Becket

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

16K

YOUR RATING

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39 Photos

Epic Historical Epic Period Drama Political Drama Biography Drama History

King Henry II of England comes to terms with his affection for his close friend and confidant Thomas Becket, who finds his true honor by observing God's divine will rather than the King's.King Henry II of England comes to terms with his affection for his close friend and confidant Thomas Becket, who finds his true honor by observing God's divine will rather than the King's.King Henry II of England comes to terms with his affection for his close friend and confidant Thomas Becket, who finds his true honor by observing God's divine will rather than the King's.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

16K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 1 Oscar
- 14 wins & 23 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 4:48

Becket

Photos39

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Trivia
Richard 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.

Goofs
Thomas 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.

Quotes
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.

Alternate versions
Two 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.

Connections
Featured in Precious Images (1986)

Soundtracks
Dies Irae
(Medieval Latin Hymn)

User reviews130

Featured review

Towering performances by 2 actors at the zenith of their powers.

My comments here tend to be Misremembrances of things past. I know I saw "Becket" decades ago while I must have been suffering from a periodic bout of reviling Richard Burton. Having recently seen "Cleopatra" again, I will forgive myself. Still, there are movies that I've enjoyed - "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" and "The Night of the Iguana", to name 2 - so I thought I'd give "Becket" another try.

Historical movies are among my favorites, although the IMDB parameter of not spoiling restricts me from discussing plot. But this is a movie that made me click on here to see who directed it...since directing Burton and O'Toole must have been like being a meterologist tracking a tornado and a hurricane. Their synergy is astounding...but whereas O'Toole launches himself on occassion into a thespian stratosphere it is Burton's performance that is incandescent. There are scenes..."inner monologues" - queries to God, where the ribald Burton is transformed into a man illuminated by a spiritual puzzle - he cannot believe that he is becoming who he is becoming - and it is Burton's challenge to share that bewilderment with us.

Well, I'm comforted that I can now stretch the glory days of historical film-making at least to "Becket." Any film in which John Gielgud, Martita Hunt, Felix Aylmer and Pamela Brown are "supporting" - how do I put it, "supporting" performances such as these are most other actors' triumphs. The costumes and sets are sumptous. Finis.