Movieo
Poster for The Lion in Winter

The Lion in Winter

What family doesn’t have its ups and downs?

1968 · 2h 14m · PG Drama, History
Directed by Anthony Harvey

Seen it?

Overview

Henry II and his estranged queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, battle over the choice of an heir.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
91%
Tomatometer
Rotten

James Goldman's screenplay, so chic and sophisticated to the ears of suburbanites, is chock-full of the worst kind of sophomoric fiddling with what Goldman takes to be genuine highfalutin lingo.

Don Druker, Chicago Reader
Fresh

An intense, fierce, personal drama put across by outstanding performances of Peter O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn.

Variety Staff, Variety
Fresh

Director Anthony Harvey opened up Goldman's play into authentic spaces far from any proscenium, and remained faithful to an energetic drama propelled by its performances and dialogue.

Mark Bourne, Film.com
Fresh

Harvey's direction is intelligent enough, though the reduction of power struggles to fits of personal pique -- where the fate of nations hangs in the balance -- becomes a little irritating. Enjoyable for its two lead performances, however.

Rod McShane, Time Out
Fresh

...outdoorsy and fun, full of the kind of plotting and action people used to go to just plain movies for.

Renata Adler, New York Times

Comments

Talk about the film with other members

More films