The Lion in Winter (1968)

Director: Anthony Harvey

1968, 134 mins., Digital, PG

Cast: Peter O’Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins

Distributor: Rialto Pictures

It’s Christmas 1183, and King Henry II (Peter O’Toole) is planning to announce his successor to the throne. The jockeying for the crown, though, is complex. Henry has three sons and wants his boy Prince John (Nigel Terry) to take over. Henry’s wife, Queen Eleanor (Katharine Hepburn), has other ideas. She believes their son Prince Richard (Anthony Hopkins) should be king. As the family and various schemers gather for the holiday, each tries to make the indecisive king choose their option.

“One of the joys which movies provide too rarely is the opportunity to see a literate script handled intelligently. The Lion in Winter triumphs at that difficult task.” — Roger Ebert