Made in 1964, but set in 12th-century England, this is the fact-based story of Henry II (Peter O'Toole) and his dear friend, the Archbishop of Canterbury (Richard Burton). When the king appoints his former drinking buddy to the high religious office, he believes he has placed an ally into power. Instead, he learns that Thomas very much takes his job to heart, prompting Henry to ask that fateful question--"Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?"
This won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay, and it is a strong example of finely tuned performances--both leading men received Academy Award nominations for their roles. There is much passion and rage on the screen, but the beauty of their performances is that we always know that love is there as well. The film, shot on location in England, is also visually appealing. Trivia buffs may be interested to know that Peter O'Toole played Henry II four years later in The Lion in Winter. --Rochelle O'Gorman
The primary bonus feature is a treat: a feature-length commentary by Peter O'Toole, accompanied by a moderator. With only occasional gaps of silence, the still sharp and well-spoken O'Toole recalls the making of the film, how he didn't research the historical King Henry ("The author has made the character; that's his job. My job is to play it."), and his memories of Richard Burton, both personal ("We found that we both enjoyed rugby, we both enjoyed songs, and we both enjoyed drinking, and got along very well.") and professional ("he had an astonishing presence on the stage"). There are also two archival interviews with Burton from 1967 and 1977 (26 minutes total), in which he doesn't discuss Becket, but he does say a lot about his life on stage, he recites some lines, and speaks candidly about his drinking problem.
Don't skip over the interviews with the film's editor Anne Coates and composer Laurence Rosenthal. Coates (7 minutes) has some good stories, and Rosenthal (12 minutes) discusses the influences on his Oscar-nominated score and how he had to teach Gregorian chant to Burton ("He was one of these people whom you really can't teach anything. He had this characteristic that you can only remind him of something he already knows. But he didn't know how to sing Gregorian chant."). In addition to a photo gallery and the four-and-a-half-minute theatrical trailer, MPI's long-delayed DVD looks better than many major-studio classics. --David Horiuchi
Beyond Becket
Other Peter O'Toole Films
Other Richard Burton Films
More King Henrys on DVD
Stills from Becket (click for larger image)
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Peter O'Toole:
I love Peter O'Toole as King Henry II. Becket is great but the Lion in Winter is better. Peter plays Henry a bit mad in Becket while he played him cunning in Lion in Winter. Richard Burton also provides a fine performance as Becket. And Lion in Winter has a star cast, if not when it was made, then over time such as Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton not to mention the wonderful performance by Katharine Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Excellent!:
Great move for a great price. I'm a huge fan of The Lion in Winter, in which O'Toole plays the title role of Henry II. That came out in '68, but the events in Becket are about 15 years or so before TLIW. Great acting, great costuming, good play between O'Toole and Burton. If you like classic movies from the '60s, and you like O'Toole or Burton, give this one a whirl.
Top-notch period drama with great cast:
At last, we can see this top-notch period drama as it was intended to be seen. Restored in high definition, the original Panavision photography looks sharp in an anamorphic transfer, with Dolby Digital sound. Nominated for 12 Oscars, BECKET will be remembered for the first-rate performances by Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole and a superb supporting cast that includes John Gielgud and Donald Wolfit. Bonus features include interviews with editor Anne V. Coates and composer Laurence Rosenthal and archival... more info
Great Movie Making - Excellent Theme:
Historical drama at its best. An amazing bit of history portrayed by Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton. Nominated for 12 Academy Awards. This is really great stuff. Watch this one ! ! !
