In 12th Century England, footloose and fancy free King Henry II (Peter O'Toole) and his best friend, Lord Chancellor Thomas Becket (Richard Burton) are an inseparable pair of friends, engaging in hunting, whoring and generally enjoying their position. A showdown between Church and State and conflict in France places a pallor over their relationship, however, and after the perfidious Archbishop of Canterbury (Felix Aylmer) is disposed of, Henry appoints his old friend to the position, thinking he can easily control him. Unfortunately, however, Becket has found a cause worthy of standing up for - leading to an inevitable showdown between himself and the King.
"Becket" is an interesting exploration of individualism, and works well as a counterpart to "A Man for All Seasons". Both plays show powerful English noblemen, close friends with their King, ultimately sacrificed finding a cause greater than friendship or power - a cause worth defending. Sir Thomas More finds solace in himself and his Catholic faith, even as Henry VIII and his minions scheme to bring about his downfall. But unlike More, Becket has no ingrained faith; indeed, the film makes a point of the fact that he is LOOKING for something honorable to hang his hat on. The sanctity of the position of Archbishop offers something, giving him religious faith and an office to hold on to - it gives him something important to live up to, besides himself.
Like "Man's" Henry VIII, Henry II is a young, foolish man who is less interested in the matters of statecraft and religion than personal gratification. Early scenes, where he meets with his advisers and bishops, show him to be ignorant on matters of the state, thinking that because he is king, he should get his way regardless the justification or reason because, well, he is King. He spends much of the film's early going drinking and whoring, and thinks of the challenge with the Archbishop as a minor problem that can be easily dealt with. Unfortunately, Henry makes the mistake of appointing Becket - a strong man who is desiring to find himself - to a position where his strong personality will clash with Henry's weak one. Henry is an inadequate father, let alone ruler, and his clash with his old friend results from his hopeless naiveté and inability to see right from wrong.
As gorgeous as the direction, cinematography, and period costumes/sets are, the film is absolutely driven by two things: a highly literate script and a fabulous cast. If not for these two, this would be just another good-looking but ultimately empty costume epic of the kind churned out by Hollywood in the '50s and '60s.
"Becket" deserves to be placed in a category with "A Man for All Seasons", "Spartacus", and the David Lean films as the "thinking man's epic" - a movie that, despite much pageantry and scope, is driven by a thoughtful, literate screenplay. While historically inaccurate to the extreme, the play does a good job in its depiction of our two feuding protagonists; the man who is searching for self and a greater cause, versus a man concerned with petty self-indulgence. The script is witty and does a good job of drawing up these characters in believable detail.
The acting is borderline flawless. Richard Burton is at his stoic best as Becket, the man who starts out as a philanderer, much like his King, but realizes there is something more to life than just being a playboy; Burton owns the role of Becket, much like Paul Scofield owns Sir Thomas More, making his character's journey of discovery completely believable and portraying Becket as a man of dignity cut down by lesser men. Peter O'Toole should have won an Oscar for this film; his portrayal of the exasperatingly self-absorbed Henry II, not really a worthy rival for Becket at all, is absolutely flawless, O'Toole at his best. It's not "Lawrence of Arabia" but it's something else entirely; a man incapable of self-examination because he is the King and must get his way for that reason. The supporting cast features the great stage actor Donald Wolfit (General Murray in "Lawrence of Arabia") in arguably his best film role as the perfidious Bishop of London, David Weston as Becket's young Saxon apprentice, and O'Toole's wife Sian Phillips in a small but important part as Becket's short-lived wife. Also effective are Martita Hunt and Pamela Brown, amusing as Henry's acid-tongued mother and wife, respectively, with John Gielgud and Paolo Stoppa contributing graceful cameos more memorable than their screen time would suggest.
"Becket" is an examination of a man who is searching for a purpose in life, and when he finds it, it costs him his life. History - and art - show us time and again that people find themselves only at the risk of losing everything. Perhaps if Becket had remained content with being the King's running mate or right-hand man, rather than subscribing to a higher calling, things would have turned out better for him; but then, if that had been the case, Thomas Becket would not have been Thomas Becket.
8/10
"Becket" is an interesting exploration of individualism, and works well as a counterpart to "A Man for All Seasons". Both plays show powerful English noblemen, close friends with their King, ultimately sacrificed finding a cause greater than friendship or power - a cause worth defending. Sir Thomas More finds solace in himself and his Catholic faith, even as Henry VIII and his minions scheme to bring about his downfall. But unlike More, Becket has no ingrained faith; indeed, the film makes a point of the fact that he is LOOKING for something honorable to hang his hat on. The sanctity of the position of Archbishop offers something, giving him religious faith and an office to hold on to - it gives him something important to live up to, besides himself.
Like "Man's" Henry VIII, Henry II is a young, foolish man who is less interested in the matters of statecraft and religion than personal gratification. Early scenes, where he meets with his advisers and bishops, show him to be ignorant on matters of the state, thinking that because he is king, he should get his way regardless the justification or reason because, well, he is King. He spends much of the film's early going drinking and whoring, and thinks of the challenge with the Archbishop as a minor problem that can be easily dealt with. Unfortunately, Henry makes the mistake of appointing Becket - a strong man who is desiring to find himself - to a position where his strong personality will clash with Henry's weak one. Henry is an inadequate father, let alone ruler, and his clash with his old friend results from his hopeless naiveté and inability to see right from wrong.
As gorgeous as the direction, cinematography, and period costumes/sets are, the film is absolutely driven by two things: a highly literate script and a fabulous cast. If not for these two, this would be just another good-looking but ultimately empty costume epic of the kind churned out by Hollywood in the '50s and '60s.
"Becket" deserves to be placed in a category with "A Man for All Seasons", "Spartacus", and the David Lean films as the "thinking man's epic" - a movie that, despite much pageantry and scope, is driven by a thoughtful, literate screenplay. While historically inaccurate to the extreme, the play does a good job in its depiction of our two feuding protagonists; the man who is searching for self and a greater cause, versus a man concerned with petty self-indulgence. The script is witty and does a good job of drawing up these characters in believable detail.
The acting is borderline flawless. Richard Burton is at his stoic best as Becket, the man who starts out as a philanderer, much like his King, but realizes there is something more to life than just being a playboy; Burton owns the role of Becket, much like Paul Scofield owns Sir Thomas More, making his character's journey of discovery completely believable and portraying Becket as a man of dignity cut down by lesser men. Peter O'Toole should have won an Oscar for this film; his portrayal of the exasperatingly self-absorbed Henry II, not really a worthy rival for Becket at all, is absolutely flawless, O'Toole at his best. It's not "Lawrence of Arabia" but it's something else entirely; a man incapable of self-examination because he is the King and must get his way for that reason. The supporting cast features the great stage actor Donald Wolfit (General Murray in "Lawrence of Arabia") in arguably his best film role as the perfidious Bishop of London, David Weston as Becket's young Saxon apprentice, and O'Toole's wife Sian Phillips in a small but important part as Becket's short-lived wife. Also effective are Martita Hunt and Pamela Brown, amusing as Henry's acid-tongued mother and wife, respectively, with John Gielgud and Paolo Stoppa contributing graceful cameos more memorable than their screen time would suggest.
"Becket" is an examination of a man who is searching for a purpose in life, and when he finds it, it costs him his life. History - and art - show us time and again that people find themselves only at the risk of losing everything. Perhaps if Becket had remained content with being the King's running mate or right-hand man, rather than subscribing to a higher calling, things would have turned out better for him; but then, if that had been the case, Thomas Becket would not have been Thomas Becket.
8/10