As the royals, Henry II of England, and his estranged wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn are at their best: O'Toole was, at this time, the finest English-speaking drunken actor (supplanting Richard Burton) while Hepburn was in the Indian summer of her remarkable career. Both are full of life and vitality, more so than their somewhat drab children.
Speaking of the children, it's fun to see a young Anthony Hopkins in his film debut as Richard the Lion-Hearted, and a very young Timothy Dalton as Philip II of France. Other than that, they didn't really stand out (not that they were supposed to). The film is based freely on history. Henry II attempted to consolidate an empire and make John his heir, while Eleanor had Richard in mind for the throne. While it is unlikely that they ever met in conditions as portrayed by the film, their infighting did last for years, and eventually resulted in the breakup of the empire has Henry had envisioned it.
Probably the biggest problem with the film was its "stagy" quality. There was no doubt at any time that this film was based on a play. Even the marvelous locations did not make it any less of a play and any more of a film. For that, I blame the director, who was somewhat green the time the movie was made.
Still, defintely worth a look, particularly for fans of the leads, and all fans of great writing for the screen.
Three stars
Copyright 1997 by Dale G. Abersold
