Becket
- 1964
- Tous publics
- 2h 28min
Le roi Henri II d'Angleterre se réconcilie avec son affection pour son ami proche et confident Thomas Becket, qui trouve son véritable honneur en observant la volonté divine de Dieu plutôt q... Tout lireLe roi Henri II d'Angleterre se réconcilie avec son affection pour son ami proche et confident Thomas Becket, qui trouve son véritable honneur en observant la volonté divine de Dieu plutôt que celle du roi.Le roi Henri II d'Angleterre se réconcilie avec son affection pour son ami proche et confident Thomas Becket, qui trouve son véritable honneur en observant la volonté divine de Dieu plutôt que celle du roi.
- Réalisation
- Scénario
- Casting principal
- Récompensé par 1 Oscar
- 14 victoires et 23 nominations au total
- Gwendolen
- (as Sian Phillips)
- French prostitute
- (as Veronique Vendell)
Avis à la une
The 1959 play was tremendous successful throughout Europe, in England, and in the United States. In 1964 it reached the screen with Richard Burton as Becket, Peter O'Toole as Henry II, such notables as John Gielgud as Louis VII of France. The film was extremely well-received and received numerous critical accolades, particularly for Burton and O'Toole. It was not, however, widely available to the home market until this 2007 MPI DVD release.
In a technical sense, BECKET looks better than ever; the transfer is very crisp and the picture likely looks better here than it did on the 1964 big screen. At the same time, however, it is very evident that this is a film that really is best seen on the big screen, where the larger than life characters and their ideological battles have the advantage of a scope to equal their nature. It also has a slightly stagey quality, most often in the script, which doesn't quite manage to shed the theatrical trappings of the original.
Even so, there's a great deal to admire, and the leading actors are most certainly chief among them. Burton and O'Toole wench, brawl, argue, and explode with invective with complete conviction; it would be hard, if not impossible, to say which gives the better performance here. Gielgud is particularly memorable in his brief appearance as Louis VII--and Sian Philips, Pamela Brown, and Martita Hunt make the most of their relatively small roles as well.
The DVD has several notable bonuses. I personally found the interviews with Richard Burton, archival footage from 1967 and 1977, slightly over rated--but the "featurettes" on editor Anne V. Coats and composer Laurence Rosenthal are excellent, and the DVD commentary by O'Toole is consistently fascinating. I personally find the film as a whole a bit dry--Coats, tellingly, makes the comment that if the producers had put just a bit more money into BECKET it would have an undeniable masterpiece--but fans of the film will find this particular package an extremely welcome one.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
This is a splendid rendition of Jean Anouilh's play , as translated by Lucienne Hill , produced upon the New York stage by Merrick and good detailed artistic direction made at Shepperton studios -England- . It deals about the stormy friendship between Becket , appointed as Archbishop of Canterbury , and king Henry II . Although the film depicts Becket as a Saxon , he was actually a Norman like King Henry II . The closeness between King Henry and Becket is depicted as being a purely platonic one ; homosexuality was still illegal in the UK when the film was made in 1963, and any suggestion of that would have fallen foul of the censor . However it is still implied that Henry is in love with Becket . Magnificent studded-secondary-star cast , as Donald Wolfit as bishop , Paolo Stoppa as Pope Alexander III , Gino Cervi as the flamboyant Cardinal , Pamela Brown as Queen Eleanor , Martita Hunt as Queen Mother , Percy Herbert and Neal McGinnis as the Barons ; plus , Sean Phillips married to Peter O'Toole . Atmospheric , appropriate cinematography by the great Geoffrey Unsworth . Evocative musical score with religious chores by Laurence Rosenthal and usual musical conductor by Muir Mathieson . The picture obtained Academy Award , 1964 , to adapted screenplay and Golden Globes to dramatic actor for Peter O'Toole and the best film drama . The flick was stunningly directed by Peter Grenville who reflects correctly an exciting slice of history . Rating : Better than average . This is a superior and powerful historic drama to be liked by historical cinema buffs .
And that is all I have to say about that...
Le saviez-vous
- AnecdotesRichard Burton initially turned this movie down because he felt the press would have a field day over the idea of him playing a saint. He also said he would be more suited to playing Henry II.
- GaffesThomas Becket was a Norman (Thomas Bequet), not a Saxon. Jean Anouilh based the play's script on Augustin Thierry's 1825 work "The History of the Conquest of England by the Normans", which presumed that Becket was a Saxon. Anouilh admitted he'd learned the truth after completing the play, but decided to leave it as is because it made for a better story.
- Citations
Thomas a Becket: Tonight you can do me the honor of christening my forks.
King Henry II: Forks?
Thomas a Becket: Yes, from Florence. New little invention. It's for pronging meat and carrying it to the mouth. It saves you dirtying your fingers.
King Henry II: But then you dirty the fork.
Thomas a Becket: Yes, but it's washable.
King Henry II: So are your fingers. I don't see the point.
- Versions alternativesTwo different versions of the closing "A Paramount Release" card exist - one print has these words appear inside the standard Paramount logo of the time superimposed in red, while another has these words as plain text with a small version of a completely different Paramount logo (with a full circle of stars), also in red, beneath them.
- ConnexionsFeatured in Precious Images (1986)
- Bandes originalesDies Irae
(Medieval Latin Hymn)
Meilleurs choix
- How long is Becket?Alimenté par Alexa
Détails
Box-office
- Budget
- 3 000 000 $US (estimé)
- Montant brut aux États-Unis et au Canada
- 149 327 $US
- Week-end de sortie aux États-Unis et au Canada
- 7 912 $US
- 28 janv. 2007
- Montant brut mondial
- 149 327 $US
- Durée2 heures 28 minutes
- Couleur
- Rapport de forme
- 2.35 : 1