like because they hinge on having to give his mistress Alais up to his son Richard to secure an alliance. If Henry doesn't do it, the pact is null and void and there will be war again. Meanwhile, Richard and John are fighting over who gets to be king when Henry's done. Henry pretends to want John but Eleanor wants Richard, who is clearly more suited to rule but has some issues of his own. Meanwhile, Eleanor also wants to negotiate her freedom from captivity and she has some pieces to move on the board but she's just as desperate as anyone here to get what she wants.
The important thing here is the desperation these characters all have. Each one of them is coming to the same place when so much is at stake. Henry wants to be done with war but he doesn't want to give Alais up. Eleanor wants her freedom and she is mentally and emotionally exhausted beyond description at her ongoing captivity, and she feels this is here last chance. Richard is angry and believes if he doesn't leave the party with the crown secured, he will lose it to John. John feels the same way. Another brother, Geoffrey, is distant and almost sociopathic in his willingness to play them all against one another to put himself on the throne. And Philip just wants to ruin the entire family because of the trouble they've been to his homeland of France, and he has dirt on most of them to make their lives even more miserable. How it all plays out is the crux of the film.
I just want to say that this film has some of the best acting I've ever seen in a film. I really, REALLY enjoyed watching these thespians dominate the frame with interaction that was so enchanting that I could have watched a six hour cut of this film and been thrilled. It helps that the screenplay has some of the most eloquent, delightful dialogue ever written. The actors know how to read these lines to maximum effect; there is more chemistry on screen between all of these players than I've ever seen in a film with an ensemble of this caliber.
There's a line in the movie that Eleanor recites during a scene with Henry II that goes:
"I'm like the earth, old man-there isn't any way around me."
That may be the only perfect line of dialogue ever written.
This is a must watch. Even after fifty years, this film is still hypnotic and hasn't lost any of its magic.
