Is it Friday again? I guess that means it's time for the next installment of our Monthly Movies. If you watched Harold and Maude last week then you are aware that in line with the romantic(?) theme these are not your typical love stories. But H & M was at least the story of a loving, sweet and mostly selfless romance. Now on to something completely different.
The Lion in Winter. The most oft-quoted movie in this household. I doubt if 3 days can go by without one of us quoting or referencing it in some way. Then we have to agree that we are very lucky to have found each other.
The 1968 film is based on a play by James Goldman and stars (I should say, gloriously stars) Peter O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn with a very young Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton in supporting roles. (There was also a 2003 made-for-TV version starring Glenn Close and Patrick Stewart. Skip it. Just awful!)
It's kind of a "home for the holidays" story. Christmas at the court of Henry II of England in 1185, bringing together Henry and his estranged wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine and their three surviving sons: Richard (the Lionhearted), Geoffrey, and John (who would later be the king to sign the Magna Carta). Oh, and Henry's mistress Alys who is Richard's or John's or somebody's fiancee. And her little brother Philip, the King of France.
Confusing? Yes, quite.
Convoluted? Definitely.
Dysfunctional? That's not quite the right word. I'd say toxic.
But for some reason, here in the woods, we LOVE this movie. The acting is--as I already said--glorious. The writing is just about flawless and the story, while not quite uplifting, is worth thinking about.
Curmudgeon first saw this while in high school and his teacher asked the class if they thought Henry and Eleanor really loved each other. Well, theirs is the "twisted love" that got this movie included this month, so watch with that in mind and come to your own conclusion.
Again, no rating issues, but this is an adult movie. I can almost guarantee that unless your children are clones of me (I saw this first when I was about nine and enjoyed it) your kids won't be entertained.
Coming next week: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
This is one we enjoy a lot too. Have you read Sharon Kay Penman's trilogy about Eleanor? I'd highly recommend it if you haven't. She's now working on a trilogy picking up where the first one left off and concentrating on Richard.
ReplyDeleteSo I just watched it for the first time. I can't believe your parents let you watch that film. It's probably the film that made O.S. Card fancy Toolie and Kate as the lead roles in his drama. At any rate, I'm now feeling quite romantic and shall go and yell at my children.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair to Mom and Dad, I don't think they knew I was watching it. And though I was a smart kid, lets just be realistic, I had no idea what was going on!
ReplyDelete"Did they really love each other?" My answer would probably be... "No."
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