Lion in Winter, The (4K UHD Review)
- Review Date: Mar 10, 2025
- Format: 4K Ultra HD
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Director
Anthony HarveyRelease Date(s)
1968 (February 28, 2025)Studio(s)
AVCO Embassy Pictures (StudioCanal Vintage Classics)- Film/Program Grade: A-
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: B+
- Extras Grade: B-
Review
Based on James Goldman’s 1966 stage play of the same name, Anthony Harvey’s film version of The Lion in Winter centers its story on the English king Henry II (played by Peter O’Toole). Having spent his entire thirty-year reign amassing power and land, including large portions of Wales, Ireland, and France, Henry—now fifty—seeks to ensure that his successor will keep the kingdom intact. There’s just one problem: Of his three surviving sons, young John (Nigel Terry) is an immature fool, middle son Geoffrey (John Castle) is conniving but weak, and his oldest son Richard (Anthony Hopkins) is a strong warrior but favored by his mother, Queen Eleanor (Katharine Hepburn), whom Henry despises.
When Henry calls his family to court in Chinon, ostensibly to celebrate Christmas in 1183, he invites the young King of France, Philip II (Timothy Dalton), to join them as well to settle old business. It seems that Philip’s father Louis (Eleanor’s former husband) made a deal with Henry years ago, pledging his daughter Alais (Philip’s sister, played by Jane Merrow) to Henry’s successor along with a valuable dowry—a strategically-important county near Paris. Unfortunately, Henry fell in love with Alais himself and took her as a lover, so now he must give her up and choose which of his sons will marry her and inherit the kingdom. But Eleanor, long kept imprisoned by Henry back in England, is plotting her revenge against him. And John, Geoffrey, and Richard—in keeping with their parents’ lifelong example—each have schemes of their own.
The Lion in Winter is a terrific historical drama for a number of reasons, starting with a pair of tour de force performances by O’Toole and Hepburn, each of whom are at the height of their long careers and in full command of their craft. Hopkins is also excellent, appearing here in his very first film. And young Timothy Dalton was compelling enough as Philip II to be offered the part of James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), a role he turned down and which ultimately went to George Lazenby. (Dalton would later accept the role for The Living Daylights in 1987.) The rest of the supporting cast here shines as well, including Nigel Terry, who appeared years later as King Arthur in John Boorman’s Excalibur (1981).
Another key reason for the film’s success is the screenplay, adapted by Goldman from his own previous work, which features intelligent and witty dialogue, intricate plotting, and genuine emotional complexity. The Lion in Winter is nothing so much as a family drama, about a clan that both hates and loves itself in equal measure—but each impulse is genuine and well grounded in the story. The plot is a touch melodramatic and the presentation at times a glossy (the film reminds me of a 12th century Tombstone in a way—I mean this as a compliment), but the film’s energy is electric and the interpersonal connections of its characters are so well realized that every scene is a pleasure, each of them brimming with nuance and subtext.
It also helps that the film grounds its reality in beautifully-rendered production design and historically authentic settings. The Lion in Winter was filmed at Ardmore Studios in Ireland, as well as on location in Ireland, Wales, and various real castles in France, environments that serve the story well, lending the drama a rich texture and atmosphere. Add to this mix deft direction, yeoman-like camerawork and editing, and a brassy and Oscar-winning score by composer John Barry (Dr. No, Dances with Wolves, You Only Live Twice), and the result is a terrific piece of period cinema that’s entertaining from start to finish.
The Lion in Winter was shot on 35 mm film by cinematographer Douglas Slocombe (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jesus Christ Superstar, Never Say Never Again) using Panavision PSR R-200 cameras with Panavision C-Series anamorphic lenses, and it was finished photochemically in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio for theaters. For its release on Ultra HD, the original camera negative and master interpositive were scanned in 4K using an ARRISCAN Classic film scanner. The OCN was unfortunately not in good condition, but the interpositive was, so the best source was determined for each shot. Digital restoration and HDR color grading (compatible with both HDR10 and Dolby Vision) were carried out by Filmfinity Productions in London to remove dirt, tramline scratches, mold, splice marks, flicker, and other imperfections, and the result has been encoded for a 100GB disc. The process was supervised by Mariana Ledesma and Jahanzeb Hayat for StudioCanal.
The resulting 4K presentation offers an impressive boost in image detail and pleasing textures overall, albeit with the usual anamorphic softness around the edges of the frame. Original negative is cleaner and more detailed than interpositive, but the differences aren’t obvious. Colors are richer and well saturated, with flesh tones that appear warmer and more natural looking than they do on Blu-ray. Shadows are deeper than ever, though occasionally a little crushed looking in the darkest scenes, while highlights are more luminous. The HDR grade isn’t aggressive, but it definitely adds a measure of realism to the image. Grain is medium, sometimes more a bit more coarse than subtle, but again that’s probably down to the difference between OCN and interpositive. On the whole, this is a very cinematic image and a fine upgrade of previous Blu-ray and DVD editions.
Lossless audio is available in both English and German linear PCM 2.0 mono. The soundstage is medium wide yet centered and tonally satisfying, with cleanly rendered dialogue and good but modest dynamics in the occasional scene that requires it—the opening sword duel, for example. Barry’s score is well staged, adding exactly an appropriate measure of majesty and energy, not to mention a sense of foreboding when the moment’s drama demands. Optional English and German subtitles are also available.
StudioCanal’s new Ultra HD release is a single disc package that includes the film in 4K only (a Blu-ray version is also available separately, and Kino Lorber Studio Classics has released the film on Blu-ray here in the States as well). The 4K disc includes following extras:
- Audio Commentary by Anthony Harvey
- The Heart of a Lion: An Interview with Sir Anthony Hopkins (HD – 19:46) — NEW
- Shooting the Stars: An Interview with Camera Assistant Robin Vidgeon (HD – 10:33) — NEW
- Interview with John Castle (HD – 11:45)
- Interview with John Bloom (HD – 11:39)
- Behind the Scenes Stills Gallery (HD – :55) — NEW
- 2024 Restoration Trailer (HD – 1:01) — NEW
The commentary was recorded in 2000 for DVD, and it’s largely compelling despite a few lengthy gaps. Harvey talks candidly about his career, the various creative interactions he had with members of the cast and crew, and even shares anecdotes about fellow director Stanley Kubrick, with whom Harvey worked as an editor on Lolita (1962) and Dr. Strangelove (1964). The Heart of a Lion and Shooting the Stars are both new interviews, and of course the former is the more interesting, as Hopkins shares his amazement at being cast by O’Toole personally, and the unexpected way his career in film began. Also included are legacy interviews with Castle and the film’s editor, as well as a brief still gallery and the 2024 restoration trailer. It’s not a lot of material, but it’s more than sufficient.
Arguably Anthony Harvey’s finest work, The Lion in Winter is a terrific piece of family drama that renders a believable period setting yet feels uniquely modern as well. There’s real pleasure to be had here in watching O’Toole roar and Hepburn simmer, as they teeter between love, hate, and the simple hard-won affection of shared history. The Lion in Winter is a stirring film indeed, and StudioCanal has done it justice with a lovely 4K restoration and an Ultra HD release that deserves a place in the video library of any serious fan of classic cinema. Recommended.
- Bill Hunt
(You can follow Bill on social media on Twitter, BlueSky, and Facebook, and also here on Patreon)