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The film, issued in 1968
As a rule, the more ancient historical events we are trying to study,
the less information we have about them and the more freedom for our fantasy we get, especially if
we are the authors of a costume drama. And if such the author can truly describe the main from the
surviving essential parts of his characters, the play will be a great hit with the public, if the
real masters will perform this play.
Thus, the events, which were never taken place, but about the peoples
who ages ago were the masters of nation's fates in the West Europe, the keen and dynamic plot in the
style of "Dangerous Cover" by Priestley with a good text and excellent actors' ensemble -
this is the play "The Lion in Winter", issued in 1968. Can you find something more suitable
for your debut in cinema, if you are young, feel the urge of ambitions and are ready to show, what
you can do on stage and in the film?
And this debut took place, the debut of Timothy Dalton. This is the
one of the best known to us debuts of the beginning dramatic actor in cinema. And though the
brilliant beginning is not a guarantee for successful career and the first appearance without a
shine doesn't mean, that the long-expected afflatus will not happen at all, the successful debut -
it's wonderful!
"The Lion in Winter". This is a name of the king of England Henry II
from the dynasty of Plantagenet, who in the afternoon of life is deciding hard problems of
choising his heir to give him the authority and power, the old king was fighting for during all his
life. But in chase of these ones and using this inconditionate power he has lost the main things,
which are the base of human being at all times - the family, the home, the children. Timothy
Dalton's hero helps him to understand this simple for common people truth in the central part of
the movie.
Timothy's character is juvenile then-a-days (no more than 17 years
old!) king of France Philip II, who was nicknamed Augustus. According to the data from historical
books, the role of Philip in the history of his country was positive. He lived for a long time
(1165-1223), he administered the affairs of the state during 43 years, beginning with 1180. Step
by step Philip implemented a policy of integration and establishment of a centralized state.
In fight with the English kings (Plantagenets), who held Normandy, Anjou, Aquitania and another
French lands, he could recover Normandy from John Lackland (1204), and then - the most of lands
south of Loire. As a result of the policy of territorial joinings, leading by Philip, the French
territory under king's control increased almost fourfold." [L.1, p.93]. "Adjecting large feud, king
didn't rebuilding its administrative structure. He only replaced with himself the former duke or
comte, getting all his political rights and his seigniorage." [l.2, p.98].
The text of the play very well shows the seeming Philip's
"inactivity", which hides the accurate "calculations". And Dalton's task was to convince viewers,
that they are seeing really strong, clever and crafty ruler, who is hiding his real face under the
delicate boy's image. That is Timothy had to play the great potentialities to become in the future
the personification of the strong centralized authority.
Tender age of Philip misleads all the king's family, where every
member is trying to use this young man as a mean to win in the fight for Henry's lands and
authority to be announced his heir: the eldest son (from those sons, who is living to the times
of play) - Richard Lion-heart (Anthony Hopkins), the younger one Jeffrey (John Castle) and the
youngest - John (Nigel Stock). Eleanor of Aquitania, the mother of Richard helps him. Fellowless
Katherine Hepburn has got and deservedly got the Oscar prize for this work as the best actress of
the year! Once upon a time Eleanor was a wife of Philip's father, but now she spend her days under
detention and far from Henry, who decided to marry Alice, Richard's bride and Philip's eldest
sister, called now "king's woman", though king's years are beginning to decline. Henry sympathized
with John, "being on the shelf" Jeffrey envies both brothers and nurses his own scheme. Very good
family!
However Philip, using desire of everyone to win and
acting wise for his age and like a shrewd businessman, confounds their plans ably,
tempting Henry and his sons into a trap to show everyone, who is who. And Timothy does it with a
real royalty! Remember, how Phiplip maintained his dignity during his first meeting with Eleanor and
Henry, how he has spoken in a ton of irony, answering the Henry's jesting compliment
"You were better in this play, than I thought!" - "I wasn't sure, you'll notice it".
Another example - the scene with the curtains: Tim plays with everyone of brothers like a cat with
a mouse and in the episode with Richard his behavior is ambiguous - it's unclear, is he ready to
continue his former bedfellowship with Lion's-heart or not. But the dialogue with Henry, at the
first time seeming to be lead by the king of England, step by step goes to Philp's control and with
every word, he says, it become clear to everyone - we see a young man likely to rise!
Certainly, it was not the accident, that Peter O'Toole,
the gorgeous actor and performer of Henry's character, has invited Timothy Dalton to take a part in
this film, because he needed an interesrting partner for the work in the midpoint of the play -
the episode with curtains - the episode, where the old king is finding out the truth of his family.
Before filming in "Lion" Timothy has done some roles in theatre and on TV. Unfortunately the time
didn't save for us even one Dalton's earliest work and we can't see, how he developed his actor's
skills in the beginning of his career, but in the role of Philip we watch the work of a good master,
an independent artist, knowing many secrets of his profession, which, I think, many of much more
experienced his colleagues only dream to know. What is this? The influence of ensemble, teachers,
intuition? I don't know... May be - the first one and the second and the third. But in any case -
this is the real art!
"The Lion in Winter" is not only the bright Dalton's debut for us,
but the one of the finest performances, given by English theatre, where the great attention has
always given to actors' ensemble (here - it's really star!) and also the rhythm and tempo of the
acting is the base of every performance.
Not only in the theatrical performances, but in the movies, made by
English masters or with their participation, you can watch this rhythmical skill. But what's the
"leading man", we could know only in the spring of 1999, when on the ABC Internet site we have seen
the brief video-clip, dedicated to the rehersal scene from
"Cleopatra". Here, being in between the other actors, dressed in Roman armours and looking like
they, Timothy Dalton as Caesar made the common tempo and rythm for the acting, improvising the
behaviour of a warrior in the battle episode. "Pum, pum, pum, ...", - kept he the beat, agreeing
every his motion with this score and underlining its base moments, but his partners tried to follow
him in this rhythm and acting, creating the common picture of fight.
And "The Lion in Winter" is not the exception from the rule. Timothy
keeps brilliantly the chosen rhythm of action and pauses. So Anthony Hopkins is looking almost
looked nonplussed sometimes, even more, that it's needed for his role. Because just Richard became
Henry's heir! Probably, he was knocked out by Tim's acting!
Unfortunately, we couldn't find king Philip's portrait, painted when
he lived. May be it's hiden in the museums of Loire's castles? If you know something about it, please,
let us know! For those, who likes to read historical novels, we give here the information about the
book, written by Victoria Halt and describing the events, which have happened after these ones we
see in the film.
Brief information
Film "The Lion in Winter" won not only Academy award for Katherine
Hepburn, but for screenplay writer James Goldman and composer John Barry too!
Later John Barry
will write music for the movie
"Mary, Queen of Scots",
and for the majority of films fron
Bondiana, including "The Living Daylights".
Timothy Dalton played in these films with a great success too!
List of reference
1. The Large Soviet Cyclopaedia (LSC), v.45, �.: - 1956.
2. ������� �.�. ������� ������� � 3-� �.�.
�.: - 1972.
3. ������ �. ������ ����. �����./ ���. � ����.
- �.: ��� ���-�� �����-�����. 1997 - 416�
K.E., V.G, 1999
Order in Amazon
"The Lion in Winter", 1997
The national academic Vakhtangov's theatre has put the play written
by James Goldman on the stage in 1997. And now, in the beginning of 2000, the performance is in the
theatre's repertoire and usually the play draw almost capacity audience. Though, certainly, I would
never compare the thirty years old film and this contemporary performance, because they are of
different genres: the first one was realized as a costume-historical drama, but the second one - as
raree show, gaff or something like this.
The theatre directors, working in this style, usually make no bones
of us, the viewrs, tryinhg to fob off their very original and extraordinary vision of the play on us,
as they probably think of it. Their vision is based on contrasts, hyperbole and audacities to
suprize the audience. The producers of Moscow "Lion" make the viewer to be perplexed due to not
only up to the minute shoes on the legs of each and all characters of the play and eclectical
costumes for them, but due to a little bit much more piquant dresses of main heroines, not
suitable to the season of the play (the Christmas times!). These dresses can transform the actresses
into stripteasers.
Probably, this way the producers are trying to show the similarity of
times, the similarity of epoches. Certainly, this way is simpler, than to study the history of
costume and English theatre, its intonation and traditions. And what for they should do it, if the
audience doesn't ask more and the old film is available on the half-legal videotapes for home
seeing, found once in "Gorbushka", our great market-shop?
Oh, certainly, these special dresses of heroines are in use -
"every gun on stage should shoot!" May be it would be good in the play with a bad text. But here?
I'd like to ask the producers: "what do you take us for?" The same question I'd like to ask the
actress, who played a role of Eleanor, Henry's first wife, Helen Sotnikova, because in her voice you
hear intonations of another actress Julia Borisova. Yes, indeed, Julia Constantinovna would be more
convictive here and she is more suitable for the role because of her age...
By the way, about this former one - about the age. The part of
Jeffrey was performed by V.Kraskov, who could play the part of the aged king himself, but I mean
only his age, because in the actor's skills it wasn't someone, who was equal Vasily Lanovoy. Though
sometimes he forgot the text of the role, or said something wrong, he was the inarguable leader and,
probably, with the another partners and, mainly, with another producer, director and artists, I
think, could become a competitor to Peter O'Toole from the old "Lion".
The young Vasily's partners O.Lopukhov and A.Zavialov, performing
the characters of John and Philip, it seemed to me, did all their best and played their parts not
so dusty. But very attractive, with the constantly naked bosom despite the Christmas frost,
P.Saphonov was wonderful as himself or in comparison with the hero from the cover of novel [L.3]
from the List of reference above, but not in the connection with a role of "Lion Heart" from the
text of play, because he seemed to be not a man, hooked on the war and able to have bedfellowship,
not only friendship, with the juvenile king of France.
However, I shall reply in the positive to the question "Was there
any need to see this play?": "Yes, because from time to time you need to remind yourself, that it's
extreemly hard to make something really interesting and great in the art of stage, how thin is the
border and at once how deep is the abysm betwwen the raree show, gaff or something like this and the
THEATRE, some viewrs are still dreaming.
K.E., 1999
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