"The honor of God", June 8, 2001

By	Mike Powers "mkp51" (Boothbay, ME United States) - See all my reviews

As our story unfolds, Henry and Becket are inseparable friends. They spend their days feasting at banquets, carousing, wenching, and hunting. Henry (played by Peter O'Toole) appoints Becket (Richard Burton) to the post of Chancellor of England - the equivalent of Prime Minister and Treasurer. Becket is a man completely loyal to the King, and a man with a curious sense of honor. "Honor is a private matter within," he tells Henry early in the film. "It's an idea, and every man has his own version of it."

"Becket" is ultimately a story of "the honor of God" versus "I am your king." In an effort to gain the upper hand in the ongoing controversy between the Church and state, Henry names Becket to the post of Archbishop of Canterbury. In Thomas Becket, the King sees a loyal servant who will place the wishes of his monarch before everything else. Unfortunately, the King's hopes for an easy time of it are soon dashed. After becoming the primate of England, Becket rediscovers his personal sense of honor. To Becket, "the honor of God" becomes worthy of defending against all who would attack the Church... even if the attacker is the King. When one of Henry's noblemen kills a priest, Becket orders him haled before an ecclesiastical court. The inevitable showdown between King and Archbishop is at hand.

Despite the King's insistence, he refuses to budge from his position that the church courts have jurisdiction in this and all similar cases. His continuing defiance of the King sends Henry into increasingly virulent paroxysms of rage against his former friend. "I am your king!" he repeatedly tells Becket.

Ultimately, Becket is forced to flee England, but returns after seven years, having agreed to a series of compromises with the King, but not conceding the main points of his argument. The truce is short lived, however. Becket continues to resist Henry's efforts to intrude into Church affairs. Henry, enraged once again, fills the air with oaths against his new-found foe, asking at one point: "Will no-one rid me of this meddlesome priest?" On December 29, 1170, four of his barons assassinate Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, on the altar of Canterbury Cathedral.

"Becket" is based on the stage play of the same name by French playwright Jean Anouilh, and adapted for the screen by Edward Anhalt (who won the 1964 "Best Screenplay" Academy Award for his efforts). It was also nominated for 11 other Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor.

This is one of those movies where words can't really convey the depth and quality of the performances turned in by its stars. It's rare to find a film with one performance of such great magnitude; I don't ever recall seeing two such brilliant performances in one movie! For Burton and O'Toole are so very good in their roles as Becket and Henry, that they seem almost to become the very characters they're playing. Their acting is refined, unaffected, completely without ego, almost effortless.

"Becket" is one of those good old-fashioned movies so popular forty years ago... the kind with world-class actors delivering lines from a superb screenplay; with an interesting subject at its heart; sumptuous sets; and colorful costumes. Maybe the film doesn't quite match the tastes of today's moviegoers as well as it did 37 years ago; but, if you're looking for some first-rate entertainment by the best actors in the business, "Becket" is indeed an excellent choice!

Good historical drama, October 14, 2001

By	Jeffrey Ellis "author of It's Impossible To S... (Richardson, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

One might think that the political murder of a priest in a pre-Reniassance England would make for a rather dry, humorless film. Luckily, Becket proves them wrong. Though director Peter Glenville was not a flashy stylist and occasionally does allow the film to become a bit stagey, he was also a wonderful director of actors and manages to get wonderful lead performances from a young Peter O'Toole (as Henry) and even from the normally diffident Richard Burton (as Becket). When the film begins, it feels very much like a comedy. When we first meet Becket and Henry, they are two young, spoiled friends who spend most of their time drinking and wenching. Though, as expected, O'Toole is hilarious as the fun-loving monarch, even Burton manages a few slyly sardonic line readings. Years later, in an interview with David Letterman, O'Toole would admit that both the lead actors were drunk during the majority of the shooting and basically just having a grand old time of it. Their sense of fun in these early scenes is easily translatable to the audience and its hard not to like these two immoral rogues and, perhaps, to even secretly want to find a time machine and go hang out with them. O'Toole and Burton were friends in real life and the mutual affection the two shared is especially obvious and endearing and serves to make the film's later events all the more tragic.

The film takes a serious turn when the previous Archbishop dies and Henry, seeing a way to make things easier for himself, appoints his old friend Becket to the position. However, once installed, Becket discovers his soul. He becomes a rare example of a man who power does not corrupts but instead serves to purify. As a leader, Becket discovers his lost integrity and tragically, this leads to his own martyrdom and later canonization. Fittingly, this man redeemed by the church (and who would guess that this would be the premise of such a hilarious, entertaining, and downright fun film?) becomes patron saint of the clergy.

That said, this isn't really a film about religion as much as its about friendship and the price one pays for taking a stand. This is one of the best historical films I have ever seen and should be seen by anyone interested in either a good story or just some of the best acting ever put on screen. There's something beautiful about a film that surprises you by defying your expectations and Becket is a great example of one of those films.