This is neither historically accurate or even convincing of its time period given its sometimes modern, all too witty dialogue, atmosphere and attitude, but it is grand entertainment with two magnificent legendary performers of the cinema at the top of their game in sort of a 12th century "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" only with more serious consequences involved. It's hard, if not impossible, to rank where this sits among Katharine Hepburn's screen performances, but it's pretty high up there. While she may have been the oldest in the cast, somehow it is she who comes across as the most modern of the bunch in this power struggle between Eleanor of Aquitaine and her husband, King Henry II. While so much of this is fiction, it is true Henry locked Eleanor up for a period of 16 years until his death. The film doesn't touch upon it, but curiously they both eventually got what this film depicts them fighting over, but only she would know it. It's highly unlikely they had the joyous departure as depicted here, among many other questionable time period relationships and incidents, but again, it's grand entertainment and isn't that ultimately what movies were made for? Throw in the film debuts of both Anthony Hopkins (a little wooden) and Timothy Dalton (very seductive) and you have a film buff's delight.
Review of The Lion in Winter
