{"id":88275,"date":"2022-11-19T20:08:27","date_gmt":"2022-11-20T03:08:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=88275"},"modified":"2022-11-21T08:57:46","modified_gmt":"2022-11-21T15:57:46","slug":"becket-1964","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=88275","title":{"rendered":"Becket (1964)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;One can always come to a sensible little agreement with God.&#8221; <\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Poster-195x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-88277\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Poster-195x300.png 195w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Poster-83x128.png 83w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Poster-176x270.png 176w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Poster.png 623w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Henry_II_of_England\">King Henry II<\/a> (Peter O&#8217;Toole) appoints his best friend <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Thomas_Becket\">Thomas Becket<\/a> (Richard Burton) as Archbishop of Canterbury, he soon finds that Burton&#8217;s loyalty to God is stronger than their friendship.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Friendship<\/li>\n<li>Historical Drama<\/li>\n<li>John Gielgud Films<\/li>\n<li>Niall MacGinnis Films<\/li>\n<li>Peter O&#8217;Toole Films<\/li>\n<li>Play Adaptation<\/li>\n<li>Priests and Ministers<\/li>\n<li>Religious Faith<\/li>\n<li>Revenge<\/li>\n<li>Richard Burton Films<\/li>\n<li>Royalty and Nobility <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeter Glenville&#8217;s adaptation of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Becket\">Jean Anouilh&#8217;s French play<\/a> won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay (by Edward Anhalt), and was nominated for 11 other awards. It remains a surprisingly compelling character study of friendship, loyalty, leadership, politics, revenge, and spirituality, with King Henry&#8217;s toxic narcissism &#8212; he <em>needs<\/em> to be on top, and considers himself more important even than God &#8212; as a driving thematic force. One watches with deep discomfort during the first portion of the film as Henry conscripts Becket into his every whim, including planning to bed a young courtesan (Si\u00e2n Phillips) he knows Becket is romantically involved with: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Phillips2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Phillips2-1024x429.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"268\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-88287\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Phillips2-1024x429.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Phillips2-300x126.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Phillips2-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Phillips2-768x322.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Phillips2-604x253.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Phillips2.png 1285w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and culminating with his insistence that Becket take on the role of Archbishop despite no training or qualifications, simply to suit his own political purposes. What ensues is a fascinating exploration of a concerted attempt to combat evil through integrity:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Burton3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Burton3-1024x439.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"274\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-88291\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Burton3-1024x439.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Burton3-300x129.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Burton3-128x55.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Burton3-768x329.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Burton3-604x259.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Burton3.png 1248w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and how a petulant tyrant may respond (which, of course, remains as relevant as ever). Watch for Pamela Brown as a put-upon <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine\">Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine<\/a>: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Wife.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Wife-1024x419.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"262\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-88288\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Wife-1024x419.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Wife-300x123.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Wife-128x52.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Wife-768x314.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Wife-604x247.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Wife.png 1294w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; Martita Hunt as Henry&#8217;s mother, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Empress_Matilda\">Empress Matilda<\/a>: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Hunt.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Hunt-1024x413.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"258\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-88296\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Hunt-1024x413.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Hunt-300x121.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Hunt-128x52.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Hunt-768x310.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Hunt-604x244.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Hunt.png 1296w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; Felix Aylmer as the aging Archbishop of Canterbury, who will soon be replaced: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Aylmer.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Aylmer-1024x421.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"263\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-88293\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Aylmer-1024x421.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Aylmer-300x123.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Aylmer-128x53.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Aylmer-768x316.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Aylmer-604x249.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Aylmer.png 1295w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; John Gielgud as <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Louis_VII_of_France\">King Louis VII of France<\/a>:  <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Gielgud2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Gielgud2-1024x414.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"259\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-88290\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Gielgud2-1024x414.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Gielgud2-300x121.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Gielgud2-128x52.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Gielgud2-768x310.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Gielgud2-604x244.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Gielgud2.png 1294w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p> &#8230; and Niall MacGinnis as one of the king&#8217;s barons. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-McGinnis3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-McGinnis3-1024x429.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"268\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-88289\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-McGinnis3-1024x429.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-McGinnis3-300x126.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-McGinnis3-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-McGinnis3-768x322.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-McGinnis3-604x253.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-McGinnis3.png 1293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Peter O&#8217;Toole as King Henry II (nominated by Peary as one of the Best Actors of the Year in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>)<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-OToole.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-OToole-1024x427.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"267\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-88279\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-OToole-1024x427.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-OToole-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-OToole-128x53.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-OToole-768x320.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-OToole-604x252.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-OToole.png 1289w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Richard Burton as Lord Becket<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Candle.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Candle-1024x434.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"271\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-88280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Candle-1024x434.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Candle-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Candle-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Candle-768x325.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Candle-604x256.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Candle.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine sets, costumes, and cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Costumes.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Costumes-1024x426.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"266\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-88281\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Costumes-1024x426.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Costumes-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Costumes-128x53.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Costumes-768x320.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Costumes-604x251.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Becket-Costumes.png 1293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, but it&#8217;s well worth a one-time look. Listed as a film with Historical Importance in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0057877\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2286beck.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/68316\/becket#articles-reviews?articleId=161055\">TCM Article (spoiler alert) <\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;One can always come to a sensible little agreement with God.&#8221; Synopsis: When King Henry II (Peter O&#8217;Toole) appoints his best friend Thomas Becket (Richard Burton) as Archbishop of Canterbury, he soon finds that Burton&#8217;s loyalty to God is stronger than their friendship. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Friendship Historical Drama John Gielgud Films Niall MacGinnis Films Peter O&#8217;Toole Films Play Adaptation Priests and Ministers Religious Faith Revenge Richard Burton Films Royalty and Nobility Review: Peter Glenville&#8217;s adaptation of Jean&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=88275\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-88275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=88275"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88334,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88275\/revisions\/88334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=88275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=88275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=88275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}