Some of the best dialogue EVER in this movie, and I'm so glad to see people still discovering it. One of my fave Katherine Hepburn flicks. Eleanor and Henry love each other but they're in a constant battle for supremacy over one another. He wants to treat her like a regular demure maid of a wife, a silent queen who sits smiling and obedient, but he married Eleanor because she *wasn't* that type of woman (and she had Aquitaine). They can't stand to be apart, but they can't admit, so they snipe at each other and try to hurt one another instead.
I introduce this movie to friends whenever I can. It's ALWAYS a hit. I have the DVD (just ordered the Blu-Ray) and watch it 2 or 3 times a year, even though I know it by heart. I'm all about the dialogue and the performances at this point. I mean, my God. I watched it just a couple of weeks ago...Hepburn and O'Toole on screen together were absolutely incendiary. The pure malice was frequently palpable. Words are weapons in this film, and it's glorious.
This was actually the second time Peter O'Toole played Henry II. Four years earlier he'd done it in the movie Beckett, about the famous friendship-turned-rivalry between Henry and Thomas Beckett, Archbishop of Canterbury. That one's also well worth checking out.
Prince John wailing "Mommy!!" and sucking his thumb in Disney's Robin Hood wasn't NEARLY as funny to me until I saw this film and learned that there was actual history behind the whole joke ("Mother always loved Richard best") lmao
I LOVE THIS MOVIE SO MUCH. So glad to see a reaction! O'Toole and Hepburn were at their greatest here. Anthony Hopkins in his FIRST movie role, Timothy Dalton all young and slinky, it's a masterpiece. By the way, if you like the piece, take some time at some point to check out the later iteration with Patrick Stewart and Glenn Close. Same play, same script, different sensibility. Very interesting to see how different artists handle the same material! :) (Fun fact: the actor playing John also played King Arthur in "Excalibur.")
This period of British history was just nuts, and it's not surprising that quite a few writers have used it as a backdrop, probably the most famous being Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth. The trouble really started with the death of King Henry I in 1135. It was very sudden and right after an exceptionally large dish of his favorite food, lampreys, which led to theories that he was poisoned by a conspiracy over his daughter and rightful heir Matilda. As you might imagine for the time, a lot of people weren't happy at the prospect of being ruled by a woman, and Henry was instead succeeded by his nephew Stephen, resulting in a war with Matilda now known as The Anarchy. Ultimately Stephen died of a stomach bug and was succeeded by Matilda's son Henry II, who as you can see in this film had plenty of his own family problems. The issues seen in the film grew even worse, until eventually Richard and John both led a rebellion against their father. When news reached him about just who the leaders were, it exacerbated his already ill health and he died shortly afterward. Richard and John proceeded to achieve the kind of legendary status Henry could never have dreamed of as the major hero and villain of the Robin Hood legends, and if you're wondering why you've never heard of Geoffrey in those, that's because he was horrifically trampled to death in a jousting accident at age 27. So, not quite as optimistic an ending as the movie tries to make out.
Very informative. Thank you. It's difficult to conceive that all of this mess eventually led to John ending up as king (when everyone else is dead) and then nearly lost the kingdom resulting in Magna Carta and the United States of America.
You must remember that Henry II was one of England greatest medieval kings. He grew from years of civil war and managed to pull a kingdom together by brains and force of personality . He practically invented what we now know as modern law. Trail by a jury of your peers. He married one of the cleverest women in the modern world, Eleanor of Aquitaine who matched him in wits. Eleanor lived well into her 80's, out living all her sons, save John. Henry was eventually overthrown just before his death by Richard the Lionheart and to be honest he was one England worst kings. But most people just remember Henry II because he of the death of Thomas Beckett..
Henry’s last words to Richard are so true to this entire family’s relationship: “God grant that I may not die until I have had my revenge on you.” God didn’t listen to him, though.
A family that definitely puts the "fun" in dysfunctional...and then some! Katherine Hepburn shared the Best Actress Oscar with Barbra Streisand, the first and only time there was a tie. This was the second time that Pater O'Toole played King Henry II. Four years before this, Peter played Henry opposite Richard Burton as Thomas Beckett in the film 'Beckett'. O'Toole was 32 when he made 'Beckett' and 36 when he made 'The Lion In Winter'...and Katherine Hepburn was 61 when she played Eleanor. Thomas Beckett is mentioned by Eleanor during the film, because Beckett (who had been appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Henry) was a thorn in Henry's side after Beckett, a friend and confidant of Henry's chose to be true to his office and the Church rather than Henry. Beckett was murdered but then canonized as St. Thomas Beckett. It is unclear whether Beckett and Eleanor were enemies, there are lots of legends about her hatred of major clergymen of the time...but little real evidence. This film was the reason that Anthony Hopkins sounds the way he does in 'The Silence of the Lambs'. Hopkins, who is a natural mimic, basically adopted Katherine Hepburn's New England accent and speech patterns for Dr. Hannibal Lecter. This was adapted from a stage play by the play's author. The original Broadway cast was - Robert Preston, best known as Professor Harold Hill in 'The Music Man', as Henry II - Rosemary Harris, best known as Aunt May to Tobey Maguire's 'Spider-Man', as Eleanor of Aquitaine - Christopher Walken as King Philip of France - James Rado as Richard Lionheart...but he's better known for co-writing the legendary 1960s counter-culture musical 'Hair' than for any of his acting roles.
Katherine. Hepburn. "Shoulder it yourself. Don't put it on my back. Pick it up and carry it. I can....I'm with one with nothing. Lost your life's work, have you? Provinces are nothing. Land is dirt. I could take defeats like yours and laugh. I've done it. If you're broken, it's because your're brittle. "We're jungle creatures, Henry and the dark is all around us. See them...in the corners? You can see the eyes and they can see ours. I'm a match for anything. Aren't you?" WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW
The entire cast is brilliant, but Katherine Hepburn wins her third Academy Award giving one of the greatest performances in the history of film. James Goldman's adaptation of his own play is a work of genius. I consider his dialogue tied with that of "Casablanca" as the greatest ever in any film.
Great reaction to a "complicated" film that was adapted from the stage. It's one not many people have seen. It's an actor's showcase and the dialogue is genius. I'm not sure "evil" is the right word, since they're family and there is clearly love there. They just have the ability to hurt each other and there's so much at stake - whole kingdoms! This film would probably resonate with fans of HBO's "Succession". And of the 4 Oscars for Best Actress that Katherine Hepburn has won, this is the best one in my opinion.
Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitane, their children Richard (The Lion Heart), Prince John (of Robin Hood and Magna Carta fame), and Jeffrey who's barely a footnote. Eleanor of Aquitane is one of the most fascinating persons in European history. Look her up! One of my favorite movies of all time, not least because of Peter O'Toole.
She really is. I recently read the book Queens of Jerusalem. Although Eleanor was never a queen of the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem, Katherine Pangonis wrote an extensive section about her. She was a powerhouse in an age where women didn't have much leverage. Fascinating and strong.
"Love, in a world where carpenters get resurrected, anything is possible." Fun Fact: Theatrical movie debut of Timothy Dalton (King Philip II). Accurate Setting Fact: Director Anthony Harvey and art director Peter Murton decided to make the setting as true as possible to the times. Although the principal characters were royalty, they lived in drafty and dirty castles. Historical Fact: Eleanor of Aquitaine greets King Philip II by telling him she could have been his mother. Eleanor's first husband was French King Louis VII, who fathered Alais by his second wife and Philip by his third. The Pope annulled their marriage when she was unable to bear him sons. Remarried, she gave Henry II five boys: William, Count of Poitiers, Henry "the Young King", who ruled England under his father (both died before this story opens); Richard (later King Richard I "the Lionhearted"), Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, and John (later King John, villain of the Robin Hood tales). She was, wife and mother to 5 kings, 4 of whom are key players in this story. She also had 5 daughters: 2 countesses by Louis, and a duchess and 2 queens by Henry.
Probably my favourite Peter Otoole film performance. Plus , although this is primarily a work of fiction, some of the back story is based on fact and from some small research the characters are very accurately portrayed, from Richards possible love of Philip and Henrys energetic highs and lows, Johns constant betrayals and Geoffrey's scheming. But its Katherine Hepburn's film, she owns every scene she's in.. A truly great actress.
I really got into medieval history and literature in college, and first learned about Eleanor of Aquitaine there. A few years ago, I started working on my family genealogy and found a “gateway ancestor,” someone whose family lineage is highly documented and goes back centuries. My 10th great grandfather had ancestors whose line went through the Wars of the Roses and all the way back to Charlemagne (but so do millions of other people). However, I was thrilled to discover that the most recent ruler on my tree is Henry III, the son of John. So, Eleanor and Henry are my 26th great grandparents! Like I said, millions of other people are also descended from them, but it still is pretty cool. The other medieval English woman who really stood out to me in history was Margaret Beaufort, who was the mother of Henry Tudor aka Henry VII, the founder of the Tudor line. She really deserves her own movie. There is an excellent history documentary series on the Wars of the Roses called Britain’s Bloody Crown that ends with an episode all about Margaret. (I’m not related to her directly, but my 17th great grandfather was her mother’s second husband. He died fighting for the Lancastrian side at the Battle of Towton.)
Nominated for 7 Oscars including Best Picture but won for Best Actress Katherine Hepburn Best Original Score John Barry Best Adapted Screenplay James Goldman.
Eleanor's barb about Thomas Becket would have a referent in the minds of the audience in 1968. Peter O'Toole had played the same role, Henry II, in an earlier film, "Becket", which was the story of Henry's battle with Thomas Becket. (It's one of those English history stories.) So he'd already established who Henry was as a person with his performance, and his Henry here is very much a continuation of what he did before. Anyone who'd seen "Becket" would have recognized him from that first shout of "Come for me!" (And if you were seeing this film, chances were very high you'd seen the earlier one. These historical epics were something of a niche at the time.)
And if I remember correctly, this is a continuation of Henry II's story, since there is a movie with Peter O'Toole as Henry, and Richard Burton as Becket, when Henry had him "accidently" assassinated, the movie was made 4 years prior to this one, called "Becket"..
Synopsis: 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 of Aquitaine (Katharine Hepburn), has other ideas. She believes their son Prince Richard (Anthony Hopkins) *[later to become the famous Richard the Lionheart]* should be king. As the family and various schemers gather for the holiday, each tries to make the indecisive king choose their option.
I just have to say: this could not have been an easy one to edit down, and you did a SPECTACULARLY great job distilling the plot points amidst all of the (great) dialog. As I said yesterday: I couldn't even IMAGINE a reaction for this movie and I thought you did a spectacular job. You followed it great, for one. And it's good you didn't say much because we would have been worried you were going to miss something! We could always tell how you felt from your face! I don't know how much fun you had with this movie, or editing it, but it was a lot of fun for me/us! I haven't revisited this movie in....years! I almost forgot how amazing Katharine Hepburn was, and how intense Peter O'Toole was. I just love seeing these two great (and very different) actors bounce off each other. Katharine Hepburn was actually MUCH older than Peter O'Toole when they made this. She had started in movies in the early 30s; he had just come onto the scene seven years before this movie. You can't tell a bit, though, right?! THANKS, SAM!!!!!!! Most toxic Christmas movie ever! :D
@@OGBReacts I'll NEVER suggest this movie to a reactor, other than to watch it off their channel. Not only is it difficult to edit or react to, it's a long movie. You did GREAT. Thanks, again.
Not a criticism and I need to watch the uncut, but my favorite line is in the cellar. Richard responding to Geoffrey, 'When the fall is all that's left, it matters a great deal '
On back cover of sound track CD it says "The Christmas when nobody got what they wanted." Dalton was another perfect casting; not only very easy on the eyes, but he nailed Philip's brains and abilities. Philip Augustus jumped started France's advance toward becoming medieval Europe's super power. Fun fact: Christopher Walken played Philip in the stage production. That's a performance I'd like to have seen.
Terrific reaction, my friend as well as the beautiful lines of blank verse in the screenplay your exclamations of "What a mess...What a mess!...What a MESS!" are engraved upon my heart Thank you, my friend x
For starters, I think many people (including some well informed commenters) believe that this is one of the very best dialog movies in history. But what you don't seem to appreciate is that though the specifics of Xmas court at Chinon in 1183 was fictional, this was to a great extend actual history. Certainly the people were all real as were the relationships and the personalities described in the film. Henry is widely regarded as one of the very best Kings of England, and Eleanor of Aquitaine was the wealthiest and by far the most powerful women of her time. Early in their relationship she acted as Chancellor for HEnry in Britain while he subdued France and the various Baron's who were making trouble. Richard the LionHeart was real of course. He died in France at Castle De Mont Brun which still stands near Limoges. His heart was buried there, and by many accounts Eleanor held him while he died. King John inherited, and was responsible for the Magna Carta, the very cornerstone of British common law. Henry and Eleanor are buried together in an Abbey near Chinon. Real people, real time, real places, real backstory.
Such a good movie. I love how it doesn't play into the cult of Richard "the Lionhearted" and makes all of them look bad. It was a fascinating family...but none of them was very nice! But it established a long lasting dynasty. Geoffrey was illegitimate. So the oldest, had the weakest claim to the throne. He was shuttled aside to Archbishop of York I think. Which was a powerful position but removed him from the game of who would become king. Richard and John continued their rivalry until Richard's death. John actually was an effective king but pissed off the nobility leading to their forcing him to agree to the Magna Carta and to his being reviled by history. But he probably was a much better king than Richard, who is remembered well but was a bloody minded asshole.
Though not historically accurate, it was based on real people and much of the background is real. Richard actually succeeded Henry to become Richard I known as the Lionhearted. John succeeded him. He was both the villain in the Robin Hood legend, as Prince John, and the king who was forced to sign the Magna Carta.
Some historical context Eleanor and Henry's marriage is her 2nd Marriage. She had been married to Louis , King of France (who fathered Phillip and Alice, o. A laternwife). The marriage was anulled because she only gave him two daughters, Louis went to the Pope and claimed their marriage was not valid as they where 2nd cousins which was illegal under church law. Eleanor was the richest woman in Europe. She had inherit the territories of Aquitaine and Potiou from her father.. Louis put her in a convent after their marriage was annulled in order to keep her lands. Henry was a 17 year old and newly Count of Anjou. He was also fighting a dynastic struggle for the throne of England and the Duchy of Normandy. He had inherited Anjou from he father but had a legitimate claim to England and Normandy from his mother. Henry's mother Matilda was the daughter and only surviving Legitimate Child of King Henry I of England and thus she was the Granddaughter of William the Conqeror.. When Matilda is father King Henry I died she was in France and her cousin(the son of her fathers sister) Stephen usurped the crown with help from Barons who did not want to be ruled by a woman. This lead to 20 years of War between Matilda and her husband and sons and Stephen and his sons. Henry basically kidnapped Eleanor from the convent and married her to get her wealth to help him win the war. He did and Henry through his own lands, conquests and his wifes lands ruled the largest territory in Western Europe. He ruled England, Ireland, and more of France than the French Kings. They apparently did love each other at one point and had many children. The sons who survived infancy where Henry the younger, Richard, Geoffrey, and John. When Henry the younger was 16 he was married to Margaret the older sister of Phillip and Alice and Richard was betrothed to Alice. Mind you they all shared older half sisters(Eleanor daughters with Louis). King Henry had his son crowned as co-ruler and He and Eleanor gave Richard, control of Eleanors lands in France, Geoffrey was married to the daughter of the the count of Brittany(part of France). John was much younger than his older brothers and Henry planned to give him Ireland originally. While Henry did he let Richard really rule Aquitane but did not let Henry the Younger have much power this lead to Henry the Younger rebelling, several times, they made peace several times only for the father to break his promises to his son. richard and Geoffrey variously switched sides at different points. A few Years prior to the year the film is set Eleanor backed her sons, mostly due to Henry taking mistresses, against her husband and Henry had her arrested and imprisoned in Salisbury Castle in England. Their eldest son Caught dysentery and died during another war with his father. This left Richard as the heir apparent, with Geoffrey and John behind him. Richard was Eleanor favorite while John had almost been completely raised by Henry as Eleanor had spent most of Johns childhood imprisoned. Geoffrey later dies in a jousting accident(he took a hit from a once but instead of falling off his leg got caught in the stirrups and the horse dragged him to death). Richard would again rebelled against Henry with the goal of freeing his mother. John switched sides to Richard in the middle of the award and Phillip backed Richard. Henry died of illness or possibly poison during the War and Richard did become king. Richard is one of history's great Warrior Kings and is nicknamed the Lion heart. Right after this they received news that the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem had fallen to the Muslim Emir Saladdin. Richard and Phillip organized the third Crusade with the Holy Roman Emperor Fredrick. Richard spent a year fighting in the holy land but was later captured on his way home to England by the Duke of Austrialot (someone he had made a enemy of using the crusades), he was held for Ransom(this is where they Robin Hood Legends. Which involve John as either a villain or a idiot come from). Eventually he was released and return briefly to England but Phillip (who Richard had fell out with during the crusade) started attacking Richards lands in france. Richard raised an army and went to take his lands back but while laying siege to a castle was wounded by a crossbow bolt in the collarbone and died a few weeks later from blood poisoning due to the wound. Richard had married a Spanish princess but had no legitimate children(he had father a illegitimate son when was a teenager).Geoffrey did have a son named Arthur but he was very young and John took custody of him and he just disappeared (most historians believe he wither got sick and died or john had him imprisoned in a castle and quietly murdered) john became King. But his reign full of Rebellions against him by the English barons and he lost most of the french territories his mother and father had held to Phillip in War. The Barons forced John to sign Magna Carta giving them freedoms most nobles did not have in the rest of Europe at the time. He tried to have the Pope declare it invalid and went to war against his nobles only to die on campaign likely of dysentery or camp fever reportedly after eating bad peaches.
Recently watched this movie for the first time and GOD i loved it. My new christmas movie for sure. Loved your reaction! 33:05 I considered the note the film left off on as "Let's do this all again next Christmas! Ta ta!"
Eleanor was a great queen in her own right. She went on the second Crusade with her first husband, the king of France. They were divorced and she went back to ruling her own large kingdom of Aquitaine. She the married the (French) heir to the throne of England and had even more children, including Richard and John. They all fought each other, and their father and the King of France (son of her first husband, but not hers). Her second husband famously ordered the murder of his own friend and Archbishop of Canterbury, Becket. Eleanor tried to keep the peace in the family, but got crosswise with her husband, so he imprisoned her. The oldest, Henry Jr, is dead before the start of this movie. Jeffry will also die early. Later, Richard became king, and led the third Crusade. Henry dies 6 years later, Richard will inherit, but have no children, so Bad King John will be last to inherit.
Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine had 4 sons that survived to adulthood. Their eldest Henry, also known as Hal or the young king was going to be Henry's successor but he died earlier in the year that the film is set. Henry's favourite son was his youngest John who he then wanted to succeed him and Eleanor wanted her favourite, Richard to be next in line.
Actually, describing the whole situation as a hot mess is pretty accurate. The succession of English Kings during the time in the film was a bloody business and it wasn't guaranteed that sons would succeed their fathers. If anyone is interested in learning more about the early English Kings, a good channel to start with on RUclips is Brief History. He starts with William the Conqueror (Henry II's great-grandfather) and is currently at Charles I. I started watching those vids when off work with ill health.
Nominated for 7 Academy Awards- Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor- O'Toole, Best Actress- Hepburn, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Score, Best Costumes. It won for Actress- Hepburn's 3rd of 4 and second in a row, won in 67 for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'. Won Best adapted screenplay- James Goldman, based on his stage play of the same name and Best Score for John Barry, who scored the Bond films before this and later did 'Out of Africa'. The director- Anthony Harvey, won the Director's Guild Award and it was the first time in history that the Director's Guild winner lost the Oscar for Best Director. Hepburn and O'Toole already shared a history. She worked with David Lean on the film 'Summertime' (please see) and she ran into him a few years later and asked what he was working on- he told her he was casting for 'Laurence of Arabia', she had recently seen O'Toole on stage and suggested him for the part- he got it and it launched his film career. He named his daughter Katharine after her. O'Toole was the one who offered this part to her- Spencer Tracey had just died and part of the reason she took it was it was so grand and engrossing, she wouldn't have time for sorrow. It was the film debut for Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton.
"He keeps her locked away because she's trouble, I guess". Eleanor of Aquitaine (a French province) was trouble for a lot of people. She was notoriously beautiful, brilliant, and a fierce enemy of anyone who got in her way. Someone - I don't remember who - referred to her as : "Elanor, by the wrath of God queen of England". Another notable character, who doesn't appear, is William Marshall who served as a knight during the war between Stephen and Matilda, was Henry's tutor-in-arms, and continued to serve under both Richard and John. Supposedly he fought in 300 battles, duels, and tournaments during his lifetime and almost always won. He was one of the few men, if not the only man, who ever beat Richard in a joust. There's a story that late in his life, he was offended by a remark made by King John; since he couldn't legally challenge his sovereign, he offered instead to fight any other man in the Court. No one dared accept the challenge, even though William was about 70 years old at the time.
Paraphrasing: Geoffrey: I know. You know I know. I know you know that I know. Henry knows and he knows that we know it. We're a knowledgeable family. Eleanor: He's ours if we want him but only if it's what he thinks we don't want. Golly, why did I have to have such clever children?
Henry and Eleanor history.... Eleanor was Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right since the age of 13 or 15 (her date of birth is disputed- 1122 or 1124). In 1137, she married Prince Louis of France and with =in weeks, his father died making them King and Queen of France. They had 2 daughters together and went on Crusade together to the Holy Land. They divorced in 1151- well, the Church annulled the marriage because they were cousins within the 4th degree, though if she had a son, they never would have brought this up. She eloped with Henry weeks later, without the permission of her ex-husband, who as King was still her and Henry's Overlord. She was 27/29 when she married the 18-year-old Henry. They had 8 children together- 5 boys, William- who died at 2/3 years old, Henry- who was the heir and crowned as the young King (a tradition to mark an heir so the throne wouldn't be usurped, Henry's mother- Matilda, was heiress and her cousin Stephen stole the throne from her in 1135) though he died in his mid 20s before his father, Richard was the 3rd son and he became Richard I- one of England's great warrior Kings. He released Eleanor for prison and she governed the kingdom in his name while he was away on Crusade. The 4th son was Geoffrey- he also died before his father and the 5th was John- who followed the childless Richard as King John- considered one of the worst Kings in English history. They had 3 daughters- Matilda, Eleanor and Joanna. Henry kept a tight grip on his dominions- stretching from the Scottish border to the Spanish border- with Eleanors properties in Aquitaine, Poitou, etc and his own in Normandy and Anjou- they controlled 2/3 of modern day France, all of England, Ireland and Wales. They doled the lands out to their sons in name only and when the sons got tired of having them with no authority or money- they rebelled against their father and Eleanor joined them. He imprisoned her for the last 13 years of his reign, blaming her for egging her sons into rebelling. Henry died in 1189, Richard in 1199 and Eleanor lived until 1204 and died at 80/82- which was VERY Old for that time period.
The movie is set in the year 1183. Back in 1066, England had been conquered by William of Normandy, who was French. So England was ruled by foreigners, who continued to hang on to their lands in France, and continued to speak French. Queen Eleanor's particular holding, the province of Aquitaine, was a particularly rich one and in a strategic position. Meanwhile, the French royal family continued to rule there. (William the Conquerer was not one of the royal family.) Eleanor was the tie between the French royal family (she had been married to King Louis, as she mentions), and the rulers of England. Very complicated situation, made worse by how dysfunctional the family was. King Henry died in 1189. Richard took over and was king for 10 years, and spent most of his time on the Crusades. They nicknamed him Richard the Lion-Hearted. He was succeeded by John, who kept taxing the nobility of England, to the point that they surrounded him, to force him to sign a document that made clear what a king could and could not do. It was called the Magna Carta and is considered the beginning of Anglo-American law. Johnny signed it in 1215.
The event never happened, but the schemes, plans and intrigues were all real and this play is a masterpiece. Those are my Great great great great great.. (you get the idea) Grandparents. Aren't "Mee Maw" and "Pee Paw" the BEST!?!
This movie is awesome! I’m very into genealogy and discovered that I’m descended from Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine through several branches of my family tree. I’m not gonna lie, the apple hasn’t fallen too far from the tree😳
You may have recognized a young Anthony Hopkins as Richard III. Secession Battles could get very brutal. The movie was based on a play, hence so much dialogue.
In the beginning, when they showed the sons, they revealed the Richard was a warrior. Geoffrey was strategist, and John was an immature spoiled brat. The Aquitaine is 1/4 of France that she inherited as a beautiful young teenager when her father died. The king of France wisely married her to his son. I don't know how, but that didn't work out and she married the King of England, Henry II, bringing him the Aquitaine and making him a vassal to the King of France. When Geoffery, the king of France and John make a pack, the king of France is saying that he will help put John on the throne. He (and Geoffrey) know that John is an idiot and easy to control. Putting John on the throne puts them in power. When Eleanor was looking the big ring in her hand, she bribed the soldier with it for help.
The Plantagets were a tempestous family, if one really wants to see why they all hated each other read up on the reign of Henry II of England. Lots and lots of backstabbing and rebellions to seize control while also trying to make sure both England and their extensive French holdings remained in the family. These two goals were somewhat incompatible. The 3 people on the English side who either were or were to become king are "consequential" kings and are well known still today. Henry II who built England into a power-player in Europe, Richard, better know as Richard the Lion Hearted, of Crusader fame, and John, who through mismanagement of the kingdom forced the barons to present him with the Magna Carta to curb royal abuses.
Eleanor really was the post powerful and fascinating woman of the medieval age. Queens of both France and England and duchess of a large part of France in her own right, mother of several kings and lived to a remarkably old age for the time.
Great reaction, Sam. This is the beginning of the Plantagenet dynasty, the longest dynasty in the history of the British monarchy. Some of Game of Thrones was lifted from it, the Plantagenets were that insane with drama, power struggles, etc. You can’t make it up! Have a Merry Christmas! 🎄
If you want more medieval films with varying degrees of accuracy but made more recently Ridley Scott(Gladiator, Alien, House of Gucci Blade Runner) has done three films set in the Medieval period two of which are set around the same time as this film. The first is Kingdom of heaven a very fictionalized version of the fall of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem (the kingdom the Crusaders had set up in modern Israel/Palestine). Richard and Phillip would later lead the 3rd crusade to try to take the Kingdom back. Ian Glenn( Ser Norah From game of Thrones) had a brief cameo playing Richard at the very end. The lead actors are Orlando Bloom ad Balian of Ibelin, Eva Green as Princess Sybil law of Jerusalem And Ed Norton under a silver mask as Baldwin IV King of Jerusalem, who was a Leper. The next is Robin Hood from 20I0. Stars Russel Crowe as Robin Hood, Cate Blanchett as Marian, Danny Huston as King Richard, Oscar Isaac as John. Finally there is the Last Duel. Which is later in the medieval period in the 1300's. Its about the last trial by combat in French history centerimg around a rape accusation. It stars Matt Damon as John De Carrouges, the knight whose wife may have been raped. Jodie Cromer(killing eve) as his wife and Adam Driver as the accused Jacque le Gris. Also Ben Affleck as the Count that both men served. Again all three have some historical innacuracy but the first two get a good deal of the material culture (the buildings, clothes, weapons, and armor) correct. And the last duel while it gets a lot of that stuff wrong has rashomon style mystery at its core as we see the events from each of the main characters points of view and Scott leaves to the audience to choose which one they believe.
Great reaction, Sam!!!! Before I bought my Betamax, I recorded this entire movie on audio cassette. I would listen to this astounding dialogue over and over and over ... so good, so good!!
Alice was sent over to be Prince John's wife as a political pawn, and the King took her for himself. John is the "Prince John" of Robin Hood, and Richard is the "King Richard" of Robin hood. But that lays in the future. When King Henry died, King Richard freed Eleanor. When he was captured in the Crusades, Eleanor raised impossible taxes to pay the ransom.
One "problem" with watching reaction videos from different people is that they all tend to react to the same blockbuster movies. Someone reacting to "Lion in Winter" is definitey and7nexpected and refreshing change. Movie people know that there are hundreds and hundreds (and hundreds) of great movies out there, it would be nice if reaction people sought out some of the older, less famous ones.
Prince John is King John from he Robin Hood Stories. Did an Family tree found out King Henry and Queen Eleanor were my 25th Great Grandparents John was my 24th GGF. King Philip was another 25th GGF. This era it stopped being a family tree and was pretty much a family wreath the way it came looping back in on itself. I watched this after I found that out realized the family hasn't really changed that much...lol.
Update finally got to watch this, glad to see a reaction for this movie!!! t's so fun and modern and witty, dark but very comedic. Great for the Arrested Development and Succession fans! I've screened it for my friends this past week and it's a wonderful surprise, esp for folks who I think have a stereotype that all old movies, especially old historical movies, need to be slow/plodding/overly serious and stuffy. Especially I remember being surprised at there being the subplot with pretty clear queer characters in 1968... even though it's not a very happy subplot, everyone feels complex and human. It still sticks with me to this day! Happy to say I own a copy of the play script now, I love to read it
In real life, the Christmas at Chinon castle (Château de Chinon) never happened. *Henri/Henry II of England, Eleanor of Aquitaine and* *Richard I* (1st) *of England* (aka: Richard the Lion Heart) *are buried at Fontevraud Abbey, near Château de Chinon in Anjou France* Henry and Eleanor had 8 children, 5 of them sons. The first son, William (aka: William IX, Count of Poitiers, France) died young (age 3) Their second son, named Henry[1] was crowned king by Henry II as co-monarch. Henry "the young king" rebelled against his father in 1173. He was aided by his mother, Eleanor; his brother, *Richard* (later, Richard I of England)[2]; and his brother *Geoffrey* (later, Geoffrey II / 2nd, Duke of Brittany, in France) They were aided in their rebellion against Henry II (2nd) by Eleanor's ex-husband Louis VII (7th) of France. Meanwhile, *John* ( *later King John of England* ) remained in England loyal to his father. John was nicknamed: "John Lackland "... because he lacked land ... During his rule England lost all of it's French possessions, except the port of Calais. *John Plantagenet was the English King who was forced to sign the Magna-Carta (1215) by the English Barons.* John was the evil king in the film "Ivanhoe" John was also the evil king (played by an animated lion) in Disney's Robin Hood film. [Henry II (2nd) = House of Plantagenet. Henry II 's and Eleanor's land =Angevin Empire] [Louis VII of France was the king who began the building of Notre Dame Cathedral, in Paris. From Louis VII marriage, to Eleanor of Aquitaine (before the marriage was as annulled, in 1152, by the Pope) They had two surviving daughters (Marie and Alexandra - "Alix") Louis VII (re-)legitimized his daughters from Eleanor (i.e. wife #1) and Marie and Alix, eventually, married] [Philip II (2nd) aka: Philip Augustus[3], the French king in the film was Louis VII 's son -from his 3rd wife.] [Alys of France, Countess of Vexin, was a daughter of Louis VII 's 2nd wife. Alys/Alice eventually married William IV, Count of Ponthieu] [Richard died in 1199 (married, no issue)..... Geoffery died in 1186 (married, 1daughter) ..... John died in 1216 (m. 5 children)] _______________________________________________ 1.) ""Henry the Young King died, aged 28, in the summer of 1183, during the course of a campaign in Limousin [in Aquitaine France] against his father and his brother Richard. He had just finished pillaging local monasteries to raise money to pay his mercenaries. Henry, the young king, contracted dysentery at the beginning of June. Weakening fast, he was taken to Martel in Quercy (a former province of France) -- north of Montauban, Lot (province) France] It was clear to his household that he was dying on 7 June, when he was confessed and received the last rites."" -- Wikipedia 2.) ""When Henry II and Louis VII [3] made a truce on 8 September 1174, its terms specifically excluded Richard. Abandoned by Louis and wary of facing his father's army in battle, Richard went to Henry II's court at Poitiers [France] on 23 September and begged for forgiveness, weeping and falling at the feet of Henry, who gave Richard the kiss of peace. Several days later, Richard's brothers joined him in seeking reconciliation with their father. The terms the three brothers accepted were less generous than those they had been offered earlier in the conflict (when Richard was offered four castles in Aquitaine and half of the income from the duchy): Richard was given control of two castles in Poitou and half the income of Aquitaine [the richest province in France]; Henry the Young King was given two castles in Normandy; and Geoffrey was permitted half of Brittany. *Eleanor* [d. 1204] *remained Henry II's prisoner until his death* [d.,1189] *partly as* *insurance for Richard's* [continued] *good behaviour* --- Wikipedia 3.) ""After decades of conflicts with the House of Plantagenet, Philip succeeded in putting an end to the Angevin Empire by defeating a coalition of his rivals at the Battle of Bouvines in 1214. *This victory would have a lasting impact on western European politics:* *the authority of the French king became unchallenged, while the English King John was forced by his barons to assent to* . *Magna Carta* and deal with a rebellion against him aided by Philip's son Louis VIII (8th), [i.e. England: The First Barons' War]. The military actions surrounding the Albigensian Crusade [i.e. a genocide] helped prepare the expansion of France southward. Philip did not participate directly in these actions, but he allowed his vassals and knights to help carry them out. Philip transformed France into the most prosperous and powerful country in Europe."" -- Wikipedia
This is a sensational movie with a sensational cast and sensational performances. It would help, though, to know a little about the characters, in order to appreciate the relationships.
@OGBReacts You know, in the old days, before the internet when we were all stupid and uninformed, people actually read reviews of movies before they watched them, they read the books they were based on, they had some idea who the characters, even historical ones, were, and they read articles in Time and Newsweek and Life about the movies before they were released. 30 or 40 years ago, people went in to view a movie with a pretty good idea what to expect. And I think we had a richer experience for it. You can do what you want, I'm not judging, but your experience would be enhanced if you knew some background information.But I get it, that's not what the "reaction" is about.
Henry died, Richard ruled. Richard died and John ruled by killing Geoffrey's son Arthur so that he could secure the throne. John lost all of France to Phillip who was the greatest medieval French king.
Worth checking out 'Robin And Marian', the spiritual sequel to this. Screenplay by James Goldman, it starts with Robin Hood (Sean Connery) on crusade with King Richard the Lionheart (Richard Harris). We also see 'prince' John (Ian Holm) as he transitions to being king after Richard's death.
OGB, welcome to the Plantagenet Dynasty of Kings and Queens, who ruled England and much of France for over 300 years. This is typical, if somewhat over-dramatized, behaviour on their part, but the members of this dynasty schemed, plotted, murdered and fought wars against each other (including 'The Hundred Years War' with France and the 'Wars of the Roses' (aka 'The Cousins War')) until their poisonous rule was ended by the Tudors (Henry VII and Henry VIII etc.) in the late 15th century. This video (Part One of Three) explains the background to this violent period in English/French history: ruclips.net/video/J0YLKbgmV80/видео.html
Brilliant movie! One of my favorites. Such a good cast, great acting, and the dialog is amazing! I love the gritty realism of this movie. Their clothes weren't amazing, the castle is mucky, and everything just looks dirty.
Great story, acted out by a great cast, explaining a great story of the workings of the royal court of the time. I have enjoyed this yarn since it premiered in the movie theatres my junior year of high school and we discussed it in history and drama class in 1969. Thank you for reacting to this and reminding me what a great movie it was. Although all of the events of the supposed Christmas court were fictional Elanor of Aquitaine did convince the sons to attempt an overthrow of Henry II in 1173 and got herself locked up until his death. I missed the music, but You Tube is silly that way. Another movie of the time is the 1968 release of "Romeo and Juliette". It is pretty true to the Shakespearian play with lots of Smaltz.
Divorce wasn't a thing in the 1100s and royal marriages were usually purely political. This is just your classic bitter couple that can't stand each other and can't get divorced due to religious beliefs. Love this movie for all the delicious savagery and drama.
I was pleasantly surprised to see a reaction for this movie. These older period dramas don't seem to get much reactor attention. If you want more historical period dramas, i suggest: "a man for all seasons" (1966), "the virgin queen" (2005 miniseries), "lady jane" (1986), and "the last king" (2016, norwegian). None of them match this in terms of sharp dialog and family chaos. But they're all good.
You MUST watch A Man For All Seasons (1966) if you enjoyed this. Not as hateful but WONDERFUL dialogue and history. about Henry VIII having his best friend beheaded for standing by the Catholic Church and not taking an oath to him.
One of the great films of the 1960s. Thanks for a terrific reaction! Phenomenal cast, led by the spectacular Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn, winning a well-deserved 3rd Oscar out of her career record 4. She’d win her final one 13 years later for On Golden Pond, another highly recommended film to check out.
@@OGBReacts Well, lol, I've only ever known her from her body of work, but dang it if she always personified such sincerity and truth and such inner strength :/
I guess the most important thing to know about this movie is that at this time the grandchildren of William the conqueror ruled England by conquest and western France by inheritance. Henry needs to make whoever succeeds him as powerful as possible.
It's all palace intrigue and incredibly witty dialogue. If you were expecting a car chase and shoot-outs forget it. Exceptional acting from Peter O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn, 2 artists at the top of their game. Yes it takes concentration, it's not a mindless slapstick comedy. You can see how ill-equipped John was to inherit the crown, for me Geoffrey was the most intelligent and stable of the 3 sons. I thought he'd be the compromise solution but no one was willing to compromise.
I've always seen it as Geoffrey wasn't as easily manipulated as John or Richard. John was easily under dad's thumb and Richard could be swayed by mom, and had secrets that weren't so "secret".
It could also be argued that Geoffrey overplays his hand in the scene where he attempts to force Henry to make him his heir. Henry needed to have time to figure out for himself that Geoffrey was his only option. Geoffrey ruins his chances by pushing himself forward immediately, while Henry is still trying to process what has happened with Richard and John.
Timothy Dalton’s first movie role!!! AND he plays a gay guy! He said Hepburn came to set daily even if she wasn’t filming to mentor the young actors. He really appreciated it! This movie is too much Katherine for me. It was on TV a lot in the 60s 70s and I’ve only seen it once in full recently and that’s enough. I read her autobiography decades ago and enjoyed it.
You didn't mention the brilliant acting. These are some of the finest actors of their respective generations. Peter O'Toole. Spectacular. Katherine Hepburn. A legend. Anthony Hopkins. A future legend in one of his very first roles. Acting genius from all quarters. (The comedic element from Katherine Hepburn is what makes it all much more accessible to a general audience.) Outstanding. In case you were wondering, the son who actually succeeded Henry II was the Anthony Hopkins character, Richard. He is known to history as "Richard the Lion Heart."
@@OGBReacts I was going to add that if you thought about it, you know how history ultimately ends for this movie, Richard becomes king (the Lion Hearted), and the kid, John, rules when Richard goes off to fight the crusades. John is of course an awful king, taxes the poor, and has to deal with the probably more mythical Robin Hood. (King John is played by a cowardly lion in the Disney version of Robin Hood.)
Some of the best dialogue EVER in this movie, and I'm so glad to see people still discovering it. One of my fave Katherine Hepburn flicks. Eleanor and Henry love each other but they're in a constant battle for supremacy over one another. He wants to treat her like a regular demure maid of a wife, a silent queen who sits smiling and obedient, but he married Eleanor because she *wasn't* that type of woman (and she had Aquitaine). They can't stand to be apart, but they can't admit, so they snipe at each other and try to hurt one another instead.
I introduce this movie to friends whenever I can. It's ALWAYS a hit. I have the DVD (just ordered the Blu-Ray) and watch it 2 or 3 times a year, even though I know it by heart. I'm all about the dialogue and the performances at this point. I mean, my God. I watched it just a couple of weeks ago...Hepburn and O'Toole on screen together were absolutely incendiary. The pure malice was frequently palpable. Words are weapons in this film, and it's glorious.
This was actually the second time Peter O'Toole played Henry II. Four years earlier he'd done it in the movie Beckett, about the famous friendship-turned-rivalry between Henry and Thomas Beckett, Archbishop of Canterbury. That one's also well worth checking out.
Great movie.
A really good movie, Burton is incredible.
Prince John wailing "Mommy!!" and sucking his thumb in Disney's Robin Hood wasn't NEARLY as funny to me until I saw this film and learned that there was actual history behind the whole joke ("Mother always loved Richard best") lmao
Prince John definitely had both daddy and mommy issues.
I LOVE THIS MOVIE SO MUCH. So glad to see a reaction! O'Toole and Hepburn were at their greatest here. Anthony Hopkins in his FIRST movie role, Timothy Dalton all young and slinky, it's a masterpiece. By the way, if you like the piece, take some time at some point to check out the later iteration with Patrick Stewart and Glenn Close. Same play, same script, different sensibility. Very interesting to see how different artists handle the same material! :)
(Fun fact: the actor playing John also played King Arthur in "Excalibur.")
This period of British history was just nuts, and it's not surprising that quite a few writers have used it as a backdrop, probably the most famous being Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth.
The trouble really started with the death of King Henry I in 1135. It was very sudden and right after an exceptionally large dish of his favorite food, lampreys, which led to theories that he was poisoned by a conspiracy over his daughter and rightful heir Matilda. As you might imagine for the time, a lot of people weren't happy at the prospect of being ruled by a woman, and Henry was instead succeeded by his nephew Stephen, resulting in a war with Matilda now known as The Anarchy. Ultimately Stephen died of a stomach bug and was succeeded by Matilda's son Henry II, who as you can see in this film had plenty of his own family problems.
The issues seen in the film grew even worse, until eventually Richard and John both led a rebellion against their father. When news reached him about just who the leaders were, it exacerbated his already ill health and he died shortly afterward. Richard and John proceeded to achieve the kind of legendary status Henry could never have dreamed of as the major hero and villain of the Robin Hood legends, and if you're wondering why you've never heard of Geoffrey in those, that's because he was horrifically trampled to death in a jousting accident at age 27. So, not quite as optimistic an ending as the movie tries to make out.
John had become Henry's favorite. I believe that learning that John had joined in rebelling broke Henry
Very informative. Thank you.
It's difficult to conceive that all of this mess eventually led to John ending up as king (when everyone else is dead) and then nearly lost the kingdom resulting in Magna Carta and the United States of America.
You must remember that Henry II was one of England greatest medieval kings. He grew from years of civil war and managed to pull a kingdom together by brains and force of personality . He practically invented what we now know as modern law. Trail by a jury of your peers. He married one of the cleverest women in the modern world, Eleanor of Aquitaine who matched him in wits. Eleanor lived well into her 80's, out living all her sons, save John. Henry was eventually overthrown just before his death by Richard the Lionheart and to be honest he was one England worst kings. But most people just remember Henry II because he of the death of Thomas Beckett..
Henry’s last words to Richard are so true to this entire family’s relationship: “God grant that I may not die until I have had my revenge on you.” God didn’t listen to him, though.
Yes, the Robin Hood legend has done enormous favours to Richard's reputation.
"Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?"
OH MY GOD! I never expected a reaction to thisss but YAY! The dialogue is ELECTRIFYING!
A family that definitely puts the "fun" in dysfunctional...and then some!
Katherine Hepburn shared the Best Actress Oscar with Barbra Streisand, the first and only time there was a tie.
This was the second time that Pater O'Toole played King Henry II. Four years before this, Peter played Henry opposite Richard Burton as Thomas Beckett in the film 'Beckett'. O'Toole was 32 when he made 'Beckett' and 36 when he made 'The Lion In Winter'...and Katherine Hepburn was 61 when she played Eleanor.
Thomas Beckett is mentioned by Eleanor during the film, because Beckett (who had been appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Henry) was a thorn in Henry's side after Beckett, a friend and confidant of Henry's chose to be true to his office and the Church rather than Henry. Beckett was murdered but then canonized as St. Thomas Beckett. It is unclear whether Beckett and Eleanor were enemies, there are lots of legends about her hatred of major clergymen of the time...but little real evidence.
This film was the reason that Anthony Hopkins sounds the way he does in 'The Silence of the Lambs'. Hopkins, who is a natural mimic, basically adopted Katherine Hepburn's New England accent and speech patterns for Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
This was adapted from a stage play by the play's author. The original Broadway cast was
- Robert Preston, best known as Professor Harold Hill in 'The Music Man', as Henry II
- Rosemary Harris, best known as Aunt May to Tobey Maguire's 'Spider-Man', as Eleanor of Aquitaine
- Christopher Walken as King Philip of France
- James Rado as Richard Lionheart...but he's better known for co-writing the legendary 1960s counter-culture musical 'Hair' than for any of his acting roles.
Katherine. Hepburn. "Shoulder it yourself. Don't put it on my back. Pick it up and carry it. I can....I'm with one with nothing. Lost your life's work, have you? Provinces are nothing. Land is dirt. I could take defeats like yours and laugh. I've done it. If you're broken, it's because your're brittle.
"We're jungle creatures, Henry and the dark is all around us. See them...in the corners? You can see the eyes and they can see ours. I'm a match for anything. Aren't you?" WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW
The entire cast is brilliant, but Katherine Hepburn wins her third Academy Award giving one of the greatest performances in the history of film. James Goldman's adaptation of his own play is a work of genius. I consider his dialogue tied with that of "Casablanca" as the greatest ever in any film.
that was her 3rd oscar as she won her 4th for ON GOLDEN Pond and H Fonda won his 1st
@@michaelceraso1977 You're quite right. My mistake. I'll edit.
This and BECKETT
Chinatown wins that one.
Great reaction to a "complicated" film that was adapted from the stage. It's one not many people have seen. It's an actor's showcase and the dialogue is genius. I'm not sure "evil" is the right word, since they're family and there is clearly love there. They just have the ability to hurt each other and there's so much at stake - whole kingdoms! This film would probably resonate with fans of HBO's "Succession". And of the 4 Oscars for Best Actress that Katherine Hepburn has won, this is the best one in my opinion.
Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitane, their children Richard (The Lion Heart), Prince John (of Robin Hood and Magna Carta fame), and Jeffrey who's barely a footnote. Eleanor of Aquitane is one of the most fascinating persons in European history. Look her up! One of my favorite movies of all time, not least because of Peter O'Toole.
She really is. I recently read the book Queens of Jerusalem. Although Eleanor was never a queen of the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem, Katherine Pangonis wrote an extensive section about her. She was a powerhouse in an age where women didn't have much leverage. Fascinating and strong.
"Love, in a world where carpenters get resurrected, anything is possible."
Fun Fact: Theatrical movie debut of Timothy Dalton (King Philip II).
Accurate Setting Fact: Director Anthony Harvey and art director Peter Murton decided to make the setting as true as possible to the times. Although the principal characters were royalty, they lived in drafty and dirty castles.
Historical Fact: Eleanor of Aquitaine greets King Philip II by telling him she could have been his mother. Eleanor's first husband was French King Louis VII, who fathered Alais by his second wife and Philip by his third. The Pope annulled their marriage when she was unable to bear him sons. Remarried, she gave Henry II five boys: William, Count of Poitiers, Henry "the Young King", who ruled England under his father (both died before this story opens); Richard (later King Richard I "the Lionhearted"), Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, and John (later King John, villain of the Robin Hood tales). She was, wife and mother to 5 kings, 4 of whom are key players in this story. She also had 5 daughters: 2 countesses by Louis, and a duchess and 2 queens by Henry.
Also movie debut of Anthony Hopkins.
Wow. Nobody reacts to The Lion in Winter. Glad to see this.
I wish more ppl would make reactions! Great for the season...
Probably my favourite Peter Otoole film performance. Plus , although this is primarily a work of fiction, some of the back story is based on fact and from some small research the characters are very accurately portrayed, from Richards possible love of Philip and Henrys energetic highs and lows, Johns constant betrayals and Geoffrey's scheming. But its Katherine Hepburn's film, she owns every scene she's in.. A truly great actress.
I really got into medieval history and literature in college, and first learned about Eleanor of Aquitaine there. A few years ago, I started working on my family genealogy and found a “gateway ancestor,” someone whose family lineage is highly documented and goes back centuries. My 10th great grandfather had ancestors whose line went through the Wars of the Roses and all the way back to Charlemagne (but so do millions of other people). However, I was thrilled to discover that the most recent ruler on my tree is Henry III, the son of John. So, Eleanor and Henry are my 26th great grandparents! Like I said, millions of other people are also descended from them, but it still is pretty cool.
The other medieval English woman who really stood out to me in history was Margaret Beaufort, who was the mother of Henry Tudor aka Henry VII, the founder of the Tudor line. She really deserves her own movie. There is an excellent history documentary series on the Wars of the Roses called Britain’s Bloody Crown that ends with an episode all about Margaret. (I’m not related to her directly, but my 17th great grandfather was her mother’s second husband. He died fighting for the Lancastrian side at the Battle of Towton.)
Nominated for 7 Oscars including Best Picture but won for
Best Actress Katherine Hepburn
Best Original Score John Barry
Best Adapted Screenplay James Goldman.
Eleanor's barb about Thomas Becket would have a referent in the minds of the audience in 1968. Peter O'Toole had played the same role, Henry II, in an earlier film, "Becket", which was the story of Henry's battle with Thomas Becket. (It's one of those English history stories.) So he'd already established who Henry was as a person with his performance, and his Henry here is very much a continuation of what he did before. Anyone who'd seen "Becket" would have recognized him from that first shout of "Come for me!" (And if you were seeing this film, chances were very high you'd seen the earlier one. These historical epics were something of a niche at the time.)
As I recall, Peter O'Toole is the only actor nominated for an Oscar for playing the same character in two separate movies (not sequels).
I studied Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, and the real story is even more drama filled than the movie. A case of truth being stranger than fiction.
And if I remember correctly, this is a continuation of Henry II's story, since there is a movie with Peter O'Toole as Henry, and Richard Burton as Becket, when Henry had him "accidently" assassinated, the movie was made 4 years prior to this one, called "Becket"..
Are you saying they toned it down for the movie?
Synopsis: 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 of Aquitaine (Katharine Hepburn), has other ideas. She believes their son Prince Richard (Anthony Hopkins) *[later to become the famous Richard the Lionheart]* should be king. As the family and various schemers gather for the holiday, each tries to make the indecisive king choose their option.
I just have to say: this could not have been an easy one to edit down, and you did a SPECTACULARLY great job distilling the plot points amidst all of the (great) dialog. As I said yesterday: I couldn't even IMAGINE a reaction for this movie and I thought you did a spectacular job. You followed it great, for one. And it's good you didn't say much because we would have been worried you were going to miss something! We could always tell how you felt from your face! I don't know how much fun you had with this movie, or editing it, but it was a lot of fun for me/us! I haven't revisited this movie in....years! I almost forgot how amazing Katharine Hepburn was, and how intense Peter O'Toole was. I just love seeing these two great (and very different) actors bounce off each other. Katharine Hepburn was actually MUCH older than Peter O'Toole when they made this. She had started in movies in the early 30s; he had just come onto the scene seven years before this movie. You can't tell a bit, though, right?! THANKS, SAM!!!!!!! Most toxic Christmas movie ever! :D
So glad you enjoyed! Definitely a bit hard to edit down since there WAS so much conversation! But it was good :)
@@OGBReacts I'll NEVER suggest this movie to a reactor, other than to watch it off their channel. Not only is it difficult to edit or react to, it's a long movie. You did GREAT. Thanks, again.
Not a criticism and I need to watch the uncut, but my favorite line is in the cellar. Richard responding to Geoffrey, 'When the fall is all that's left, it matters a great deal '
I watched this for the first time last year.
Definitely an unconventional Christmas movie
(Also, young Timothy Dalton...yes please)
Timothy Dalton was so beautiful in this it almost hurts to look at him. Swoon.
I, too, consider this a Christmas movie.
"Well! What shall we hang, the holly or each other?"
On back cover of sound track CD it says "The Christmas when nobody got what they wanted."
Dalton was another perfect casting; not only very easy on the eyes, but he nailed Philip's brains and abilities. Philip Augustus jumped started France's advance toward becoming medieval Europe's super power.
Fun fact: Christopher Walken played Philip in the stage production. That's a performance I'd like to have seen.
The sad thing that after her husband died, mother embarrassed her sons with her "roving eye", both Richard and John kept Eleanor locked up.
This is one of my favorites of your videos. You are literally me the first time I saw this film back in the late '90s.
You are an ultimate rock syar for reacting to this movie. The best actors, the best writing - and it’s a Christmas movie.
Terrific reaction, my friend
as well as the beautiful lines of blank verse in the screenplay
your exclamations of "What a mess...What a mess!...What a MESS!" are engraved upon my heart
Thank you, my friend x
For starters, I think many people (including some well informed commenters) believe that this is one of the very best dialog movies in history. But what you don't seem to appreciate is that though the specifics of Xmas court at Chinon in 1183 was fictional, this was to a great extend actual history. Certainly the people were all real as were the relationships and the personalities described in the film. Henry is widely regarded as one of the very best Kings of England, and Eleanor of Aquitaine was the wealthiest and by far the most powerful women of her time. Early in their relationship she acted as Chancellor for HEnry in Britain while he subdued France and the various Baron's who were making trouble. Richard the LionHeart was real of course. He died in France at Castle De Mont Brun which still stands near Limoges. His heart was buried there, and by many accounts Eleanor held him while he died. King John inherited, and was responsible for the Magna Carta, the very cornerstone of British common law. Henry and Eleanor are buried together in an Abbey near Chinon. Real people, real time, real places, real backstory.
Such a good movie. I love how it doesn't play into the cult of Richard "the Lionhearted" and makes all of them look bad. It was a fascinating family...but none of them was very nice! But it established a long lasting dynasty.
Geoffrey was illegitimate. So the oldest, had the weakest claim to the throne. He was shuttled aside to Archbishop of York I think. Which was a powerful position but removed him from the game of who would become king. Richard and John continued their rivalry until Richard's death. John actually was an effective king but pissed off the nobility leading to their forcing him to agree to the Magna Carta and to his being reviled by history. But he probably was a much better king than Richard, who is remembered well but was a bloody minded asshole.
Though not historically accurate, it was based on real people and much of the background is real. Richard actually succeeded Henry to become Richard I known as the Lionhearted. John succeeded him. He was both the villain in the Robin Hood legend, as Prince John, and the king who was forced to sign the Magna Carta.
Some historical context
Eleanor and Henry's marriage is her 2nd Marriage. She had been married to Louis , King of France (who fathered Phillip and Alice, o. A laternwife). The marriage was anulled because she only gave him two daughters, Louis went to the Pope and claimed their marriage was not valid as they where 2nd cousins which was illegal under church law.
Eleanor was the richest woman in Europe. She had inherit the territories of Aquitaine and Potiou from her father.. Louis put her in a convent after their marriage was annulled in order to keep her lands.
Henry was a 17 year old and newly Count of Anjou. He was also fighting a dynastic struggle for the throne of England and the Duchy of Normandy. He had inherited Anjou from he father but had a legitimate claim to England and Normandy from his mother. Henry's mother Matilda was the daughter and only surviving Legitimate Child of King Henry I of England and thus she was the Granddaughter of William the Conqeror.. When Matilda is father King Henry I died she was in France and her cousin(the son of her fathers sister) Stephen usurped the crown with help from Barons who did not want to be ruled by a woman. This lead to 20 years of War between Matilda and her husband and sons and Stephen and his sons. Henry basically kidnapped Eleanor from the convent and married her to get her wealth to help him win the war. He did and Henry through his own lands, conquests and his wifes lands ruled the largest territory in Western Europe. He ruled England, Ireland, and more of France than the French Kings.
They apparently did love each other at one point and had many children. The sons who survived infancy where Henry the younger, Richard, Geoffrey, and John. When Henry the younger was 16 he was married to Margaret the older sister of Phillip and Alice and Richard was betrothed to Alice. Mind you they all shared older half sisters(Eleanor daughters with Louis). King Henry had his son crowned as co-ruler and He and Eleanor gave Richard, control of Eleanors lands in France, Geoffrey was married to the daughter of the the count of Brittany(part of France). John was much younger than his older brothers and Henry planned to give him Ireland originally.
While Henry did he let Richard really rule Aquitane but did not let Henry the Younger have much power this lead to Henry the Younger rebelling, several times, they made peace several times only for the father to break his promises to his son. richard and Geoffrey variously switched sides at different points. A few Years prior to the year the film is set Eleanor backed her sons, mostly due to Henry taking mistresses, against her husband and Henry had her arrested and imprisoned in Salisbury Castle in England. Their eldest son Caught dysentery and died during another war with his father.
This left Richard as the heir apparent, with Geoffrey and John behind him. Richard was Eleanor favorite while John had almost been completely raised by Henry as Eleanor had spent most of Johns childhood imprisoned.
Geoffrey later dies in a jousting accident(he took a hit from a once but instead of falling off his leg got caught in the stirrups and the horse dragged him to death).
Richard would again rebelled against Henry with the goal of freeing his mother. John switched sides to Richard in the middle of the award and Phillip backed Richard. Henry died of illness or possibly poison during the War and Richard did become king. Richard is one of history's great Warrior Kings and is nicknamed the Lion heart.
Right after this they received news that the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem had fallen to the Muslim Emir Saladdin. Richard and Phillip organized the third Crusade with the Holy Roman Emperor Fredrick. Richard spent a year fighting in the holy land but was later captured on his way home to England by the Duke of Austrialot (someone he had made a enemy of using the crusades), he was held for Ransom(this is where they Robin Hood Legends. Which involve John as either a villain or a idiot come from). Eventually he was released and return briefly to England but Phillip (who Richard had fell out with during the crusade) started attacking Richards lands in france. Richard raised an army and went to take his lands back but while laying siege to a castle was wounded by a crossbow bolt in the collarbone and died a few weeks later from blood poisoning due to the wound.
Richard had married a Spanish princess but had no legitimate children(he had father a illegitimate son when was a teenager).Geoffrey did have a son named Arthur but he was very young and John took custody of him and he just disappeared (most historians believe he wither got sick and died or john had him imprisoned in a castle and quietly murdered)
john became King. But his reign full of Rebellions against him by the English barons and he lost most of the french territories his mother and father had held to Phillip in War. The Barons forced John to sign Magna Carta giving them freedoms most nobles did not have in the rest of Europe at the time. He tried to have the Pope declare it invalid and went to war against his nobles only to die on campaign likely of dysentery or camp fever reportedly after eating bad peaches.
"Let's strike a flint and see."
>snortlaughs to death
Recently watched this movie for the first time and GOD i loved it. My new christmas movie for sure. Loved your reaction! 33:05 I considered the note the film left off on as "Let's do this all again next Christmas! Ta ta!"
If you think this was a toxic relationship, you gotta check out Who's Affraid of Virginia Wolf.
Eleanor was a great queen in her own right. She went on the second Crusade with her first husband, the king of France. They were divorced and she went back to ruling her own large kingdom of Aquitaine. She the married the (French) heir to the throne of England and had even more children, including Richard and John. They all fought each other, and their father and the King of France (son of her first husband, but not hers). Her second husband famously ordered the murder of his own friend and Archbishop of Canterbury, Becket. Eleanor tried to keep the peace in the family, but got crosswise with her husband, so he imprisoned her. The oldest, Henry Jr, is dead before the start of this movie. Jeffry will also die early. Later, Richard became king, and led the third Crusade. Henry dies 6 years later, Richard will inherit, but have no children, so Bad King John will be last to inherit.
Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine had 4 sons that survived to adulthood. Their eldest Henry, also known as Hal or the young king was going to be Henry's successor but he died earlier in the year that the film is set. Henry's favourite son was his youngest John who he then wanted to succeed him and Eleanor wanted her favourite, Richard to be next in line.
Actually, describing the whole situation as a hot mess is pretty accurate. The succession of English Kings during the time in the film was a bloody business and it wasn't guaranteed that sons would succeed their fathers.
If anyone is interested in learning more about the early English Kings, a good channel to start with on RUclips is Brief History. He starts with William the Conqueror (Henry II's great-grandfather) and is currently at Charles I. I started watching those vids when off work with ill health.
Nominated for 7 Academy Awards- Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor- O'Toole, Best Actress- Hepburn, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Score, Best Costumes. It won for Actress- Hepburn's 3rd of 4 and second in a row, won in 67 for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'. Won Best adapted screenplay- James Goldman, based on his stage play of the same name and Best Score for John Barry, who scored the Bond films before this and later did 'Out of Africa'. The director- Anthony Harvey, won the Director's Guild Award and it was the first time in history that the Director's Guild winner lost the Oscar for Best Director. Hepburn and O'Toole already shared a history. She worked with David Lean on the film 'Summertime' (please see) and she ran into him a few years later and asked what he was working on- he told her he was casting for 'Laurence of Arabia', she had recently seen O'Toole on stage and suggested him for the part- he got it and it launched his film career. He named his daughter Katharine after her. O'Toole was the one who offered this part to her- Spencer Tracey had just died and part of the reason she took it was it was so grand and engrossing, she wouldn't have time for sorrow. It was the film debut for Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton.
This movie is one of my favorites! It is brilliantly written and acted.
"You're a stinker and you stink!" This routine is repeated in "Licorice Pizza" with the word "stink" replaced with "think."
Yes! One of the best Christmas movies ever!
Thank you for taking on such diverse movies. It’s fun to see something different with a reaction.
There was another king and queen, in Spain, that made war on each other, twice. Marital spats could get serious.
This is my favorite film of all time. Thank you thank you thank you.!
"He keeps her locked away because she's trouble, I guess". Eleanor of Aquitaine (a French province) was trouble for a lot of people. She was notoriously beautiful, brilliant, and a fierce enemy of anyone who got in her way. Someone - I don't remember who - referred to her as : "Elanor, by the wrath of God queen of England".
Another notable character, who doesn't appear, is William Marshall who served as a knight during the war between Stephen and Matilda, was Henry's tutor-in-arms, and continued to serve under both Richard and John. Supposedly he fought in 300 battles, duels, and tournaments during his lifetime and almost always won. He was one of the few men, if not the only man, who ever beat Richard in a joust. There's a story that late in his life, he was offended by a remark made by King John; since he couldn't legally challenge his sovereign, he offered instead to fight any other man in the Court. No one dared accept the challenge, even though William was about 70 years old at the time.
Paraphrasing:
Geoffrey: I know. You know I know. I know you know that I know. Henry knows and he knows that we know it. We're a knowledgeable family.
Eleanor: He's ours if we want him but only if it's what he thinks we don't want. Golly, why did I have to have such clever children?
Henry and Eleanor history.... Eleanor was Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right since the age of 13 or 15 (her date of birth is disputed- 1122 or 1124). In 1137, she married Prince Louis of France and with =in weeks, his father died making them King and Queen of France. They had 2 daughters together and went on Crusade together to the Holy Land. They divorced in 1151- well, the Church annulled the marriage because they were cousins within the 4th degree, though if she had a son, they never would have brought this up. She eloped with Henry weeks later, without the permission of her ex-husband, who as King was still her and Henry's Overlord. She was 27/29 when she married the 18-year-old Henry. They had 8 children together- 5 boys, William- who died at 2/3 years old, Henry- who was the heir and crowned as the young King (a tradition to mark an heir so the throne wouldn't be usurped, Henry's mother- Matilda, was heiress and her cousin Stephen stole the throne from her in 1135) though he died in his mid 20s before his father, Richard was the 3rd son and he became Richard I- one of England's great warrior Kings. He released Eleanor for prison and she governed the kingdom in his name while he was away on Crusade. The 4th son was Geoffrey- he also died before his father and the 5th was John- who followed the childless Richard as King John- considered one of the worst Kings in English history. They had 3 daughters- Matilda, Eleanor and Joanna. Henry kept a tight grip on his dominions- stretching from the Scottish border to the Spanish border- with Eleanors properties in Aquitaine, Poitou, etc and his own in Normandy and Anjou- they controlled 2/3 of modern day France, all of England, Ireland and Wales. They doled the lands out to their sons in name only and when the sons got tired of having them with no authority or money- they rebelled against their father and Eleanor joined them. He imprisoned her for the last 13 years of his reign, blaming her for egging her sons into rebelling. Henry died in 1189, Richard in 1199 and Eleanor lived until 1204 and died at 80/82- which was VERY Old for that time period.
The movie is set in the year 1183. Back in 1066, England had been conquered by William of Normandy, who was French. So England was ruled by foreigners, who continued to hang on to their lands in France, and continued to speak French. Queen Eleanor's particular holding, the province of Aquitaine, was a particularly rich one and in a strategic position. Meanwhile, the French royal family continued to rule there. (William the Conquerer was not one of the royal family.) Eleanor was the tie between the French royal family (she had been married to King Louis, as she mentions), and the rulers of England. Very complicated situation, made worse by how dysfunctional the family was.
King Henry died in 1189. Richard took over and was king for 10 years, and spent most of his time on the Crusades. They nicknamed him Richard the Lion-Hearted. He was succeeded by John, who kept taxing the nobility of England, to the point that they surrounded him, to force him to sign a document that made clear what a king could and could not do. It was called the Magna Carta and is considered the beginning of Anglo-American law. Johnny signed it in 1215.
The event never happened, but the schemes, plans and intrigues were all real and this play is a masterpiece. Those are my Great great great great great.. (you get the idea) Grandparents. Aren't "Mee Maw" and "Pee Paw" the BEST!?!
...get the whole family together to enjoy A Very Special Christmas With The Plantagenets!
In legend one of the ancestors of King Henry was a witch. That is why his son Richard said, "From the Devil we came, and to the Devil we shall go".
This movie is awesome! I’m very into genealogy and discovered that I’m descended from Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine through several branches of my family tree. I’m not gonna lie, the apple hasn’t fallen too far from the tree😳
Well ... what family doesn't have its ups and downs?
The Plantagenets had so many illegitimate children that 2/3 of the British people have their DNA, LOL!
The movie "Beckett" also features Peter O'toole as HenryII
You may have recognized a young Anthony Hopkins as Richard III. Secession Battles could get very brutal. The movie was based on a play, hence so much dialogue.
In the beginning, when they showed the sons, they revealed the Richard was a warrior. Geoffrey was strategist, and John was an immature spoiled brat.
The Aquitaine is 1/4 of France that she inherited as a beautiful young teenager when her father died. The king of France wisely married her to his son. I don't know how, but that didn't work out and she married the King of England, Henry II, bringing him the Aquitaine and making him a vassal to the King of France.
When Geoffery, the king of France and John make a pack, the king of France is saying that he will help put John on the throne. He (and Geoffrey) know that John is an idiot and easy to control. Putting John on the throne puts them in power.
When Eleanor was looking the big ring in her hand, she bribed the soldier with it for help.
The acting in this movie is off the wall, not only Hepburn and Peter O'Toole, Anthony Hopkins and the others as well.
The Plantagets were a tempestous family, if one really wants to see why they all hated each other read up on the reign of Henry II of England. Lots and lots of backstabbing and rebellions to seize control while also trying to make sure both England and their extensive French holdings remained in the family. These two goals were somewhat incompatible.
The 3 people on the English side who either were or were to become king are "consequential" kings and are well known still today. Henry II who built England into a power-player in Europe, Richard, better know as Richard the Lion Hearted, of Crusader fame, and John, who through mismanagement of the kingdom forced the barons to present him with the Magna Carta to curb royal abuses.
Eleanor really was the post powerful and fascinating woman of the medieval age. Queens of both France and England and duchess of a large part of France in her own right, mother of several kings and lived to a remarkably old age for the time.
Putting the fun in disfunctional.
Great reaction, Sam. This is the beginning of the Plantagenet dynasty, the longest dynasty in the history of the British monarchy. Some of Game of Thrones was lifted from it, the Plantagenets were that insane with drama, power struggles, etc. You can’t make it up! Have a Merry Christmas! 🎄
If you want more medieval films with varying degrees of accuracy but made more recently Ridley Scott(Gladiator, Alien, House of Gucci Blade Runner) has done three films set in the Medieval period two of which are set around the same time as this film.
The first is Kingdom of heaven a very fictionalized version of the fall of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem (the kingdom the Crusaders had set up in modern Israel/Palestine). Richard and Phillip would later lead the 3rd crusade to try to take the Kingdom back. Ian Glenn( Ser Norah From game of Thrones) had a brief cameo playing Richard at the very end. The lead actors are Orlando Bloom ad Balian of Ibelin, Eva Green as Princess Sybil law of Jerusalem And Ed Norton under a silver mask as Baldwin IV King of Jerusalem, who was a Leper.
The next is Robin Hood from 20I0. Stars Russel Crowe as Robin Hood, Cate Blanchett as Marian, Danny Huston as King Richard, Oscar Isaac as John.
Finally there is the Last Duel. Which is later in the medieval period in the 1300's. Its about the last trial by combat in French history centerimg around a rape accusation. It stars Matt Damon as John De Carrouges, the knight whose wife may have been raped. Jodie Cromer(killing eve) as his wife and Adam Driver as the accused Jacque le Gris. Also Ben Affleck as the Count that both men served.
Again all three have some historical innacuracy but the first two get a good deal of the material culture (the buildings, clothes, weapons, and armor) correct. And the last duel while it gets a lot of that stuff wrong has rashomon style mystery at its core as we see the events from each of the main characters points of view and Scott leaves to the audience to choose which one they believe.
Great reaction, Sam!!!! Before I bought my Betamax, I recorded this entire movie on audio cassette. I would listen to this astounding dialogue over and over and over ... so good, so good!!
Alice was sent over to be Prince John's wife as a political pawn, and the King took her for himself. John is the "Prince John" of Robin Hood, and Richard is the "King Richard" of Robin hood. But that lays in the future. When King Henry died, King Richard freed Eleanor. When he was captured in the Crusades, Eleanor raised impossible taxes to pay the ransom.
This started out as a Broadway stageplay in 1966. The film won three Academy Awards and was nominated for four others.
Fun fact: on Broadway, Henry II was played by none other than Robert Preston!
One "problem" with watching reaction videos from different people is that they all tend to react to the same blockbuster movies. Someone reacting to "Lion in Winter" is definitey and7nexpected and refreshing change.
Movie people know that there are hundreds and hundreds (and hundreds) of great movies out there, it would be nice if reaction people sought out some of the older, less famous ones.
You should watch "Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf". The insane toxicity of this movie reminds me of it.
"I COULD PEEL YOU LIKE A PEAR AND GOD HIMSELF WOULD CALL IT JUSTICE!"
omg one of my favorites! i can't believe this just dropped today, i'll need to watch it skfdl
Prince John is King John from he Robin Hood Stories. Did an Family tree found out King Henry and Queen Eleanor were my 25th Great Grandparents John was my 24th GGF. King Philip was another 25th GGF. This era it stopped being a family tree and was pretty much a family wreath the way it came looping back in on itself. I watched this after I found that out realized the family hasn't really changed that much...lol.
Update finally got to watch this, glad to see a reaction for this movie!!! t's so fun and modern and witty, dark but very comedic. Great for the Arrested Development and Succession fans! I've screened it for my friends this past week and it's a wonderful surprise, esp for folks who I think have a stereotype that all old movies, especially old historical movies, need to be slow/plodding/overly serious and stuffy.
Especially I remember being surprised at there being the subplot with pretty clear queer characters in 1968... even though it's not a very happy subplot, everyone feels complex and human. It still sticks with me to this day! Happy to say I own a copy of the play script now, I love to read it
In real life, the Christmas at Chinon castle (Château de Chinon) never happened. *Henri/Henry II of England, Eleanor of Aquitaine and*
*Richard I* (1st) *of England* (aka: Richard the Lion Heart) *are buried at Fontevraud Abbey, near Château de Chinon in Anjou France*
Henry and Eleanor had 8 children, 5 of them sons. The first son, William (aka: William IX, Count of Poitiers, France) died young (age 3)
Their second son, named Henry[1] was crowned king by Henry II as co-monarch. Henry "the young king" rebelled against his father in
1173. He was aided by his mother, Eleanor; his brother, *Richard* (later, Richard I of England)[2]; and his brother *Geoffrey* (later,
Geoffrey II / 2nd, Duke of Brittany, in France) They were aided in their rebellion against Henry II (2nd) by Eleanor's ex-husband
Louis VII (7th) of France.
Meanwhile, *John* ( *later King John of England* ) remained in England loyal to his father. John was nicknamed: "John Lackland "...
because he lacked land ... During his rule England lost all of it's French possessions, except the port of Calais. *John Plantagenet
was the English King who was forced to sign the Magna-Carta (1215) by the English Barons.* John was the evil king in the film
"Ivanhoe" John was also the evil king (played by an animated lion) in Disney's Robin Hood film.
[Henry II (2nd) = House of Plantagenet. Henry II 's and Eleanor's land =Angevin Empire]
[Louis VII of France was the king who began the building of Notre Dame Cathedral, in Paris.
From Louis VII marriage, to Eleanor of Aquitaine (before the marriage was as annulled, in 1152, by the Pope) They had two surviving
daughters (Marie and Alexandra - "Alix") Louis VII (re-)legitimized his daughters from Eleanor (i.e. wife #1) and Marie and Alix,
eventually, married]
[Philip II (2nd) aka: Philip Augustus[3], the French king in the film was Louis VII 's son -from his 3rd wife.]
[Alys of France, Countess of Vexin, was a daughter of Louis VII 's 2nd wife. Alys/Alice eventually married William IV, Count of Ponthieu]
[Richard died in 1199 (married, no issue)..... Geoffery died in 1186 (married, 1daughter) ..... John died in 1216 (m. 5 children)]
_______________________________________________
1.) ""Henry the Young King died, aged 28, in the summer of 1183, during the course of a campaign in Limousin [in Aquitaine France]
against his father and his brother Richard. He had just finished pillaging local monasteries to raise money to pay his mercenaries.
Henry, the young king, contracted dysentery at the beginning of June. Weakening fast, he was taken to Martel in Quercy (a former
province of France) -- north of Montauban, Lot (province) France] It was clear to his household that he was dying on 7 June, when
he was confessed and received the last rites."" -- Wikipedia
2.) ""When Henry II and Louis VII [3] made a truce on 8 September 1174, its terms specifically excluded Richard. Abandoned by Louis
and wary of facing his father's army in battle, Richard went to Henry II's court at Poitiers [France] on 23 September and begged for
forgiveness, weeping and falling at the feet of Henry, who gave Richard the kiss of peace. Several days later, Richard's brothers
joined him in seeking reconciliation with their father.
The terms the three brothers accepted were less generous than those they had been offered earlier in the conflict (when Richard
was offered four castles in Aquitaine and half of the income from the duchy): Richard was given control of two castles in Poitou
and half the income of Aquitaine [the richest province in France]; Henry the Young King was given two castles in Normandy; and
Geoffrey was permitted half of Brittany. *Eleanor* [d. 1204] *remained Henry II's prisoner until his death* [d.,1189] *partly as*
*insurance for Richard's* [continued] *good behaviour* --- Wikipedia
3.) ""After decades of conflicts with the House of Plantagenet, Philip succeeded in putting an end to the Angevin Empire by defeating
a coalition of his rivals at the Battle of Bouvines in 1214. *This victory would have a lasting impact on western European politics:*
*the authority of the French king became unchallenged, while the English King John was forced by his barons to assent to*
. *Magna Carta* and deal with a rebellion against him aided by Philip's son Louis VIII (8th), [i.e. England: The First Barons' War].
The military actions surrounding the Albigensian Crusade [i.e. a genocide] helped prepare the expansion of France southward.
Philip did not participate directly in these actions, but he allowed his vassals and knights to help carry them out. Philip transformed
France into the most prosperous and powerful country in Europe."" -- Wikipedia
This is a sensational movie with a sensational cast and sensational performances. It would help, though, to know a little about the characters, in order to appreciate the relationships.
Agreed, but I always go into every film trying not to know anything about it :)
@OGBReacts You know, in the old days, before the internet when we were all stupid and uninformed, people actually read reviews of movies before they watched them, they read the books they were based on, they had some idea who the characters, even historical ones, were, and they read articles in Time and Newsweek and Life about the movies before they were released. 30 or 40 years ago, people went in to view a movie with a pretty good idea what to expect. And I think we had a richer experience for it. You can do what you want, I'm not judging, but your experience would be enhanced if you knew some background information.But I get it, that's not what the "reaction" is about.
These kings never realized that it was their fault they didn't have sons. Love Katherine Hepburn.
Henry died, Richard ruled. Richard died and John ruled by killing Geoffrey's son Arthur so that he could secure the throne. John lost all of France to Phillip who was the greatest medieval French king.
Worth checking out 'Robin And Marian', the spiritual sequel to this. Screenplay by James Goldman, it starts with Robin Hood (Sean Connery) on crusade with King Richard the Lionheart (Richard Harris). We also see 'prince' John (Ian Holm) as he transitions to being king after Richard's death.
Katherine Hepburn won her second consecutive Oscar for this. She won 4 best actress Oscars, a record, out if 12 noms.
OGB, welcome to the Plantagenet Dynasty of Kings and Queens, who ruled England and much of France for over 300 years. This is typical, if somewhat over-dramatized, behaviour on their part, but the members of this dynasty schemed, plotted, murdered and fought wars against each other (including 'The Hundred Years War' with France and the 'Wars of the Roses' (aka 'The Cousins War')) until their poisonous rule was ended by the Tudors (Henry VII and Henry VIII etc.) in the late 15th century.
This video (Part One of Three) explains the background to this violent period in English/French history:
ruclips.net/video/J0YLKbgmV80/видео.html
jeffery is a snake. henry knows rather then fight to maintain the kingdom jerffey would seed away every parcel to any invader. just to keep his crown,
I really loved this movie.
Geez and people complain how shouty The Goonies is. Even halfway through this leaves that for dead.
If anyone asks you if they should watch Game of Thrones, you tell them no, watch the Lion in Winter instead
There will be pork in the trees by morning!
This is my favorite movie of all time.
Brilliant movie! One of my favorites. Such a good cast, great acting, and the dialog is amazing! I love the gritty realism of this movie. Their clothes weren't amazing, the castle is mucky, and everything just looks dirty.
Great story, acted out by a great cast, explaining a great story of the workings of the royal court of the time. I have enjoyed this yarn since it premiered in the movie theatres my junior year of high school and we discussed it in history and drama class in 1969. Thank you for reacting to this and reminding me what a great movie it was. Although all of the events of the supposed Christmas court were fictional Elanor of Aquitaine did convince the sons to attempt an overthrow of Henry II in 1173 and got herself locked up until his death. I missed the music, but You Tube is silly that way. Another movie of the time is the 1968 release of "Romeo and Juliette". It is pretty true to the Shakespearian play with lots of Smaltz.
Divorce wasn't a thing in the 1100s and royal marriages were usually purely political. This is just your classic bitter couple that can't stand each other and can't get divorced due to religious beliefs. Love this movie for all the delicious savagery and drama.
I was pleasantly surprised to see a reaction for this movie. These older period dramas don't seem to get much reactor attention.
If you want more historical period dramas, i suggest: "a man for all seasons" (1966), "the virgin queen" (2005 miniseries), "lady jane" (1986), and "the last king" (2016, norwegian). None of them match this in terms of sharp dialog and family chaos. But they're all good.
How about *Anne of the Thousand Days* (1969)?
@@oliverbrownlow5615 wolf hall pbs miniseries also.
Also, "the white queen", "the white princess", and "the spanish princess".
You MUST watch A Man For All Seasons (1966) if you enjoyed this. Not as hateful but WONDERFUL dialogue and history. about Henry VIII having his best friend beheaded for standing by the Catholic Church and not taking an oath to him.
Those people behaved like modern day billionaires
OMG I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!!
One of the great films of the 1960s. Thanks for a terrific reaction! Phenomenal cast, led by the spectacular Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn, winning a well-deserved 3rd Oscar out of her career record 4. She’d win her final one 13 years later for On Golden Pond, another highly recommended film to check out.
I watched this years ago and only now realize that it's basically the template for 'House of the Dragon', but without the dragons.
You forget the dragon in the door.
Glad yer checking out this gem... after I first came across your channel I've always thought of Katherine Hepburn as your spirit animal :)
Oh yeah?? That’s amazing 😂♥️
@@OGBReacts Just imagine a combination of her in this film and Bringing Up Baby.
@@OGBReacts Well, lol, I've only ever known her from her body of work, but dang it if she always personified such sincerity and truth and such inner strength :/
@@OGBReacts And speaking of toxic mess, lol, I hope one day you check out Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966).
@@chefskiss6179 Indeed. *The Lion in Winter* might be accurately described as a medieval version of *Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?*
I guess the most important thing to know about this movie is that at this time the grandchildren of William the conqueror ruled England by conquest and western France by inheritance. Henry needs to make whoever succeeds him as powerful as possible.
Request: Timothy Dalton’s 2nd movie role: Wuthering Heights.
The only good thing when John asends the throne (after Richard the Lionhearted's death) is he was forced to sign The Magna Carta.
It's all palace intrigue and incredibly witty dialogue. If you were expecting a car chase and shoot-outs forget it. Exceptional acting from Peter O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn, 2 artists at the top of their game. Yes it takes concentration, it's not a mindless slapstick comedy. You can see how ill-equipped John was to inherit the crown, for me Geoffrey was the most intelligent and stable of the 3 sons. I thought he'd be the compromise solution but no one was willing to compromise.
I've always seen it as Geoffrey wasn't as easily manipulated as John or Richard. John was easily under dad's thumb and Richard could be swayed by mom, and had secrets that weren't so "secret".
Oh no I didn't expect anything fast at all. A lot of the reaction WAS just me listening to everything since that's just the sort of movie it was.
It could also be argued that Geoffrey overplays his hand in the scene where he attempts to force Henry to make him his heir. Henry needed to have time to figure out for himself that Geoffrey was his only option. Geoffrey ruins his chances by pushing himself forward immediately, while Henry is still trying to process what has happened with Richard and John.
Yay!!! I love this movie and am so glad to see someone reacting to it.
Just a happy Christmas movie.
“Ah Christmas…warm and rosy time. The hot wine steams, the Yule log roars, and we’re the fat that’s in the fire.”
Timothy Dalton’s first movie role!!! AND he plays a gay guy!
He said Hepburn came to set daily even if she wasn’t filming to mentor the young actors. He really appreciated it!
This movie is too much Katherine for me. It was on TV a lot in the 60s 70s and I’ve only seen it once in full recently and that’s enough.
I read her autobiography decades ago and enjoyed it.
Then you need to watch Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf with Elizabeth Taylor.
You didn't mention the brilliant acting. These are some of the finest actors of their respective generations. Peter O'Toole. Spectacular. Katherine Hepburn. A legend. Anthony Hopkins. A future legend in one of his very first roles. Acting genius from all quarters. (The comedic element from Katherine Hepburn is what makes it all much more accessible to a general audience.) Outstanding. In case you were wondering, the son who actually succeeded Henry II was the Anthony Hopkins character, Richard. He is known to history as "Richard the Lion Heart."
I believe I did say it at a point but did forget to include it here 💀 Apologies.
@@OGBReacts I was going to add that if you thought about it, you know how history ultimately ends for this movie, Richard becomes king (the Lion Hearted), and the kid, John, rules when Richard goes off to fight the crusades. John is of course an awful king, taxes the poor, and has to deal with the probably more mythical Robin Hood. (King John is played by a cowardly lion in the Disney version of Robin Hood.)
J