The Lion in Winter (1968) british Blu-ray edition cover
In 1967, Catherine Hepburn (1907-2003) and Spencer Spencer Tracy (1900-1967) collaborated on their last film, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), in which they played an elderly couple who focused on the sensitive social issue of "interracial marriage.". At that time, American society caused an uproar, and even completely ended the history of banning racial intermarriage in some states in the United States. However, 17 days later, Spencer Qusay died in her arms. Catherine Hepburn said in an interview with reporters that she never dared to see the film because it was the "last supper" for the two. Happily, Catherine Hepburn won the second queen of the film with this film. Just a year later, Catherine Hepburn turned grief into strength and became the queen with The Lion in Winter (1968).
Catherine Hepburn at the scene of the irori oven rehearsal in the film The Lion of Winter (1968).
When Winter Lion director Anthony Harvey (1930-2017) sent the script to Catherine Hepburn through a friend, she was still in grief. In January 1968, when Catherine Hepburn read the script for The Winter Lion at home, her intuition told her it was a very good script, and then she called her agent and asked her agent to tell Anthony Harvey that she agreed to play the role of Queen Eleanor in The Winter Lion.
"Winter Lion" is a palace film with a very strong and distinct character, and the portrayal of human power desire is very profound. Peter O'Toole (1932-2013) and Catherine Hepburn brought that love-hate relationship to life, making them one of the most confusing "warring couples" on screen.
Promotional photo for the film The Lion in Winter (1968), rear row from left to right: Timothy Dalton Peter O'Toole Anthony Hopkins Catherine Hepburn Katharine Hepburn John Castle; Front row from left to right: Nigel Terry Terry Terry Jane Mero Jane Merrow
The film is based on james Goldman James Goldman (1927-1998) play of the same name, which takes place in the 12th century by Innighil Terry Nigel Terry Gran, the elderly King Henry II (played by Peter O'Toole) who decided to hold an election for the heir to the throne. Empress Eleanor (Played by Catherine Hepburn), lovers, three princes and the King of France all attend the banquet, each pregnant with a ghost fetus, ready to inherit the imperial power... The dialogue of this highly literary costume film is a major highlight, and from the current point of view, this movie is more like a drama.
This is a historical drama at all without war scenes, the original Christmas feast of the royal family has become a drama of court succession, this kind of story, quite carelessly, will become a boring situation, but the wonderful part of this film is in one breath, the story experienced only a short day and night, what happened is fierce and breathless.
Stills from the film The Lion in Winter (1968), Peter O'Toole Katharine Hepburn
The 1960s and 1970s were the withering period of the golden age of Hollywood cinema, and the accumulation of the previous 30 years gradually degenerated into a lingering memory on film with the passage of time: the decline of methodological acting, the abolition of classicism, and the veteran stars who could support the studio on their own were also struggling on the verge of falling. Under the impact of this general trend, fortunately, there are still some films that have gained a foothold and established their lofty position in the history of cinema, such as "Winter Lion".
In the film The Lion in Winter (1968), Katharine Hepburn looks at the jewelry she has worn
Palace films are a difficult genre to make well: monarchs are mortals in the first place, but they are often created by that crown to produce many unusual talents. In this way, the quality requirements for actors are relatively high, and they must be able to completely understand the historical archetype, plus their own understanding and interpretation, and erase excess emotions to shape characters. The second is how to find a good entry point based on the history of that bad account, and shoot the shining point of human nature from ancient times to the present.
Hollywood has no shortage of masterpieces that celebrate truth, goodness and beauty, but rather than giving a role model, how to enlighten others from a negative case is the real technical work. Finally, there is a very important point - shooting the palace is very expensive! Costumes, beautiful fingers, photography, etc. are also related to the persuasiveness of the film, and then to the quality of the film, but they cannot make the gorgeous set dominate.
Stills from the movie The Lion in Winter (1968), Where Katharine Hepburn sees Peter O'Toole kissing mistress Jane Merrow
Look at the famous counterexample, Elizabeth Taylor Elizabeth Taylor's (1932-2011) Cleopatra (1963), which lost money to the point where 20th Century Fox nearly dragged down its investments.
From the above several levels, it can be judged that "Winter Lion" is a palace film with a very strong and distinct character, and the portrayal of human power desire is very profound.
Peter O'Toole and Kathleen Hepburn bring that love-hate relationship to life, and both of them are amazed by their outstanding acting skills, and Katherine Hepburn won an Oscar for the third time for this film, and Katherine Hepburn was middle-aged when she made this film, which is more suitable for playing the British queen who was abandoned by Henry, Eleanor.
Stills from the film The Lion in Winter (1968), by Katharine Hepburn Hepburn
Women who have been mothers in England and France, but the years are indeed exciting, being imprisoned in the cold palace by her husband for a full ten years, although she is old and decaying, she cannot consume her wise head, scheming but entangled in emotions, in the repetition of the inner war of several, Catherine Hepburn's superb performance, acting skills can not be more desperate.
Before I came into contact with "Winter Lion", the foreign court movie I had seen was "Elizabeth Elizabeth" in 1998. Its lead actor, Kate Blanchett, was so brilliant that it stole the brilliance of all the other characters, which is one of the reasons why it was ultimately inferior to Winter Lion.
Kate Blanchett is brave enough to fight, after all, it is only a single fight. It should be known that the most wonderful clips of "Winter Lion" are almost all derived from the rivalry between Peter O'Toole and Catherine Hepburn, and the sparks between the two people are splashed, and the love-hate intertwined emotions between Henry II and Eleanor are vividly expressed.
Poster for the American version of the movie The Lion in Winter (1968).
Let's travel back in time and look at history: in fact, Henry II was the son of Matilda, daughter of King Henry I of England, and his father was Godefroy V, Earl of Anjou. Henry was therefore half French. When he was 19 years old when he was still Duke of Anjou, he married Eleanor of Aquitaine (30).
Thus Henry inherited Normandy from his mother, Anjou from his father, and Aquitaine as a dowry, thus making him de facto the largest lord of France. Henry II, who ascended to the throne as King of England, was known historically for his intrigue and power, and his famous wife Eleanor was no less than, who was the wife of King Louis VII of France before marrying Henry, and later divorced Louis VII for sexual immorality.
Stills from the film The Lion in Winter (1968), Katharine Hepburn Anthony Hopkins
Of their three sons, one was the legendary Lionheart and the other was a signatory of the Magna Carta that has influenced him to this day. In a word, there is definitely drama in this couple.
Henry in the film repeatedly emphasizes that he married Eleanor only for territory, although he also admitted that he had loved Eleanor, but it is obvious that this love is plausible and often denied by him. Henry, who had worked so hard to ascend to the position of supreme ruler, would not be his greatest interest in the affairs of his children.
A scene from the film The Lion in Winter (1968), Katharine Hepburn Hepburn
In this way, his already impure love for Eleanor ended over time as Eleanor grew older. Because for him, love is nothing more than a means, otherwise he would not have almost married his mistress Alice (Jane Merrow) to his eldest son Richard (Anthony Hopkins) in order to ensure territorial security.
Eleanor's life, as she herself said, everything she did was to tirelessly oppose Henry, and perhaps only in this way could she, as a woman, feel a little bit of the attention she needed. Look at Catherine Hepburn's great performance: she provokes Henry by lying in bed and brazenly mentioning her affair with Henry's father.
Stills from the movie The Lion in Winter (1968), Peter O'Toole is looking for flowers again
She portrayed the shrew's face to the fullest, shamelessly recalling every detail of that private affair, and occasionally inserting seemingly heartfelt exclamations until Henry was provoked to the point of thunder.
And it was such a woman who knew how to turn herself into a sharp blade to attack, and at the end, after she had actually won the absolute victory in the power struggle, she leaned into Henry's arms and cried bitterly.
"I can tolerate your failures — in vain, in vain, in the miasma of the country, with the people complaining. I can bear it and even smile, because you won't come back to me anyway. You're the only person I've ever loved. I wanted to die, and a smile was a sign of despair in my heart. I've had no hope in my life. But then Henry, who clearly belonged to the loser's side, put his arm around her and gently told her, "We are all still alive." Who knows? That is hope. ”
While filming The Lion in Winter (1968), Katharine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole played cricket off-set to pass the time
Look at this pair of whites, it is quite appropriate to reverse the saying - the hateful person must have pity. What a tangled and confusing miscreant! Both people take it as a pleasure in life to hurt each other for profit, so that in the end it is inevitable that they will lose both, even the children are the tools and chips they use one after another, and they do not care about the fragmented family, just as Eleanor in the film once jokingly asked Henry, "I want to know, you have not loved me." After receiving a negative reply, she smiled slightly, "This is much better." ”
Perhaps, as they themselves said: they were animals in the jungle, and darkness surrounded them, and countless eyes watched them in the darkness, and the darkness could see their open eyes. They will eventually die, but before death comes, they still have to fully enjoy torturing each other.
Stills from the film The Lion in Winter (1968), by Katharine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole
The 134-minute film is long, playing with the meaning of the title, who is this winter lion referring to? The taste of Xiao Suo conveyed throughout the film, against the background of the vicious stone carved faces at the beginning of the film, can't help but make the viewer breed a sense of despair from the bottom of their hearts.
Catherine Hepburn's character of the irritable, aggressive, complex and mercurial Eleanor in The Winter Lion is one of the most brilliant images ever left on film. In the 1960s, when nearly every Hollywood actress was demoting her status to play fictional and dramatic characters, Catherine Hepburn ruled the big screen as a scheming medieval queen—skillfully planning and manipulating with delicious elegance and wit.
Stills from the movie The Lion in Winter (1968), from left to right: Anthony Hopkins Kathleen Hepburn Johns Cathéon Hepburn Johns Castle Timothy Dalton
You can fully understand why Henry II and she both loved her and felt safer when they were in prison. Even though Eleanor had her children fighting each other, Catherine Hepburn showed us her vulnerable side—the most shocking scene—in the middle of the night, she draped her hair and stared at the strands of hair hanging in front of her in the mirror. This extremely full-bodied scene can only be completely taken down by the world's unparalleled "Catherine Hepburn-esque" performance.
When Catherine Hepburn came across the best lines, she not only brilliantly performed them, but went a step further, stealing the fruit that other actors (stars shining, all wonderful) were about to ripen.
Working photo of the film The Lion in Winter (1968), with Katharine Hepburn on location
Appreciating Eleanor's emotional world, perfected by Katherine Hepburn, is the strongest form of appreciation of the performing arts. She is the embodiment of the vitality and inspiration that never stops, the embodiment of the slightly trembling colors and shadows. She lives in passion, power, upbringing, deception, despair, and has this role. In chess, this is the most dangerous and changeable chess piece, but Catherine Hepburn has gone far beyond matching her identity and becomes a most valuable opponent, seizing the best opportunity to make her "jun"!
Anthony Harvey (1930-2017), director of The Winter Lion, once said: "Working with Catherine Hepburn is like a 17-year-old who comes to Paris for the first time and sees everything is an artistic treasure." ”
So the Oscars were almost all wrong about the 4-time queen-honored films Morning Glory (1933), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), and Golden Pond On Golden Pond (1981) – except this time (which even made Barbara Streisand Streisand, who was not her level, "Wonderful Girl/" Funny Girl" won the award at the same time).
The performance of the young Anthony Hopkins in "The Winter Lion" was also remarkable, but to be dazzling, Anthony Hopkins was not as good as Timothy Dalton of Timothy Dalton, the former 007 of Pierce Brosnan' predecessor, Pierce Brosnan.
Promotional photo for the film The Lion in Winter (1968), Timothy Dalton
Timothy Dalton's evil and cunning interpretation is eye-catching, the first paragraph of the story (arguably the most wonderful paragraph), the three princes separately to his room to talk, the purpose is not to conspire or to request, the three people because of each other's coming and hiding in a corner of the room, and Philip still receives everyone without changing his face, until the final arrival of Henry II, Philippe is full of provocation, vicious and strong, when he pulls out that the Grand Prince Richard is a comrade and has violated him, the face is really unforgettable, As a person who has been neglected since childhood and full of resentment, he can play a solid role.
In fact, Anthony Hopkins' performance is not bad, and his rivalry with Catherine Hepburn is also a masterpiece, between family affection and power, he lives undoubtedly painfully, but this scene is better than the second prince.
The sad thing about the second prince is that he has neither power to hold nor can his parents love (the king loves the three princes, and the mother elects the grand prince), but he is the most intelligent of the sons, if you want to say pain, he and The French King Philip can be described as equal, as for the spoiled third prince John (Nigel Trigel Terry), who has no courage and no strategy, he is the most unpopular one, and he deserves to be a puppet of the first life... (Historical records record that in addition to provoking the rebellion of the Grand Prince Richard, when Richard was imprisoned by the German Emperor, Philip also provoked his brother The Third Prince John to rebel and even took the opportunity to invade Normandy.)
As for the French princess Alice, in addition to her good looks are the only beautiful women in the film, there is nothing to say, she is Philip's sister, has long been a victim of the power struggle (the sad part of the royal princess), although she is a future princess, but she is also the mistress of Henry II, the most chilling thing about this vase is the line that Henry chooses quickly in the tail section, if it is really a woman who pretends to be a pig and eats a tiger, it is really not to be underestimated!
Promotional photo for the film The Lion in Winter (1968), Peter O'Toole
At the 1969 Oscars, Winter Lion won Best Actress, Best Screenplay, and Best Soundtrack for The Original, as well as nominations for Best Movie, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Costume Design.
The reason why Peter O'Tur is more upset than Catherine Hepburn is that in 2007's "Venus the Last Eros", the actor of "Lawrence of Arabia of Arabia" (1962) has won the Oscar 8 times, and 8 times it has been a feather. Catherine Hepburn, with the seniority of the 4th film queen, has become a presence that cannot be surpassed so far, such an arrangement, I don't know how peter O'Toole will feel every time he reads it?
On the set of The Lion in Winter (1968), Katharine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole were still immersed in the scene after filming
It is worth mentioning that the soundtrack of this film was composed by the Oscar-winning master John Barry (1933-2011), who won the Academy Award for the soundtrack of "Born Free" (1966), "Out of Africa" (1985), "Dancing with Wolves with Wolves" (1990), the religious music of the Middle Ages is full of momentum, the sound effects are wonderful, and the soundtrack album is still widely respected. The film's soundtrack also won an Academy Award.
Look at Catherine Hepburn with 1968's "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", 1969's "Winter Lion", 1981's "Golden Pond On Golden Pond" won the Oscars, and the three most important Oscars in her life were actually won at the age of 60. "Hollywood actresses all eat by appearance, and actresses who have been popular" this kind of statement has not been fulfilled in Catherine He herself. I wonder if meryl Streep, meryl Streep, will win two more Best Actresses after entering her 70s?
Poster for the Japanese version of the movie The Lion in Winter (1968).