Becket

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

A high-class costume drama with a substantive historical basis, Becket is the true story of the friendship between King Henry II (Peter O'Toole) and Thomas a Becket (Richard Burton), 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. Burton is very good and O'Toole is even better: both men were nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, while Edward Anhalt's screenplay, based on the stageplay by Jean Anouilh, won for Best Adapted Screenplay. The basic theme of separation of church and state still reverberates today, while the top-notch production values ensure Becket's place as one of Britain's better historical epics. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Features:
  • Commentary with Peter O'Toole
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Still gallery
  • Interviews with editor Anne V. Coates and composer Laurence Rosenthal
  • Archival interviews with Richard Burton
  • TV spot

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Adapted Screenplay - 1964 (Edward Anhalt)
•     Nominated Best Actor - 1964 (Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole)
•     Nominated Best Color Art Direction - 1964 (John Bryan, Robert Cartwright, Patrick McLoughlin, Maurice Carter)
•     Nominated Best Color Cinematography - 1964 (Geoffrey Unsworth)
•     Nominated Best Color Costume Design - 1964 (Margaret Furse)
•     Nominated Best Director - 1964 (Peter Glenville)
•     Nominated Best Editing - 1964 (Anne V. Coates)
•     Nominated Best Original Score - 1964 (Laurence Rosenthal)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1964 (Hal B. Wallis)
•     Nominated Best Sound - 1964 (John Cox)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actor - 1964 (John Gielgud)

• British Academy of Film and Television Arts

•     Won Best Color Cinematography - 1964 (Geoffrey Unsworth)
•     Nominated Best British Film - 1964 (Peter Glenville)
•     Nominated Best Film - Any Source - 1964 (Peter Glenville)

• Directors Guild of America

•     Nominated Best Director - 1964 (Peter Glenville)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Won Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - 1964 (Peter O'Toole)
•     Won Best Picture - Drama - 1964
•     Nominated Best Director - 1964 (Peter Glenville)
•     Nominated Best Original Score - 1964 (Laurence Rosenthal)
•     Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - 1964 (Richard Burton)

• National Board of Review

•     Won Best Picture - 1964

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Richard Burton - Thomas Becket
       Peter O'Toole - Henry II
       John Gielgud - Louis VII
       Donald Wolfit - Bishop Folliot
       Martita Hunt - Queen Matilda
       Pamela Brown - Queen Eleanor
       Gino Cervi - Cardinal Zambelli
       Paolo Stoppa - Pope Alexander III
       David Weston - Brother John
       Felix Aylmer - Archbishop of Canterbury
       Inigo Jackson - Duke of Leicester
       Sian Phillips - Gwendolen
       Veronique Vendell - Pretty French Girl
       Gerald Lawson - English Peasant
       Jennifer Hilary - Peasant's Daughter
       Riggs O'Hara - Prince Henry
       John Phillips - Bishop of Winchester
       Frank Pettingell - Bishop of York
       Hamilton Dyce - Bishop of Chichester
       Linda Marlowe - Farmer's Daughter
       Geoffrey Bayldon - Brother Philip
       Graham Stark - Pope's Secretary
       Victor Spinetti - French Tailor
       Niall MacGinnis - Baron
       Percy Herbert - Baron
       Christopher Rhodes - Baron
       Peter Jeffrey - Baron
       Edward Woodward - Clement

• Director:

  Peter Glenville

• Producer:

  Hal B. Wallis

• Screenwriter:

  Edward Anhalt, Jean Anouilh

• Play Author:

  Jean Anouilh

• Cinematographer:

  Geoffrey Unsworth

• Composer (Music Score):

  Laurence Rosenthal

• Editor:

  Anne V. Coates

• Production Designer:

  John Bryan, Maurice Carter

• Costume Designer:

  Margaret Furse

REVIEW:

• In 1964, Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton were the two biggest British film acting stars, and they were paired in an historical epic about the friendship between King Henry II (O'Toole) and Thomas a Becket (Burton). The film, directed flawlessly if staidly by Peter Glenville, was based on a bitterly sardonic stage play by Jean Anouilh. The movie is less edgy and features much talk and little action, even though its bloody climax was already well-known from history. Burton and O'Toole are great sparring partners, displaying tremendous acting talent. They and John Gielgud, who played French king Louis VII, were Oscar-nominated but didn't win; screenwriter Edward Anhalt won an Oscar for adapting the play. Becket emblematizes the serious, stagey historical dramas of the 1950s and 1960s. Glenville's short directing career would end a few years later. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi