King Henry II of England’s
greatest friend and confident is Thomas Becket. However, that all changes when
Henry makes Becket the Archbishop of Canterbury – Thomas finding a higher
calling to God than even his loyalty to his King – and the two great friends
become bitter enemies.
Talented stage director Peter Glenville
directs this film based on Jean Anouilh’s play. Edward Anhalt won an Oscar for his screenplay adapting the
play. Laurence Rosenthal’s
score is probably the best of his career (and it is one of his first for a
major motion picture). Brilliant cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth’s photography
is also very good. Production designer John Bryan’s period sets are
good as well, though they have a minimalist quality to them (which makes the look
of the film feel like a stage play).
The greatest attribute of the
film is its dynamite leading performances from Richard Burton (as
Becket) and Peter O’Toole
(as King Henry II) – both were nominated for Oscars, but neither won (which is
surprising – though to be fair, Rex
Harrison, who did win, was good in My Fair Lady, and in retrospect
it is criminal that Peter
Sellers did not win for Dr.
Strangelove). John
Gielgud is good in support as King Louis VII of France.
Again, Burton and O’Toole are
fantastic in the film, and fans of either (or both) actors definitely need to
see this film – and really, fans of strong performances in general should seek
it out. It is also a great companion piece to The Lion in Winter,
which is about King Henry II’s later years (and again stars O’Toole who is at
his very best opposite Katharine Hepburn).
Becket was nominated for twelve Oscars including Best Picture but only won one
(1964 was a great year for cinema).
You might be interested in our latest music video based upon the last words of Becket. The video may be viewed at http://youtu.be/BvusA-z72ok.
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