The Lion in Winter

Come for me!

You're gaining on it, Johnny.

Am I, father? Am I really?

Off you go now.

Run along and practice.

He'll make a good king.

He'll be ready.

That's the way.

Come on, my son!

Have you found religion,

Henry?

Will you look down from heaven and

see who's sitting on your throne?

I must know before I die.

There's a legend of a king called

Lear, with whom I have a lot in common.

Both of us have kingdoms

and three children we adore,

and both of us are old,

but there it ends.

He cuts his kingdom into bits.

I can't do that.

I've built an empire, and

I must know it's going to last.

All of Britain,

half of France...

I'm the greatest power in a thousand

years, and after me comes John.

I'm going to lose you,

Henry, aren't I?

Alais, in my time I've known...

contessas, milkmaids,

courtesans...

and novices,

whores, gypsies, jades...

and little boys,

but nowhere in God's western world

have I found anyone to love but you.

And Rosamund?

- She's dead.

- And Eleanor.

The new Medusa,

my good wife?

How is your queen?

Decaying, I suppose.

No, don't be jealous

of the Gorgon.

She is not

among the things I love.

How many husbands do you know

who dungeon up their wives?

I haven't kept the great b*tch in the keep

for ten years out of passionate attachment.

- There's Captain Marshal.

William!

We will be holding

Christmas court at chinon.

We have asked the king of France

to join us.

I want Richard there and Geoffrey.

Go find my boys and tell them.

Then go fetch the queen

from Salisbury tower.

If the queen refuses?

Eleanor?

She wouldn't miss this

for the world.

Richard.

Richard!

Hello, Richard.

Forward!

Forward!

Geoffrey?

Geoffrey.

Geoffrey!

Father wants to see me.

Your majesty.

There's to be

a Christmas court.

Yes, madam.

Where?

At chinon.

Henry, what if, just for once,

I didn't do as I was told?

It's going to be

a jungle of a day.

If I start growling now,

I'll never last.

You'll last.

You're like the rocks at

stonehenge... nothing knocks you down.

In these rooms, Alais, on this

Christmas, I have all the enemies I need.

You have more than you think.

Are you one?

Has my willow

turned to poison oak?

If I decided to be trouble,

Henry, how much trouble could I be?

Not much.

I could give away your plans.

You don't know what they are.

I know you want to disinherit

Richard. So does Eleanor.

She knows young Henry's dead.

The young king died in summer, and I haven't

named an heir. She knows I want John...

on the throne, and I know she wants

Richard... we are very frank about it.

Henry, I can't be your mistress

if I'm married to your son.

Why can't you?

Johnny wouldn't mind.

I do not like your Johnny.

He's a good boy.

He's got pimples,

and he smells of compost.

He's just 16!

He can't help the pimples.

He could have a bath!

It isn't such a dreadful thing

to be queen of England.

Not all eyes will weep for you.

Will yours?

I don't know.

Very likely.

All I want is not to lose you.

Can't you hide me?

Can't I simply disappear?

You know you can't.

Your little brother Philip's king of France now,

and he wants your wedding or your dowry back.

I only took you for your

dowry. You were seven...

two big knees and two big eyes,

and that's all.

How was I to know?

Hey. What's the matter, lad? Nothing.

- Geoff!

- Johnny!

Is that for me?

I love Christmas.

What difference does

my dowry make?

Let Philip have it back.

It isn't much. I can't.

The vexin is a little county,

but it's vital to me. And I'm not.

It's been my luck to fall

in love with landed women.

When I married Eleanor

I thought, "you lucky man.

"The richest woman in the

world... she owns the Aquitaine,

the greatest province in the

continent, and beautiful as well."

She was, you know.

And you adored her.

Memory fails. There may

have been an era when I did.

Let's have one strand askew. Nothing

in life has any business being perfect.

If I say you and I are done,

we're done.

If I say marry John,

it's John.

I'll have you by me,

and I'll use you as I like.

Ah, Christmas...

warm and rosy time.

The hot wine steams,

the yule log roars,

and we're the fat

that's in the fire.

She'll be here soon,

you know. Who? Mother.

She still want you to be king? We

are not as friendly as we used to be.

If I'm supposed to make a fuss

and kiss her hairy cheek, I won't.

What you kiss,

little prince, is up to you.

I'm father's favorite.

That's what counts.

You hardly know me, Johnny, so I

beg you to believe my reputation.

I am a constant soldier, a

sometime poet, and I will be king.

Just you remember...

father loves me best.

Why John? John doesn't

care for you at all.

We love each other deeply. None

of them has any love for you.

Because we fight?

Tell me all three want the crown. I'll

tell you it's a feeble prince that doesn't.

They may snap at me and plot, and that

makes them the kind of sons I want.

I've snapped and plotted

all my life.

There's no other way to be a

king, alive and 50 all at once.

I'm going to fight for you.

Oh, fine.

How was your crossing?

Did the channel part for you?

It went flat when I told it to.

I didn't think to ask for more.

How dear of you to let me out of

jail. It's only for the holidays.

Like school, you keep me young.

Here's gentle Alais.

No,

greet me as you used to.

Fragile I am not.

Affection is a pressure

I can bear.

Oh, but I do have

handsome children.

John, you're so clean and neat.

Henry takes good care of you.

And Richard.

Don't look sullen, dear. It makes

your eyes go small and piggy...

and your chin look weak.

Geoffrey.

Is Philip here yet?

Not yet.

Let's hope he's

grown up like his father...

Simon pure and Simon simple...

good, good, Louis.

If I had managed sons for him

instead of all those little girls,

I'd still be stuck

with being queen of France,

and we should not have

known each other.

Such, my angels,

is the role of sex in history.

Thatwill be Philip.

Where's Henry?

Upstairs with the family whore.

That's a mean and tawdry way

to talk about your fiancee.

My fiancee.

Whosever fiancee.

I brought her up, and she

is dear to me and gentle.

He still plans to make John

king. Of course he does.

My, what a greedy little trinity

you are... king, king, king.

Two of you must learn to live with

disappointment. Ah, but which two?

Let's deny them all

and live forever.

Tusk to tusk

through all eternity.

Ah, my boys.

The king of France and I will

shortly have a tactile conversation,

like two surgeons

looking for a lump.

We'll state positions, and I'll make the first

of many offers. He'll refuse it, naturally.

I'll make a better one, and so on

through the holidays until I win.

For the duration of this joyous ritual

you will give to your father your support.

- My lord!

- Your grace!

Welcome to chinon.

Ah, that's better.

I was told you were impressive

for a boy of 17.

- I'm Eleanor, who might have been your mother.

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