For literally years and years I have had a pet project. My favorite movie of all time is The Lion in Winter with Katharine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole (and very young Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton!). I won't bother explaining the whole plot or anything- maybe some other time, but the main characters are King Henry II of England and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine. This movie sparked my interest enough to begin independent research and now I'm something of an expert on the subject. Honestly. I mean, I'm not credentialed or anything and I haven't done any of my own ORIGINAL research (like go to france and read old documents and such), so I won't be asked to do a lecture tour or anything at present, but truth be told? I probably could do so.
Anywho, it wasn't just the history that fascinated me- it was this deeply human and personal conflict that James Goldman wrote which captured my imagination. In The Lion in Winter we meet Henry and Eleanor after they've been married for decades and separated for some time-- She led a civil war against him and he had her locked in a tower- but despite that animosity they remain curiously amicable and he has her (along with their scheming sons) over for christmas. Despite being set in the 1100's this is really a family christmas comedy\drama. Way better than Christmas with the Cranks, and a little less slapstick than National Lampoons...
Anyway, (HOLY LORD I AM LONG WINDED!)in the film they fight and argue and flirt and push and pull and it is so exciting! And in the course of the story they make reference to how they met, how they got together and what went wrong. This has always made me want to write a "prequel" story- when they were young and they had everything ahead of them.
There's a real story there. She was married to the King of France when they met and there was quite a scandal! Its really fun stuff, the stuff of legend, and I have been trying for years to get it right. First as a short play (disasterous and clunky, but I won 3rd place in a HS playwriting competition... I wonder how many entries there were... probably 3.), then later I unearthed it again and worked on it for screenwriting all through my New School experience.
For one of those screenwriting classes the professor had us write our movie in novel form (rough draft) to help us flesh it out and , well, who knows why else.
Here is a very rough excerpt from somewhere near the beginning of my novel form. Eleanor (currently queen of france) is in the Holy Lands on Crusade with her husband, the monk-ish King of France. As legend has it, one night on crusade Eleanor and her ladies in waiting decided to lift morale by dressing (or undressing, as it were) like Amazons and riding bare-breasted through the troops.
This scene takes place when she finally enters her husband's tent after her little rebellion. The third character is Bishop Bernard of Clairveaux (now St. Bernard of Clairveaux), who is a very powerful figure at the time, and seems to control the king and politics according to his will.
Anywho, it wasn't just the history that fascinated me- it was this deeply human and personal conflict that James Goldman wrote which captured my imagination. In The Lion in Winter we meet Henry and Eleanor after they've been married for decades and separated for some time-- She led a civil war against him and he had her locked in a tower- but despite that animosity they remain curiously amicable and he has her (along with their scheming sons) over for christmas. Despite being set in the 1100's this is really a family christmas comedy\drama. Way better than Christmas with the Cranks, and a little less slapstick than National Lampoons...
Anyway, (HOLY LORD I AM LONG WINDED!)in the film they fight and argue and flirt and push and pull and it is so exciting! And in the course of the story they make reference to how they met, how they got together and what went wrong. This has always made me want to write a "prequel" story- when they were young and they had everything ahead of them.
There's a real story there. She was married to the King of France when they met and there was quite a scandal! Its really fun stuff, the stuff of legend, and I have been trying for years to get it right. First as a short play (disasterous and clunky, but I won 3rd place in a HS playwriting competition... I wonder how many entries there were... probably 3.), then later I unearthed it again and worked on it for screenwriting all through my New School experience.
For one of those screenwriting classes the professor had us write our movie in novel form (rough draft) to help us flesh it out and , well, who knows why else.
Here is a very rough excerpt from somewhere near the beginning of my novel form. Eleanor (currently queen of france) is in the Holy Lands on Crusade with her husband, the monk-ish King of France. As legend has it, one night on crusade Eleanor and her ladies in waiting decided to lift morale by dressing (or undressing, as it were) like Amazons and riding bare-breasted through the troops.
This scene takes place when she finally enters her husband's tent after her little rebellion. The third character is Bishop Bernard of Clairveaux (now St. Bernard of Clairveaux), who is a very powerful figure at the time, and seems to control the king and politics according to his will.
***************************************
“May God have mercy on your soul child- May he see fit to spare you from the fires of Hell-"
“I’ll thank you to keep my soul out of your prayers Bishop, and mind your own.” Eleanor had endured too many years of being the willful, wicked, wayward queen of france, and was reaching the very limit of her patience with the proud, pious old fool who condemned her at every turn.
“Blasphemy. Sin and defiance!” Spat the red-faced bishop. “This un-holy climate has seized her, majesty, and is corrupting her very soul!” Bernard took up his position behind the slouching monarch and placed a familiar hand upon The King’s sagging shoulder. “For the sake of your marriage, your monarchy and your very manhood, my son, you must condemn your wife’s lascivious actions today- her lewd and vulgar display!”
The King merely squeezed his eyes shut and moved his mouth in silent prayer- as if hoping the whole nightmare might disappear if he willed it hard enough.
“I am guilty of nothing!” purred The Queen silkily. “All I have done is use the wares God himself has bestowed upon me to lift the spirits of the soldiers who fight for Him.”
“Don’t play games with the Lord’s good name Lady- The wares you have flaunted before all were bestowed upon you by The Lord, but belong only to your husband, His Majesty, and only his eyes should behold them. And as for raising their spirits? Well I believe we all know what it is you raised in the men out there. And in that you have conducted yourself like nothing so much as a common harlot.”
“I was portraying the image of the Amazon- a beautiful and inspiring legend from history and literature-"
“Blasphemous heresy" Spat Bernard, "Pagan fancies!”
“Oh Christ!" Eleanor exploded "You are exhausting in your predictability.”
“Steadfast, devoted-“
“No bishop- Boring. Deadly Boring- It’s no wonder the men out there have lost spirit, lost their drive! All the church can tell them day in and day out is that they are doing God’s work, blah blah blah." She paced the hard-packed ground like a caged beast. "The Word is meant to inspire- not to intimidate, and these men should feel the fire of the holy spirit igniting them to battle, but instead they stay out of fear of hellfire, out of the same guilty obligations you keep flogging them with!”
“Hold your tongue.” The bishop interrupted at last, in tones of deadly calm. “You are not the only one who knows how to inspire, your highness." His smile was serene, but Eleanor could feel the snarl concealed beneath it. "You forget that I am the one who spoke the Word which inspired so many to take the cross on this crusade that the supply of crosses was exhausted?- I inspire, milady, and don’t need to expose myself in order to provoke a reaction.”
“Thank God for small favors.” Eleanor laughed. “But this isn’t a matter for you Bernard. It is up to my husband.” She looked to Louis, and so did the Bishop.
“I’ll thank you to keep my soul out of your prayers Bishop, and mind your own.” Eleanor had endured too many years of being the willful, wicked, wayward queen of france, and was reaching the very limit of her patience with the proud, pious old fool who condemned her at every turn.
“Blasphemy. Sin and defiance!” Spat the red-faced bishop. “This un-holy climate has seized her, majesty, and is corrupting her very soul!” Bernard took up his position behind the slouching monarch and placed a familiar hand upon The King’s sagging shoulder. “For the sake of your marriage, your monarchy and your very manhood, my son, you must condemn your wife’s lascivious actions today- her lewd and vulgar display!”
The King merely squeezed his eyes shut and moved his mouth in silent prayer- as if hoping the whole nightmare might disappear if he willed it hard enough.
“I am guilty of nothing!” purred The Queen silkily. “All I have done is use the wares God himself has bestowed upon me to lift the spirits of the soldiers who fight for Him.”
“Don’t play games with the Lord’s good name Lady- The wares you have flaunted before all were bestowed upon you by The Lord, but belong only to your husband, His Majesty, and only his eyes should behold them. And as for raising their spirits? Well I believe we all know what it is you raised in the men out there. And in that you have conducted yourself like nothing so much as a common harlot.”
“I was portraying the image of the Amazon- a beautiful and inspiring legend from history and literature-"
“Blasphemous heresy" Spat Bernard, "Pagan fancies!”
“Oh Christ!" Eleanor exploded "You are exhausting in your predictability.”
“Steadfast, devoted-“
“No bishop- Boring. Deadly Boring- It’s no wonder the men out there have lost spirit, lost their drive! All the church can tell them day in and day out is that they are doing God’s work, blah blah blah." She paced the hard-packed ground like a caged beast. "The Word is meant to inspire- not to intimidate, and these men should feel the fire of the holy spirit igniting them to battle, but instead they stay out of fear of hellfire, out of the same guilty obligations you keep flogging them with!”
“Hold your tongue.” The bishop interrupted at last, in tones of deadly calm. “You are not the only one who knows how to inspire, your highness." His smile was serene, but Eleanor could feel the snarl concealed beneath it. "You forget that I am the one who spoke the Word which inspired so many to take the cross on this crusade that the supply of crosses was exhausted?- I inspire, milady, and don’t need to expose myself in order to provoke a reaction.”
“Thank God for small favors.” Eleanor laughed. “But this isn’t a matter for you Bernard. It is up to my husband.” She looked to Louis, and so did the Bishop.
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