Becket: A Review

BECKET

Losing a friend can always be difficult. Accidentally or perhaps deliberately having him murdered does seem a bit extreme. Becket chronicles the collapse of a friendship, but one with great historic and religious consequences that reverberated for centuries.

Lusty English King Henry II (Peter O'Toole) is aided and abetted in his drinking and whoring by his Saxon BFF, Thomas Becket (Richard Burton). Despite being Norman, Henry holds Thomas above all other men in the realm. This displeases his Norman barons, who see Becket and his fellow Saxons as inferiors. Henry's Queen Eleanor (Pamela Brown) and his mother, Empress Matilda (Martita Hunt) also detest this Saxon upstart. However, there is nothing anyone can do about Henry naming Becket Chancellor of England.

Thomas Becket is a capable man, steady, sober and intelligent. These are three qualities that his friend and Sire does not have. Henry also does not have Becket's morals. He does not shrink from taking Becket's beloved Gwendolen (Sian Philips), a Welshwoman in exchange for a Saxon wench that Becket had saved from Henry's clutches. Gwendolen, the only woman Becket seems to genuinely love, kills herself rather than submit to Henry's desires.

This is a minor wedge between the friends. Becket serves Henry loyally, helping him reconquer his French possessions with little actual warfare. Young Saxon monk John (David Weston) sees Becket as a traitor to his people. Despite an assassination attempt by the hotheaded friar, Becket takes Brother John under his wing when Henry uses his position to appoint Becket as Archbishop of Canterbury.

Henry thinks that with his best friend as the head of both the temporal and spiritual English governments, he can do as he wishes. Henry, however, did not count on Becket having a spiritual awakening. He has embraced Christianity and will not stand by as one of Henry's Norman barons has a priest murdered. The priest may have been a criminal, but that should have been decided by the ecclesiastical courts, not by Norman whims. This clash between friends now becomes a battle royale. Both men use the tools of their authority to get what they want. Becket is at one point forced to flee to the Continent, taking temporary refuge with France's King Louis VII (John Gielgud). 

Eventually, a rapprochement brings the two men together. However, the wily but hurt Henry asks his barons, "Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?". Whether the question was literal or rhetorical is unimportant. It leads to a blasphemous act, one so shocking that all Christendom is outraged. Henry II must humble and humiliate himself to save his kingdom from a dead man.

Becket holds an interesting place in the annals of Academy Award history. It has one of the lowest nominations to wins ratio. Becket received 12 nominations yet walked away with only 1 Oscar for Edward Anhalt's adaptation of Jean Anouilh's play. Had Becket lost Best Adapted Screenplay, it would have gone down in history as the film with the most nominations without a single win (The Turning Point and The Color Purple both currently tied for that dubious honor having gone 0-11 nominations). Becket is also one of the seven and eight failed nominations for Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole respectively. Both actors were nominated for their performances in Becket, both of which were warranted in my view.

We see a curious double-act with Burton and O'Toole in Becket. The former is mostly calm, cool and collected as Thomas Becket. The latter is mostly wild and raging as King Henry II. The film is a showcase for both Burton and O'Toole, the latter interestingly enough reprising his role as Henry II in The Lion in Winter. Burton and O'Toole balance each other well, allowing his fellow actor's manner to work for both actors.

Richard Burton is quite calm and contemplative as Thomas Becket. Even when assisting Henry as they galivant through various British beds, there is something serene and contemplative within him. Burton's standout point is when he prays to Christ after his appointment as Archbishop. His voice is steady as well as melodious, Thomas' sincerity and conversion deeply affecting. He has another strong scene while living in a French monastery. Here, he talks to God and wonders whether the joy he feels is too easy a burden. Burton does an excellent job in showing a man transformed by faith to follow his conscience whatever cost personal or professional.

Peter O'Toole is in top form as Henry II. He rages with abandon and with glee. He also has some of the sharpest lines in the Oscar-winning screenplay. As he berates his wife and children for being awful, Queen Eleanor chides him for being a bully. Henry is having none of it. He points out that she would love to be Regent to an upstart Henry III.  "No wonder I shun your bed. It's not amusing to make love to one's own widow!". When conspiring with the Bishop of London (Donald Wolfit) to frame Becket for embezzlement, Henry becomes enraged when Bishop Foliot speaks against this "Saxon guttersnipe". Henry begins strangling the startled cleric. "All I confided to you was my hate, not my love", an angry and conflicted Henry tells him. 

It is a credit to director Peter Glenville that he drew strong performances out of all his cast. He managed to make the differing manners of O'Toole/Henry II and Burton/Becket work together as opposed to clashing with each other. He also kept Becket moving in a surprisingly steady pace. Despite being almost two and a half hours long, I never felt Becket ran long.

The film is also sumptuous in its art direction, costumes and cinematography, all of which were also Oscar-nominated. Laurence Rosenthal's score, which too received Oscar recognition, is appropriately grand but also amusing when needed. 

Becket does have a few issues that I think hold it back from true greatness. John Gielgud received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his Louis VII. I found it a strange choice given how brief his screentime is. He was fine in the role. I just wonder why Gielgud was singled out for one scene. Yes, technically two scenes, but he was so insignificant to Becket that he could have been trimmed or cut out altogether without it being much of a problem. David Weston's Brother John was fine, but his death scene was a bit overdramatic to almost comical. Both O'Toole and Burton had one slightly off moment (Becket's death scene, O'Toole's shock at Gwendolen's death) that might have cost them the Best Actor Oscar. 

That discussion, however, is for another day.

Becket does have some awful rear-screen projection sequences that I think would have been laughed at in 1964, let alone now. 

I think Becket is a strong historical epic. It moves relatively fast (though I would have cut or trimmed some scenes). It has strong performances from Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole. The film is grand in its telling. It also has a strong story of how good friends can grow apart. Becket is worth seeking out.

Circa 1119-1170

DECISION: B+