Becket
Becket is the true story of the friendship between King Henry II and Thomas Becket , a royal courtier and confidant whom Henry appoints as Archbishop of Canterbury. As Becket takes his duties with the Church seriously, he finds himself increasingly at odds with the King, who finally orders the death of his once-close companion when he continues to defy the throne.
28 July 1938, Norwood, London, England, UK
20 July 1914, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK
2 September 1929, Cwm, Ebbw Vale, Gwent, Wales, UK
8 July 1917, London, England, UK
18 September 1929, Australia
February 14, 1899 in UK
20 October 1939, West Boldon, County Durham, England, UK
26 December 1921, Fairhill, England, UK
14 April 1904, South Kensington, London, England, UK
March 15, 1943 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland
21 December 1917, London, England, UK
27 February 1932, Hampstead, London, England, UK
October 14, 2011
Just as the characters' loyalties to one another are called into question, so, too are ours: Becket enters a moral grey area from which it never fully emerges.December 14, 2008
it finds what's compelling about that history and, more importantly, what's compelling about the people in that history. And, just to be on the safe side, it throws in two of the greatest actors of the day.February 23, 2007
Everything that Doctor Strangelove is -- daring and inspired, vibrant and brilliantly staged -- Becket is not.April 21, 2007
The material remains relevant, and the film as a whole is completely engrossing. (It may be nearly 2 1/2 hours long, but it doesn't feel like it.)February 08, 2007
Burton is extraordinary in one of his rare good movie roles and O'Toole is regally madcap and larger than life.March 01, 2007
Becket may seem like a movie of yesteryear, but its timeliness brims over with rousing, meditative discourses between Henry and the church leaders on the separation of church and state.February 08, 2007
How could you hope for better casting than Peter O'Toole and his acting rival/drinking buddy Richard Burton playing opposite each other?February 15, 2007
The picture is being re-released in 30 cities around the country before finally appearing on DVD after years of online foment from fans.The DVD is due in May, but try to catch it in theaters first. It's worth it.September 06, 2010
Becket is a terrific example of the historical play or novel turned into a cinematic drama crackling with whip-smart dialogue. I imagine actors must go mad with delight when they read a script that has page after page of dialogue this good.April 20, 2007
Watching Becket is to see a form of stylized, epic moviemaking not practiced today.March 08, 2007
Ripe with homoerotic undercurrents -- which O'Toole mines with relish in his great hysterical performance, full of cunning, eloquence and mad outbursts.August 02, 2007
The respectable but boring film is nevertheless worth watching for the robust performances of Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole