The Lion in Winter (1968)

Directed by Anthony Harvey. Starring Peter O’Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, John Castle, Timothy Dalton, Nigel Terry, Jane Merrow, Nigel Stock, O. Z. Whitehead, Kenneth Ives.

King Henry II (O’Toole) assembles his sons and his imprisoned wife Eleanor of Aquitaine (Hepburn) on Christmas Eve 1183 to struggle over the choosing of his heir. James Goldman’s stage play translates well to the big screen (by his own pen), with only the occasional instance of stagy visuals or long-windedness in the dialogue; credit is due director Harvey, especially since he avoids a lot of those gauche errors despite being a novice with feature films. The patchy flaws hardly even go noticed, as the strong cast and the script’s brawler’s poetry bail each other out when one side flags with too much pomp, camp, or melodramatic fire. O’Toole seems born for the role (and not just because he previously played Henry in Becket), devouring the screen like no one’s business; Hepburn matches him with wiles, wit, and venom. Game supporting players (including Hopkins and Dalton, both making their film debuts) and atmosphere-rich production values enhance the gratifying theatricality. Hepburn “tied” for an Academy Award win with Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl, the only time a victory was shared among onscreen performers (there was also a split for Best Actor once in 1932, but it wasn’t actually a tie). Goldman and John Barry’s score also won Oscars.

85/100