Summary
King Henry II of England has trouble with the Church. When the Archbishop of Canterbury dies, he has a brilliant idea. Rather than appoint another pious cleric loyal to Rome and the Church, he will appoint his old drinking and wenching buddy, Thomas Becket, technically a deacon of the church, to the post. Unfortunately, Becket takes the job seriously and provides abler opposition to Henry.
Cast
Richard Burton
Becket / Thomas Becket
Peter O'Toole
his King / King Henry II
John Gielgud
King Louis of France / King Louis VII of France
Gino Cervi
the Cardinal / Cardinal Zambelli
Paolo Stoppa
the Pope / Pope Alexander III
Donald Wolfit
Bishop Folliot
David Weston
Brother John
Martita Hunt
Empress Matilda
Pamela Brown
Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine
Percy Herbert
Baron
Siân Phillips
Gwendolen
Inigo Jackson
Robert de Beaumont
Felix Aylmer
Archbishop of Canterbury
Niall MacGinnis
Baron
Christopher Rhodes
Baron
John Phillips
Bishop of Winchester
Frank Pettingell
Bishop of York
Véronique Vendell
French Prostitute
Jennifer Hilary
Peasant's Daughter
David Davenport
Hamilton Dyce
Bishop of Chichester
Peter Jeffrey
Baron
Michael Miller
Baron
Peter Prowse
Baron
Jack Taylor
Chris Adcock
Sergeant (uncredited)
Michael Anthony
Courtier (uncredited)
Geoffrey Bayldon
Brother Philip (uncredited)
Roy Beck
Young French Boy (uncredited)
Garrett Cassell
Man (uncredited)
Dave Clark
Soldier (uncredited)
George Lane Cooper
Soldier (uncredited)
Ian Cullen
Servant (uncredited)
Ivor Dean
Monk (uncredited)
Guy Deghy
Man (uncredited)
John Doye
Priest (uncredited)
Paul Farrell
Farmer (uncredited)
Patrick Halpin
Monk (uncredited)
Laurie Heath
Boy (uncredited)
Laurence Hepworth
Bishop (uncredited)
Rose Howlett
Farmer's Wife (uncredited)
Magda Konopka
Girl on Balcony (uncredited)
Gerald Lawson
English Peasant (uncredited)
Wilfrid Lawson
Old Soldier (uncredited)
Paul Layton
Boy (uncredited)
Tutte Lemkow
French Courtier (uncredited)
Linda Marlowe
Farmer's Daughter (uncredited)
John Moulder-Brown
Boy (uncredited)
Patrick Newell
William of Corbeil (uncredited)
Riggs O'Hara
Prince Henry (uncredited)
Frederick Piper
Monk (uncredited)
Dido Plumb
Man in Crowd (uncredited)
Steve Plytas
Cardinal (uncredited)
Robert Rietti
Alexander III (voice) (uncredited)
Alex Scott
Priest (uncredited)
Terence Soall
Man (uncredited)
Victor Spinetti
French Tailor (uncredited)
Graham Stark
Pope's Secretary (uncredited)
Fred Stroud
Church Guard (uncredited)
Elizabeth Taylor
Blonde Village Woman (uncredited)
Royston Tickner
Royal Servant (uncredited)
Fred Wood
Congregation Member (uncredited)
Edward Woodward
Clement (uncredited)
Crew
Director
Peter Glenville
Screenplay
Edward Anhalt
Theatre Play
Jean Anouilh
Reviews
John Chard
May 24, 2020
10
Here's my royal foot on your royal buttocks!
King Henry II of England has grown tired of the interference of the Church. When the Archbishop of Canterbury dies, he senses an opportunity to gain the upper hand. Much to the church, and Thomas Becket's surprise, he appoints his great friend Thomas to the highly important position. What Henry hadn't bargained for was that Becket takes the role very serious indeed and serves God to the full, so where once there was great friendship between the two men, there is now an uneasy feud.
Based on the Jean Anouilh play, Becket is as near a technically perfect film as you could wish to see, with the acting on show coming right out of the top draw. Nominated for 12 Academy Awards, it won only one for Best Adapted Screenplay (Edward Analt), but on another given year it could quite easily have cleaned up. Peter O'Toole & Richard Burton play Henry II & Thomas Becket respectively, both men feeding of each others commitment to the project to bring peerless results, witness one scene in particular as they exchange views on horseback on a British beach, wonderful stuff. The costumes, the cinematography from Geoffrey Unsworth (now booming from the screen with the DVD restoration work), the sound, and the brilliant sets all come together to make a top of the range Historical drama.
But all these would not stand out if the story wasn't any good, but Becket's triumph is in the story itself, a tale about the separation of great friends, and the separation of the state from the church, it really is an intriguing and beguiling way to spend your evening. One glaring error aside (Becket was not a Saxon, but a Norman), the makers have followed history rather well, and it leaves us with what i believe to be one of the best films of its type. 10/10
Media
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$9,100,000.00
