Lion in Springfield? Movie Thoughts from Dr. W

This Saturday marks a showing of The Lion in Winter (1968) at the Moxie in downtown Springfield. It’s free! Some films need more attention because they expressly relate historical events from the Middle Ages. The Lion in Winter centers around King Henry II of England and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine.  It takes place over one day, Christmas Eve 1183.  Eleanor has been imprisoned by Henry II because of involvement with her son’s revolts, but is released for the celebration. The King of France arrives; there is much debate over whom the king’s concubine should marry.

Because The Lion in Winter was made in 1968, it really is THE medieval film watched by an earlier generation. Robert Ebert reviewed it in 1968, giving it 4/4 stars, and calling it “real.” He praised the way that the floors were dirt, and how Henry II kicked chickens when he walked by. With Katherine Hepburn and Peter O’toole, it was much watched, internalized, and rewatched in the 1970s and 1980s. There even was a TV remake of this 1968 film starring Glen Close in 2003. You should go to see the film—with these caveats:

1.     The film was made in 1968. This means it reflects 1968 sensibilities perhaps more than medieval sensibilities. Some women were not even allowed to attend public university in 1968! Situation yourself in the filmmaker’s mind to try to understand how films frequently reflect the age/time period of the film rather than the period.  One could even argue that Eleanor’s “angst” might reflect the gender wars of the 60s. I do like powerful women in movies—but how does Eleanor come off in the film? I expect you all will disagree here. She does seem a bit of scold, naggy, and loud though she has the best lines!!

2.     The film was adapted from a play from 1966. This means the dialogue comes off as if the actors are actually in a theater.  For this reason, you will probably either really like Katherine Hepburn, or find it is overdone.

3.     “Unnatural. Sodomy. Adultery. Sexuality. Unnatural.” Violence. Yelling!!!  For all the beauty of the film (such as  Eleanor in a chair in a boat, and Henry and Eleanor at Chinon, France revealing the influence of England and France in the Angevin Empire), there is a lot of weirdness that is reflected in this film.  “Weirdness”: I am using that word as  it is presented in the film, not my opinion; the above quoted words can actually be heard in the trailer of the movie, take a look and listen below. Weirdness is a trait in many films about the Middle Ages. What I most deplore in medieval films is when the dysfunctional is invented for the audience’s pleasure. For instance, Eleanor taunts Henry by repeatedly saying that she slept with his father . . . which tears him up of course.

4.     The colors. Take no. 3 and add in the browns, the dark. It’s the antithesis of the color that I have been suggesting made up the medieval world.

5.     There really isn’t an attempt to “be medieval”—whatever that means (we are working on that!!). They speak as if they have psychological problems, accuse each other of incest, joke that Jesus won’t judge them for stealing candles. These are fierce people who hate more than love. It’s no wonder that people think love was absent in the Middle Ages, and that nobility were to be feared.

Therefore, the film is great for understanding power struggles, some aspects of familial dysfunction, and putting names to faces (for instance, John of Magna Carta fame). However, although it has medieval subjects who actually lived (versus animation in The Secret of Kells), the ambience, character studies, and focus on exoticisms of the Middle Ages means that the film is also a medievalism. It’s reconstructing the way you understand the past that may have less bearing on actual facts. This film has much to say about how we understand history based on films.  So go, enjoy, but also see the complexity in how the film shapes our understanding to say: “Thank goodness I live in 2016, not 1183.” It does more to shape our projected image of the Middle Ages, rather than attempting to piece together an actual account of the Middle Ages based on history. 

I'm looking forward to a Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie Lion in Winter--and a lot more medievalness--in a new installment of the play, or even a new epic because Eleanor is worth spending some time with (if we can just get her to stop looking like Katherine Hepburn in our minds). 

Watch a Trailer here (P.S. to design this, click on link above)