The Lion in Winter
Original film poster
Directed by	Anthony Harvey
Produced by	Martin Poll
Written by	James Goldman
Starring	Peter O'Toole Katharine Hepburn
Music by	John Barry
Cinematography	Douglas Slocombe
Editing by	John Bloom
Distributed by	AVCO Embassy
Release date(s)	30 October 1968 29 December 1968
Running time	137 min. (DVD)
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Lion in Winter is a 1968 historical costume drama made by Embassy Pictures, based on the Broadway play by James Goldman. It was directed by Anthony Harvey and produced by Martin Poll from Goldman's adaptation of his own play, The Lion in Winter. The music score was by John Barry and the cinematography by Douglas Slocombe. Image File history File links Lion_In_Winter1. ... Anthony Harvey (born June 3, 1931) is a British film editor and director. ... James Goldman (June 30, 1929 - October 28, 1998) was an American playwright, and screenwriter, and brother of William Goldman. ... Peter Seamus OToole (born Peter James OToole on August 2, 1932) is an eight-time Academy Award-nominated Irish actor. ... Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an iconic four-time Academy Award-winning American star of film, television and stage, widely recognized for her sharp wit, New England gentility and fierce independence. ... John Barry. ... Douglas Slocombe is a British cinematographer who has enjoyed a long career in the British film industry. ... John Bloom was a British entrepreneur who headed the Rolls Razor company in the late 1950s and early 1960s. ... Embassy Pictures Corporation (aka Embassy Film Associates) was an independent studio and distributor responsible for such films as The Graduate and The Lion in Winter. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1968 Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1968 Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... // October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts. ... The historical drama is a film genre in which stories are based more or less accurately upon historical events and famous persons. ... A costume drama is a period piece in which elaborate costumes, sets and properties are featured in order to capture the ambience of a particular era. ... Embassy Pictures Corporation (aka Embassy Film Associates) was an independent studio and distributor responsible for such films as The Graduate and The Lion in Winter. ... Broadway theatre[1] is the most prestigious form of professional theatre in the U.S., as well as the most well known to the general public and most lucrative for the performers, technicians and others involved in putting on the shows. ... James Goldman (June 30, 1929 - October 28, 1998) was an American playwright, and screenwriter, and brother of William Goldman. ... Anthony Harvey (born June 3, 1931) is a British film editor and director. ... VHS Cover The Lion in Winter is a 1966 Broadway play by James Goldman. ... John Barry. ... Douglas Slocombe is a British cinematographer who has enjoyed a long career in the British film industry. ...

The film stars Peter O'Toole (reprising his 1964 role from Becket) as King Henry II of England and Katharine Hepburn as his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Richard the Lionheart was played by Anthony Hopkins in his film début, John by Nigel Terry, and Geoffrey by John Castle. Timothy Dalton also made his film début as King Philip II of France. Nigel Stock played Captain William Marshall. Peter Seamus OToole (born Peter James OToole on August 2, 1932) is an eight-time Academy Award-nominated Irish actor. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... Becket is a 1964 film adaptation of the play Becket or the Honour of God by Jean Anouilh made by Hal Wallis Productions and released by Paramount Pictures. ... Henry II of England (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189) ruled as Count of Anjou, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, and as King of England (1154–1189) and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland, eastern Ireland, and western France. ... Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an iconic four-time Academy Award-winning American star of film, television and stage, widely recognized for her sharp wit, New England gentility and fierce independence. ... Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor of Aquitaine (Aliénor dAquitaine in French), Duchess of Aquitaine and Gascony and Countess of Poitou (1122[1] –April 1, 1204) was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Europe during the High Middle Ages. ... Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 6 July 1189 to 6 April 1199. ... Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins CBE (IPA: ) (born 31 December 1937) is an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning Welsh film, stage and television actor. ... John deer hunting, from a manuscript in the British Library. ... Nigel Terry as King Arthur in Excalibur Nigel Terry (born August 15, 1945 in Bristol, England) is a British stage and film actor probably best known by movie audiences for his portayal of King Arthur in John Boormans Excalibur. ... Geoffrey Plantagenet (September 23, 1158 – August 19, 1186) was Duke of Brittany between 1181 and 1186, through his marriage with the heiress Constance. ... John Castle (born 14 January 1940 in Croydon, Surrey, England) is an actor. ... Timothy Peter Dalton (born March 21, 1946[1]) is a Welsh born English actor of stage and screen, best known for portraying James Bond in The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989) and in his roles in Shakespearean related films and plays. ... Philip II Augustus (French: Philippe II Auguste) (August 21, 1165 – July 14, 1223), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. ... Nigel Stock (actor) Nigel Stock was a veteran British actor of stage, screen, radio and TV, known as a character actor in particular. ... William Marshall, from his tomb effigy in Temple Church, London. ...

Background and production

The film debuted on October 30, 1968 (December 29, 1968 London premiere). October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1968 Gregorian calendar. ... December 29 is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 2 days remaining. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

The film was shot at Ardmore Studios in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland and on location in Ireland, Wales, and in France at Abbaye de Montmajour, Arles, Château de Tarascon, Tarascon, and Tavasson, Saône-et-Loire. Ardmore Studios is a film studio near Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland which was opened by Sean Lemass on 12 May 1958. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Statistics Province: Leinster County Town: Wicklow Code: WW Area: 2,024 km² Population (2007) 114,676 Website: www. ... This article is about the country. ... Montmajour Abbey (French: Abbaye Notre Dame de Montmajour) is located near Arles in the Bouches-du-Rhône département, Provence, in the south of France. ... Coordinates Administration Country France Region Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur Department Bouches-du-Rhône (Subprefecture) Arrondissement Arles Canton Chief town of 2 cantons: Arles-Est and Arles-Ouest Intercommunality Agglomeration community of Arles-Crau-Camargue-Montagnette Mayor Hervé Schiavetti  (PS) (2001-2008) Statistics Altitude 0 m–57 m... Tarascon Castle from front. ... Tarascon Castle from front. ... Saône-et-Loire is a French département, named after the Saône and the Loire rivers between which it lies. ...

An unusual note of trivia regarding the film was the longevity of its cast. The film was made in 1968 but it was thirty-five years before a major cast member died: Katharine Hepburn in 2003 (at the age of 96). The film's director, Anthony Harvey (born 1931), and producer, Martin Poll (born 1922), are also still alive as of 2006. Also during the film's release in 1968, Hepburn was 61 years old (the same age as her character Eleanor of Aguitaine in 1183, the film's plot year). 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Three-year old Emperor Go-Toba ascends to the throne of Japan after the forced abdication of his brother Antoku during the Genpei War William of Tyre excommunicated by the newly appointed Heraclius of Jerusalem, firmly ending their struggle for power Andronicus I Comnenus becomes the Byzantine emperor Births...

Hepburn won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role. The musical score by John Barry also won an Oscar, as did Goldman's adaptation of his play. The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the awards given to actresses working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... John Barry. ...

The movie contains many riveting and memorable scenes. Even though it was booed by most critics in 1968, the wedding-chapel scene is unforgettable and arguably one of the most well-directed, well-acted, beautiful scenes in the history of cinema. It ends with Eleanor masochistically asking her husband to kiss his mistress in front of her. He consents, but first he and his mistress perform a mock marriage ceremony as Eleanor looks on in horror.

Plot

The film is set during Christmas 1183 at Henry Plantagenet's château (castle) and primary residence in Chinon, Anjou, part of the Angevin Empire in France. Christmas is an annual holiday that marks the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. ... Angevin is the name applied to two distinct medieval dynasties which originated as counts (from 1360, dukes) of the western French province of Anjou (of which angevin is the adjectival form), but later came to rule far greater areas including England, Hungary and Poland (see Angevin Empire). ... Illustration of Chinon, circa 1892 For other uses, see Chinon (disambiguation). ... Modern département of Maine-et-Loire, which largely corresponds to Anjou Anjou is a former county (c. ... The term Angevin Empire describes a collection of states ruled by the Angevin Plantagenet dynasty. ...

The film opens with the arrival of King Henry II's (Peter O'Toole) wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine (Katharine Hepburn) from prison; the story immediately centres on the conflict and shifting alliances between the estranged couple and their adult sons and heirs to the throne: prince Richard the Lionheart (Anthony Hopkins) (the future King Richard I of England), Geoffrey Duke of Brittany (John Castle), and prince John (Nigel Terry) (the future King John I of England). Also present in the château and pursuing their own intrigues with the family are King Philip II of France (Timothy Dalton), the son of Eleanor's ex-husband, and Philip II's half-sister Alais (Jane Merrow), a daughter of Louis VII of France. Alais was betrothed to Richard, but is in fact Henry II's mistress. In reality, Henry had many mistresses and many illegitimate children. The "Rosamund" mentioned in the film was Henry II's mistress until she died. Louis VII the Younger (French: Louis VII le Jeune) (1120 – September 18, 1180) was King of France from 1137 to 1180. ... Alys, Countess of the Vexin (4 October 1160 – c. ... Louis VII the Younger (French: Louis VII le Jeune) (1120 – September 18, 1180) was King of France from 1137 to 1180. ...

The article on the Revolt of 1173-1174 describes the historical events leading up to the fictional events in the film. The Revolt of 1173–1174 was a rebellion against Henry II of England by three of his sons, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine and rebel supporters. ...

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

The film received seven nominations.

Wins

• Best Actress - Katharine Hepburn
  • Tied with Barbra Streisand for Funny Girl
• Best Music Score - John Barry
• Best Screenplay - James Goldman

The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the awards given to actresses working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... Barbra Joan Streisand (born April 24, 1942) is an Academy Award-winning American singer, theatre and film actress, composer, liberal political activist, film producer and director. ... Original cast album Funny Girl is a semi-biographical musical based on the life and career of Broadway and film star and comedienne Fanny Brice and her stormy relationship with entrepreneur and gambler Nicky Arnstein. ... As defined by Rule Sixteen of the Academy Awards Rules, the Academy Award for Original Music Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer. ... The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. ...

Nominations

• Best Picture - Martin Poll
• Best Director - Anthony Harvey
• Best Actor - Peter O'Toole
• Best Costume Design - Margaret Furse

// The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Academy Awards, awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which are voted on by others within the industry. ... The Academy Award for Directing is an accolade given to the person that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences feels was best director of the past year. ... The Academy Award for Best Actor is one of the awards given to actors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... This Academy Award was first given for movies made in 1948 when separate awards were given for black-and-white and color movies. ... Margaret Watts (1911–1974) was an English costume designer. ...

BAFTA Awards

Wins

• Best Actress - Katharine Hepburn
• Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music - John Barry

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role has been presented to its winners since 1952 and actresses of all nationalities are eligible to receive the award. ...

Nominations

• Best Cinematography - Douglas Slocombe
• Best Costume Design - Margaret Furse
• Best Screenplay - James Goldman
• Best Sound Track - Chris Greenham
• Best Supporting Actor - Anthony Hopkins
• UN Award - Anthony Harvey

Golden Globe Awards

Wins

• Best Motion Picture
• Best Actor - Peter O'Toole

Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama has been awarded annually since 1944 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. ... The Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture - Drama was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951. ...

Nominations

• Best Actress - Katharine Hepburn
• Best Motion Picture Director - Anthony Harvey
• Best Original Score - John Barry
• Best Screenplay - James Goldman
• Best Supporting Actress - Jane Merrow

Other Awards

Wins

David di Donatello Awards

• Best Foreign Production - Martin Poll

Directors Guild of America Awards

• Outstanding Directorial Achievement - Anthony Harvey

Laurel Awards

• Female Dramatic Performance - Katharine Hepburn

New York Film Critics Circle Awards

• Best Film

Writers' Guild of Great Britain

• Best British Screenplay - James Goldman

Writers Guild of America

• Best Written American Drama - James Goldman

Trivia

• On The West Wing episode H. Con-172 it is alluded that this was President Bartlet's favorite film.

The West Wing may refer to: The West Wing, a television drama set in the West Wing of the White House The West Wing of the White House, the location of the Oval Office and offices for senior members of the Executive Office of the President of the United States... H. Con-172 is the 54th episode of The West Wing. ... This article or section on a Television-related subject may need to be cleaned up and rewritten because it describes a work of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. ...

External links

• The Lion in Winter (1968) at the Internet Movie Database