Christmas with the royal family-twelfth century style. King Henry II has gathered his wife and various children together as he ponders the question of who is to succeed him to the English throne. Unfortunately for Henry, the family is much more interested in tearing itself apart indulging in petty feuds and exploring all the little disfunctionalities. Sounds like some other royals I've heard of.

Scripted by James Goldman from his 1966 play, 'The Lion in Winter' is distinctly stagy and treads a fine line between modern sentiments and 'ye olde' dialogue. But it does feature a strong sense of drama and a fine set of performances-Peter O'Toole is excellent as the King, and Katharine Hepburn picked up an Oscar for her role as Elanor of Aquitane. The Lion in Winter also received Academy Awards for best screenplay and score.

On a trivia-buff note, The Lion in Winter is the film debut of both Timothy Dalton and Anthony Hopkins.