I love movies so much, I'll probably visit this thread all the time to talk about them, but first things first.. the best ever
The best movie ever is The Lion in Winter from 1968, directed by Anthony Harvey. It's probably the best-written movie ever, certainly the wittiest, with very sharp dialogue and the best one-liners in movie history. The Oscar-winning screenplay was written by James Goldman, based upon his own broadway play. Interestingly enough, the play was a flop until after the movie revived interest in it. John Barry's score also won an Oscar. And for all you history buffs out there, outside of a few anachronisms, the story is very historically accurate. And great drama besides. But I've always thought of it as a comedy first.
Plot: It's Christmastime 1183. England's King Henry II plans to soon name his heir (due to the death of his eldest son the previous summer). He invites his family and the King of France to a Christmas court at Chinon Castle in Anjou (a province in present-day France that was the center of Henry's empire). And what a cast of characters they are.. the most dysfunctional family in history... his wife, Queen Eleanor, imprisoned for "leading too many civil wars" against him... his mistress, Princess Alais (of France).... his three sons: Richard, Geoffrey, and John, all of whom want to be king.... and the young King Philip of France (also Alais' brother).. each spin their own webs of treachery and deceit as the story unfolds. And plot twists and schemes abound.
So, take a wonderful script and add one of the best casts ever assembled:
Peter O'Toole as King Henry II
* It's no coincidence that he's my favorite actor. Although I've seen a recent list that claims his portrayal of T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia was the best acting performace ever captured on film, I have to disagree.. for me, this is his best performance. The energy he brings to the role is unmatched.. and yet, it's a controlled energy. He knows exactly when and how to unleash the full force of Henry's personality. How this performance did not win an Oscar (a common theme in O'Toole's career) is beyond me.
Katherine Hepburn as Queen Eleanor
* She is such a wonderful actress, mnominated 12 times for Oscars and winning 4 times (including one for this movie). Although I love many of her films, I think she gave the performance of her life in this film. She is the perfect foil for O'Toole's Henry II and perhaps the only actress who could've pulled off this role opposite him.
The best parts of the film are those that feature Henry & Eleanor, as the movie says, "picnicking on one another." Honestly, I could watch these two leads act all day, even if they were just reading the telephone book!
Anthony Hopkins as Richard the Lionheart
*This was only his second film and you may not even recognize him right off, as he has dark hair and a full beard (or the best that he could grow anyway). He is just awesome as mama's boy Prince Richard. His performance is blunt and forceful without being overdone or predictable.
Timothy Dalton as King Phillip of France
*The is his film debut and one of his better performances. I'd say his best, but he's also my favorite James Bond, so I'm not sure I want to go that far. In fact, after seeing this movie, Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli offered Dalton the Bond role in 1969 for On Her Majesty's Secret Service, but he turned it down, because he thought he was too young for the part. Dalton's Phillip is charmingly sinister and plays well off of both O'Toole's Henry II and Hopkins' Richard
Nigel Terry
*You may remember him as King Arthur in 1981's Excalibur.. I'm not sure he's been in anything else anyone's seen, but this was his film debut. His Prince John lets you know right away why he was the villain of Robin Hood times.. he's just so moronic and disgustingly brilliant.. a very underrated performance.
I just love everything about this movie.. the settings (filmed on location in Ireland, Wales, and France), the score, the acting, the writing, the directing, editing, production.. truly a perfect movie.
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