hated the ending
That laughing stuff at the very end seemed so artificial, so wrong to me... a pity.
Anyone agree?
Sorry, no. I thought it was absolutely right.
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MovieChat Forums > The Lion in Winter (1968) Discussion > hated the ending
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That laughing stuff at the very end seemed so artificial, so wrong to me... a pity.
Anyone agree?
by - hgonzalez-3 on Sat Dec 20 2008 07:09:08
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I'm with you. Just one more phony aggravatign detail in this long meaningless movie.
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Masterpiece, schmasterpiece... explain any two ideas threaded through the piece or never use that term again.
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People like you use the word "masterpiece" to compliment themselves for having taste. The two are unrelated. If you can't write a paragrpah about the ideas in a movie, you should be prepared to have your claims of "masterpiece" mocked.
shareChildren, children, please stop the fight! I saw this movie in a theater in 1968. It was an unbilled 'sneak preview'. That was one way to gauge audience response at the time.
At any rate, I was totally blown away. I had seen Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, had a terminal crush on him, and thought that the casting was ridiculous. That is until I watched it. I replayed it in my head for weeks and wanted very much to see it again. No VCR's or DVD's in those primordial days!
It was the first period piece to use modern language - so refreshing. It is my favorite film of all time and my daughter's as well!
To cut to the chase; The Lion in Winter IS a masterpiece. Onepotato2, I'm afraid we must agree to disagree.
Scotland Forever
"I had seen Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, had a terminal crush on him, and thought that the casting was ridiculous"
You didn't know at the time that he had already played Henry the 2nd in the film "Becket" just 4 years earlier?
The wide-open arms of Henry as Eleanor left, I felt were a sign of vast relief---relief in the fact that nobody was killed (except the unfortunate knight guarding the cell), that Henry's throne was still his own as nothing was able to be agreed upon, that Alais was still in his bed, yet he and his wife parted on good terms. Yes, everything was coming up roses that day for Henry! Also, just b/c Eleanor was supposed to sail "with the dawn", on the night of the fight, doesn't mean she actually did. I'd imagine she stayed on for awhile at Chinon. After all, the trip to there from Salisbury was pretty long and tedious back then.
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Ditto here. To me it was the only lame line in the movie and I hate that its the last one. I'd have preferred to see Kate laughing as O'Toole did the Clark Griswald rant from 'Christmas Vacation' to the lame 'Do you think we'll live forever ?' line (can't remember the exact words).
It defiantly had the feel, to me at least, of a last minute 'How to end this ? Screw it, I'm burnt on this project, this is the best I could come up with ... but hey, its finally finished !!'
I would think, no matter how much Eleanor enjoyed tormenting Henry over Christmas, the reality of returning to the keep would be hitting her at that very moment when her ship set sail. 'Parting is such sorrow' ... except when the person you're parting with is sending you back to 'prison'. I sure wouldn't be laughing ...
Ditto here. To me it was the only lame line in the movie and I hate that its the last one. I'd have preferred to see Kate laughing as O'Toole did the Clark Griswald rant from 'Christmas Vacation' to the lame 'Do you think we'll live forever ?' line (can't remember the exact words).
Oh, my god--those were some of the best lines in the movie! And they completely sum up Eleanor and Henry's spirit:
Henry: You know..I hope we never die!
Eleanor: So do I.
Henry: Do you think there's any chance of it?
This goes back to what someone said earlier about them being larger than life; if anyone could cheat death and "never die", it's Henry & Eleanor. Of course they don't think they'll actually live forever, but you know, when the time comes, that they won't go quietly.
Yeah, they're dead; they're--all messed up! share
I agree: I really like those lines on paper. Though for me, I think they betray Henry's fear of death for all his bluster. The exchange also shows that somehow, these two still have something in common and some sort of buried affection for or understanding of each other.
But love this movie as I do, I always feel the very end is a letdown. Forced, as others have said. I don't make movies and can't provide a better ending, I just wish they'd made something that worked better here, or the actors had done it in a more convincing way. Oh, well, nothing in life has any business being perfect, does it?
"People like you use the word "masterpiece" to compliment themselves for having taste. The two are unrelated."
That's a false and ignorant assumption.
by - goyle on Thu May 14 2009 23:25:23
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And you respond with an equally ignorant, flowery piece of pseudo-analysis that features yur enormous faith in adjectives & superlatives, but still doesn't detect or explain any ideas in the movie.
Just becasue your think you know good taste and production values doesn't mean you can describe a thing about what makes one movie better than another one.
"equally ignorant"
How is that ignorant ? What the hell ? Equally ignorant to your half-baked theories, assumptions, and accusations ? I don't think so.
"pseudo-analysis"
Please elaborate.
Instead of countering my post about the FILM, you have to turn it around and throw insults (I did explain why I liked the film whether YOU like it or not).
Examples:
"People like you use the word "masterpiece" to compliment themselves for having good taste. The two are unrelated."
"If you can't write a paragrpah about the ideas in a movie, you should be prepared to have your claims of masterpiece mocked."
"And you respond with an equally ignorant, flowery piece of pseudo-analysis that features yur enormous faith in abjectives & superlatives, but still doesn't mean you can describe a thing about what makes one movie better than the other one."
"Just because your think you know good taste and production values doesn't mean you can describe a thing about what makes one movie better than another one."
You're not going to sit there and "try" to tell me with your ridiculous rants how to critique a film... All while preaching the Gospel according to onepotato2...
The laughing at the end make perfect sense to me. The point is that this was all just a game - they have been playing (granted, a very serious game, with the highest stakes - kingdoms and their very lives), but it is all just a game of skill and its all the two main characters live for. It is what keeps them "young" and what still appeals to each of them about the other. Absolutely spot on correct.
shareExactly this...
Why am I replying to a 6 year old post?
I agree that the ending seemed artificial and wrong. Earlier Eleanor has given a very moving and genuine (for her) speech about not knowing how she endured being locked up for 10 years. Then at the end, getting on the boat that's to take her back to prison, she's all good cheer and bonhomie, saying something like, "As long as I'm trotted out for the occasional state affair or holiday!" So, yes, the laughing all the way back to prison, as if, "Don't we have fun?" seemed a wrong note.
In fact, the ending reminded me of the old Warner Bros. Ralph and Sam (the wolf and sheepdog) cartoons, where they'd punch the timeclock in the morning, then go at each other all day, then at the end of the day, punch out and go, "See you tomorrow, Ralph," "See you tomorrow, Sam!"
SweaterCannons wrote: "In fact, the ending reminded me of the old Warner Bros. Ralph and Sam (the wolf and sheepdog) cartoons, where they'd punch the timeclock in the morning, then go at each other all day, then at the end of the day, punch out and go, 'See you tomorrow, Ralph,' 'See you tomorrow, Sam!' "
That was precisely my point. We are meant to understand that, while the whole encounter looked like an earth-shattering family crisis that changed the characters and their relations for ever, in fact it was a game that they engage in on a regular basis. So your analogy between TLIW and Ralph and Sam was unintentionally apt because that is was Richard and Eleanor were essentially doing: they kicked the crap out of each other psychologically for days on end, then they basically said, "Nice holidays, see you next time."
I thought it was perfect. While Eleanor and Henry do the most awful things to each other, they still respect and in a weird and twisted way still care and respect each other.
shareI agree. The laughter was schmaltzy and affected.
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