The Lion in Winter (2003): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2003, The Lion in Winter is a drama, romance, tv movie and history film directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, running about 167 minutes. “All of Britain and half of France were his kingdom. But there was one thing Henry II would never control . . . His Family.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. 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

Who’s in it. The Lion in Winter stars Glenn Close as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Patrick Stewart as King Henry II, Andrew Howard as Richard and Antal Konrád as Toastmaster, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.0/10, The Lion in Winter has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In AU you can stream it on Britbox Apple TV Channel . See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Lion in Winter page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Lion in Winter tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.