Compared with the 03 version of Winter Lion, I like this version more, even if it has a sense of drama and a storyline with a slightly changed history
The story begins with the middle-aged King Henry II of England who begins to choose an heir for himself.
Henry II told his mistress Alice (the younger sister of King Philip II of France who remained in England) that the king who had three daughters and wanted to divide the kingdom into three parts should be the one who was deceived by the eldest and second daughters. The tragic King Lear was clearly wily, and the ambitious Henry II would not have followed in his footsteps. The battle-hardened king, like all kings who came from the army, believed that the centralized rule of the state was the only way to ensure the long-term continuation of his kingdom. At this moment, he indicated to Alice that he would let the queen's youngest son John inherit the throne and marry Alice, who used the duchy as a dowry, to John, but the prince and his two older brothers, Richard who was heroic and like Henry Compared with Jeffrey, who is well-versed in tricks, he seems to have no kingly style. I don't know what the unpredictable Henry is thinking.
Since the crown prince is to be selected, it is not good to keep their mother under house arrest. Henry has to take the dangerous queen Elena back to the palace. Henry seemed to have no grudges when welcoming Elena by boat, but when it came to issues that violated his rights, the king was like an enraged lion. A long time ago, the two were considered to be in love. Helena was the queen of Louis VII of France, and she fell in love with Henry, Duke of Anjou, who had not yet inherited the throne, and was also ambitious. Without hesitation, he threw himself into the arms of the future King of England. But the good times didn't last long. During the long time together, their political opinions diverged, and Henry, who was decisive in killing, gradually developed a guard against this wife, who was good at political struggle.
Henry wanted to abolish the elders and set up the young, but Elena looked at Richard, so of course Jeffrey, who was caught in the middle, was very angry. Although Richard is very similar to Henry, he developed an arrogant temper in the game of vindictiveness between the queen and the king, and he has never dealt with Henry; John has a bad character and does not have the qualities of a king at all, but it seems that it is because he is the youngest son. And he was favored; and Friedger, who believed that he inherited the queen's ingenuity, was not eligible for the throne, and could only become his brother's prime minister in the future.
At this time, the visit of King Philip II of France exacerbated the intensification of the conflict. The king insisted that his sister marry Richard, otherwise she would take back her dowry, the Duchy of Vis. The country of Vis is an important strategic location with quick access to the French capital, which shatters the plans of the ambitious careerist Henry, who wants to make his youngest king king. In order to make up for John, who had promised him the throne, Henry forced the queen to sign her vassal, the rich Estein, to his youngest son. Even though the ambitious Elena has a rich territory, she can only be trapped forever in the corner of the world that the world can create for her, while the husband she admires can overlook the wonderful world. In order to place her eldest son, who is exactly like Henry, on the throne, all her ideals are entrusted to, Elena can only give up her love.
On the other side, in a place unknown to the king and queen, Prince Geoffrey is in the dark with the king for the throne. The new king is willing to disturb the murky waters, because the queen Elena had betrayed her father and Henry's perpetual victory over his father's humiliation made the French king hold a grudge. The kingless and fatherless Geoffrey took his foolish brother John, who wanted to be king, as a standout, and reached a tripartite agreement with Philip II to secede the land and lose his power, intending to kill his father to usurp the throne, and John, the unconscionable and unscrupulous. The idiot also responded positively. It really echoed the old saying that a habitual child is not a talent.
Henry, who got Estein, immediately held Richard and Alice's wedding, but halfway through, he learned that the throne was obtained by a transaction between his mother and his father, which made Richard, who was arrogant and arrogant, unilaterally cancel the farce. All of this is in Henry's arms, and he doesn't want to abdicate so early.
The queen, who was quarreling with her sons in the bedroom, learned of the usurpation conspiracy secretly agreed by Geoffrey and the King of France from John's mouth. In order to save the lives of her husband and son at the same time, she had to send Geoffrey and John to stop the war. , and finally let the more loyal Richard first let Philip II stop by dedicating the delay of the country and Breton.
In the room of King Philip II of France, a farce was going on. The sinister Geoffrey told Philip that he would report his brother John's treason to his father Henry and let him be a scapegoat, and then together with Philip The soldiers forced the palace. Unexpectedly, John came to find Philip one step earlier than him, and was hiding behind a long curtain. Hearing this, he couldn't help showing up angrily, but he was confused by Jeffrey's words. After that, Richard also came, and King Philip hid the two conspirators behind the curtain. It turned out that Richard and Philip had a same-sex relationship when they were teenagers. After Richard made a condition, Philip II Shi agreed to cancel the war and support Richard as king, and just as the two were reminiscing about the past, the knock on the door sounded again. King Philip hid Richard in another curtain, and the uninvited guest was indeed Henry. After a tit-for-tat with Henry, Philip II told Henry his three sons that two of them were planning to harm the country. He colluded with the enemy at the cost of profit and killed his old father, and the other Richard was a homosexual that the Catholic king could not tolerate, which made Henry suffered an infinite blow, he was like a lion in the cold winter. In that way, the lonely curled up the body.
It turned out that he was even more miserable than that King Lear. Even though the legendary king was kicked out of the palace by his eldest and second daughters, there was still a kind little daughter who came to rescue him, and Henry now felt that he was being driven by him. The children took advantage of it, he decided to divorce Elena and marry Alice, and give birth to a child that satisfied him to inherit the kingdom. The tough queen who got the news angered Henry with the old past and accelerated his thoughts. The three sons are imprisoned in the castle and the queen is expelled, but when he excitedly proposes to Alice, the girl who usually looks like an angel asks Henry to imprison his three princes to death. It turns out that this one looks like a sheep. The same docile French princess is not what Henry imagined.
Unwilling that her son was imprisoned, Elena opened the door of the cell with the soldiers who had been rebelled. She brought three short swords, hoping that the princes could break through the guards and rush out of the castle, but the vicious Geoffrey thought that His father would come to visit the prison, intending to stand by and assassinate him, and both the impulsive and reckless Richard and the shameless John were encouraged by him. Elena couldn't tolerate the behavior of her sons and wanted to warn Henry. Richard accused her of manipulating herself because of her conflict with Henry, so that he had never been on the battlefield like a real soldier, so he was looked down upon by his father, and didn't she want Henry to die sooner, heard the most. The question of the son of love, Elena said bitterly that she only wanted Henry to return to her side, and the despicable Geoffrey threatened her mother with a sword.
At this moment, footsteps sounded outside the door, and Henry walked in. The cunning but timid Geoffrey immediately closed the box containing the short sword, and Richard could not hold back and drew the short sword, which made the angry Henry find the other two, and he threw the sword to Geoffrey And John, the funny thing is that the two original conspirators, but they hid behind Richard spinelessly during the fight, and begged his father for forgiveness. What's even more chilling is John, the incompetent prodigal who was infinitely favored by his father, who wanted to sneak up on Henry while begging for mercy, but was caught by the battle-hardened Henry. The despairing queen who witnessed father and son cannibalism told Henry that he could take the lives of these unfilial sons. Henry raised his sword and slashed at the eldest son Richard. Richard faced the long sword fearlessly, but at the last moment he chose. forgive.
Henry decided to forget his unhappiness and made the occupation of Europe his new goal in life. After everyone left, Henry and the queen told the truth. He resented that the battle with the queen for so many years was just torturing each other and wasting time. The feisty queen also felt discouraged at this moment. She truly loved Henry. , but always loses him, she is the loser in this battle. After weeping bitterly, the king and queen rejoiced that as long as they were alive, there would be hope, and they were like beasts in the forest, with endless lives and endless battles. As a wife, Elena may not be able to get the tender love of her husband Henry; but as a sympathetic comrade-in-arms or rival politician Elena, it is also an honor to be respected by King Henry.
In the end, Henry put Elena on the boat that brought her. The arrogant Henry was like a lion who rekindled hope. Queen, he will share the glory with her later. The story of Henry II is not over yet, and the story of his prince, Richard the Lionheart, the legend that will shake the European continent in the future, will also begin.
There is another favorite Hepburn in this version. Although she does not have the unique era label that Audrey Hepburn has become, she is not beautiful, but her unique academic temperament will make Elena such a beautiful girl. A tactful queen is shown in the film, and Peter O'Toole, who plays King Henry of England, really complements each other.
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