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The Lion In Winter [2003] (REGION 2) (PAL) [Dutch Import]


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Editorial
Product Description

PLOT SUMMARY: King Henry II (Patrick Stewart) keeps his wife, Eleanor (Glenn Close) locked away in the towers because of her frequent attempts to overthrow him. With Eleanor out of the way he can have his dalliances with his young mistress (Yuliya Vysotskaya). Needless to say the queen is not pleased, although she still has affection for the king. Working through her sons, she plots the king's demise and the rise of her second and preferred son, Richard (Andrew Howard), to the throne. The youngest son, John (Rafe Spall), an overweight buffoon and the only son holding his father's affection is the king's choice after the death of his first son, young Henry. But John is also overly eager for power and is willing to plot his father's demise with middle brother, Geoffrey (John Light) and the young king of France, Phillip (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). Geoffrey, of course sees his younger brother's weakness and sees that route as his path to power. Obviously political and court intrigue ensues. ABOUT THE DVD: This is a double disc release of the 2003 television production of 'The Lion In Winter'. It is a NETHERLANDS release (Region 2 PAL format - same as UK so will play on all standard domestic DVD players without problem). The only subtitles on the discs are Dutch (which do have the option of being switched, which isn't always the case with mainland European DVD releases), and some of the text on the rear of the packaging is in Dutch too. The audio is the original English language (Dolby Digital 2.0) and the picture is presented in full screen (4:3 ratio). The only 'extra' on the DVDs is scene selection.


The play's the thing
Review date: 2008-07-25 Rating: 6 out of 10

"Of course he has a knife, he always has a knife, we all have knives! It's 1183 and we're barbarians!" The genius of James Goldman's perfect script for The Lion in Winter is the way it takes great historical figures and not only makes them all-too-recognisably human but also makes their faults serve as the world in microcosm. And it does it with wit, drama and genuine emotion as its two titans battle each other with a great hatred born of a once great love while their unlovely brood jockey for position and the crown of England in an ever escalating web of one-upmanship and betrayal. As such, it's foolproof and virtually idiot proof, the kind of thing that not even a talented director could ruin. Unfortunately one of the reasons the play has been so rarely revived is because it also managed to spawn a film version so close to perfection for all its budgetary limitations and technical faults that it must seem pointless to anyone to attempt to match it. So it's no great surprise that Andrei Konchalovsky's 2003 TV version leaves you feeling a bit like you've brought a ticket to the hottest show on Broadway only to find that the entire cast has gone down with food poisoning and the rep company from Des Moines will be taking their roles for tonight's performance.

The biggest problem is that all these people have all too obviously seen the 1968 movie and fail to make the parts their own. Patrick Stewart fares best, but he lacks Peter O'Toole's delivery or comic timing although, to his credit, he doesn't try an impersonation. Unwisely, Glenn Close DOES slip into the odd spot of mimicry of Hepburn inbetween the odd half-hearted bout of Norma Desmond, but she makes surprisingly little impact until the second half of the game. Jonathan Rhys Myers' King Philip is especially weak, alternating between appearing stoned out of his skull (anytime he is required to stand or cross the room) or an unpopular school prefect in a school play. Indeed, there's too much of the Sixth Form Drama Society in Henry and Eleanor's loathsome litter. John Light takes what honors are available in that field as the unloved and unloving Geoffrey, but his competition is beyond merely light: Andrew Howard growls with more gravel than gravitas as Richard while a painfully incompetent Rafe Spall manages the impossible to turn in an even worse performance as an infantile John than Nigel Terry. Yuliya Vysotskaya's Alais is a somewhat better actress than Jane Merrow but far too East European to convince as a French girl and far too limited to make the part more than a cipher (but then, as Mrs Konchalovsky, her casting would appear to have been a deal breaker here).

It's not bad - the superb writing carries it through even when the performances falter - but despite the bigger budget you get that distinct Saturday Matinee Dinner Theater feeling.


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Reviews


Brilliance Remade
Review date: 2008-01-10 Rating: 10 out of 10

This 2003 Hallmark edition is simply a remake of the 1968 movie, which received 3 Oscars from its 11 nominations. In fact, Hallmark used the same screenplay by James Goldman, so the actors do in fact speak nearly exactly the same lines. So how can anyone measure up to the vivid performances of Katharine Hepburn, Peter O'Toole and Anthony Hopkins etc.? Brilliantly, that's how. Glenn Close and Patrick Stewart don't merely repeat the lines they were given; they LIVE their parts with unbridled passion and movement. The sons of Henry and Eleanor also portray their parts with stunning grace in both films; albeit interpreted differently, they contribute into making the plays truly memorable spectacles. Close and Stewart are more passionate in their performances than were Hepburn and O'Toole; I could report on the performance of each actor and actress in both films, but instead I heartily recommend watching them both in sequence. This remake in particular I find especially captivating.

As the greatest king in English history tries to decide upon the future of his kingdom, advanced maneuvring is needed to handle the colliding interests of the king, the queen and their sons, as well the king of France. All parties scheme and plot, weaving their webs until they criss-cross one another and noone rightly knows where one begins and the other ends. Who can say who plans what? Who lies, who tells the truth? It all changes quicker than anyone can follow; not even the liar himself knows whether he's actually lying at times. Priorities change, goals change, and so do the ways in which one tries to achieve them.

This modern depiction of a true mediaeval power struggle is excellently made; it's nothing short of miraculous. If the movie of 1968 deserved 3 Oscars, this one would deserve 4. Pity it was made for television. The major difference is the more theatrical performance of the actors of -68. This time the actors "run around" more; body language count as much as recitation. It's more enjoyable watching this modern version for those of us who grew up in the eighties; but the first film is one that should be seen by anyone who likes the classics.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
John Light
Glenn Close
Patrick Stewart
Andrew Howard
Antal Konrád

Director(s):

Recording label: Bridge Pictures
Manufacturer: Bridge Pictures
Model: 2445745
EAN: 8711983457454
Binding: DVD
Format: Import,
Number of discs: 2
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 160 minutes
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Unknown)
Language: Dutch (Subtitled)
Language: Dutch (Published)
Brand: Bridge Entertainment Group

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