Becket (1964)

Simply A Masterpiece

Sadly Over-hyped

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

something magic defines Becket. the source is not the acting, the music, the costumes, atmosphere. but the silence. it does force to the fight for honor, to loyalty, to the friendship and to the final word of king. it is the heart of tension and the drawing of lead characters. Richard Burton does one of his memorable roles. but his role is like a coat for two. his Thomas Becket is great, convincing, touching, profound, vulnerable and profound human for the science of Peter O ' Toole to discover his Henri II as the runner to his precise destiny. it seems be the film of two great actors and that is its high virtue. but its status of memorable movie has deeper roots. because it becomes more than a remarkable play adaptation and sustain a generous message in brilliant manner. story of power and faith, it is good support of reflection about politics and its necessary limits.

OMG this movie is so LGBT it really should be categorized as gay-themed. Probably the gayest mainstream film of the mid-1960s. And let's not forget, Burton and O'Toole were A-list actors then. True, their characters indulge in wenching (gotta love that word) at the beginning of the film but fasten the leather straps for the unbelievable 180 when Beck becomes Big Churchy Prig like overnight (Beck goes to bat over a sex-abuser priest because churchy authority must trump earthy) and Hen is just CRUSHED.... This is as gay as it gets, dear readers. Probably historically totally inaccurate. And it seems the filmmakers couldn't care less about anyone's approval. All the Catholic stuff (costumes, rituals, etc.) is totally gayicized, (which is not hard to do). A strangely fun movie and screamingly essential for all LGBTs.

A very solid, engaging historical costume drama about Henry II (Peter O'Toole) and his friendship with Thomas Becket (Richard Burton), a man who Henry assumed would be his tool but who instead imposed his own principles against the king's wishes and died for it.It seems that since its release in 1964, this film has been raked over the coals for its historical inaccuracy. To which I say, anyone turning to a Hollywood version of history for facts deserves what he gets. Instead, it takes the historical premise and makes a juicy character study of it. Burton and O'Toole are in top form, and watching them butt stubborn head against stubborn head for two hours is entertaining enough to make up for any bad grade assigned to the film for its factual flaws. O'Toole especially is tremendous, giving an endlessly fascinating performance as a king who's perfectly capable of deeply loving a friend even as he calls for that friend's destruction."Becket" is the sort of respectable prestige film made to win Academy Awards, and though it won only one in 1964, for Best Adapted Screenplay (Edward Anhalt), it was nominated for 11 others, tying the nomination tally of that year's best picture winner, "My Fair Lady." Its nominations included Best Picture (Hal B. Wallis), Best Director (Peter Glenville), Best Actor (Richard Burton), Best Actor (Peter O'Toole), Best Supporting Actor (John Gielgud, for what feels like about two minutes of screen time), Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score and Best Sound.Of course, 1964 is the year of "Dr. Strangelove," which blows both "Becket" and "My Fair Lady" out of the water, and which predictably won 0 Academy Awards.Grade: A

I had heard of this film for years and finally got around to watching it. I can't believe this film has an 8.0 score. It drags incessantly and it wastes the talents of Burton and O'Toole. As others have stated, the pacing is horrid. This film could have been shorter by 30 minutes.Mind you, I love old films especially "A Man for All Seasons" which is my favorite of all time. The plot of "Becket" resembles that of AMFAS, but the latter does it much better. "Becket" is a drama that aspires to be an epic, whereas AMFAS is comfortable in itself.O'Toole gave his usual sublime performance as Henry II. He was as good as he was in "The Lion in Winter". Burton was good although his character took himself too seriously. Save yourself some time and watch "A Man for All Seasons" instead.