Instruct: Classify a review as either positive or negative.
Query: Hear me roar.

Wordy examination of England's Angevin dynasty. Playwright James Goldman insists on having his characters, especially Henry II and his estranged wife Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, howl at each other like banshees, generally. Problem is, we're so removed from the historical context of the story that we wonder what all the screeching and sobbing is about. The cumulative effect is one of ghastly overacting rather than catharsis. As has been noted elsewhere in these reviews, Katherine Hepburn in particular is a big offender: it seems we're expected to feel sorry for Ms. Hepburn because she's growing old. This is the sort of cheap tactic that secures Oscars. A final thought: the director, Anthony Harvey, might have overcome his fondness for zooming the camera shots in from great distances.