In this 12th-century version of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", Henry II of England (Peter O'Toole) on Christmas Eve 1183 has summoned the following people for the holiday: his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine (Katharine Hepburn); his mistress Princess Alais (Jane Merrow), whom he wishes to marry; his three sons (Richard, Geoffrey, and John), all of whom desire the throne; and the young but crafty King Philip of France (Timothy Dalton). With the fate of Henry's empire at stake, he hopes to name his successor, and everybody engages in their own brand of deception and treachery to stake their claim. King Philip insists that Alais marry John as agreed years before, or he wants back her dowry, the lands of the Vexen. Eleanor has already given the province of Aquitaine to Richard, so the outcome of this may decide the very future of England. Each of the sons has some flaw that makes the decision to name a successor difficult. You won't want to miss the famous homo-erotic exchange between Philip of France and Richard the Lionhearted (Anthony Hopkins). Both actors were making their feature-film debuts.
"The Lion in Winter" is fictional. There was no Christmas Court at Chinon in 1183, it was at Caen in 1182. None of the dialogue and action is historic, though the outcomes of the characters and the background are historically accurate. In reality, Henry had many mistresses and many illegitimate children. The "Rosamund" mentioned in the film was Henry II's mistress until she died.
James Goldman won an Oscar for his screenplay, based on his Broadway play. The story is mostly in the speeches the people make, and the action is kept to a minimum, but the dialogue is sharp as daggers. The humor is wicked and black and delivered with dry precision. Sparks fly and the screen sizzles whenever Hepburn and O'Toole tango, which is often. Both were nominated for Academy Awards for their great performances. (She won, but he didn't.) John Barry composed the original music and won an Oscar for Best Music Score. James Goldman wrote the script from his stage play, and Anthony Harvey directed.
