Becket

The relationship between Henry II of England and his friend Thomas Becket forms the basis of the 1964 Best Picture nominated film Becket. The details of their friendship and later falling out after Henry appoints Becket Archbishop of Canterbury are well known and documented, yet this film jettisons major details in favor of a more engaging story and to create tensions where none actually existed. Don’t learn your history from the movies, I always say, and this film is no exception. There’s dramatizing and then there is outright misrepresenting the facts, and Becket goes the latter route on a few occasions, including presenting Thomas Becket as a Saxon when in fact he was a Norman. The only purpose of changing this detail is to create drama between Henry and Becket where none of this kind existed.

Becket serves as a spiritual predecessor to The Lion in Winter, a 1968 film that also was nominated for Best Picture. Peter O’Toole played the role of Henry II in both productions and brought the same comedic energy to both films, even though the overall tone is somewhat different between them. He seems to be predicting the later film when he is calling out his wife, mocking her declaration that she gave him sons by shouting how he hates his children. The Lion in Winter would end up being about how his wife and children are all conspiring against him.

This was the year for musicals at the Oscars with two major ones vying for the top prize: My Fair Lady and Mary Poppins. In a situation like that, the general belief would be that the two films would split the vote, and something else, Becket perhaps, would take the win. That didn’t happen, though. The consensus is that the musical-loving portion of the Academy chose My Fair Lady over Mary Poppins, and everyone else voted primarily for Becket, which had a whopping eleven nominations. We’ll never know for certain as the actual vote counts are never revealed to the public. Of those eleven nominations, it won just one, but it is a significant one, which is why the film may have been in second place for the big prize: Best Screenplay - Based on Material from Another Medium. Everything else, including the lavish production designs, the costumes, the impressive camerawork, and the acting, all got passed over, mostly in favor of My Fair Lady. 

Jean Anouilh penned the original play, Becket or the Honour of God, of which the film is based. Most of the historical license found in the film originated in the play either from ignorance of the author or intentional for the sake of drama. For instance, he intentionally left in the erroneous statements that Becket was a Saxon after being told otherwise because to change it at that late date would undermine the drama as written and because he believed there was a possibility that new historical proof may be found proving he was a Saxon after all. That has yet to happen. Henry II wasn’t a true Norman, either; in reality, he was an Angevin. 

The film is intimate by nature, complete with homoerotic subtext that borders on being just text. We are introduced to Henry II (Peter O’Toole) as he is bathing. Upon stepping out of the water, he is toweled off by his friend Becket (Richard Burton). These two men have a close friendship that extends to traveling together and carousing with the local women, not always with the women’s permission. In one such case, they come across a hut and discover, hiding inside, a local girl. Both men fancy her, but Henry allows Becket to have her as a “gift.” Later, Henry insists on being allowed an intimate evening with another of Becket’s mistresses. The woman takes her own life before Henry can have his way with her, though. Their relationship with each other is complicated, too, to the point that Henry’s mother calls him out for it, calling it unnatural. 

Things start to fall apart between the two friends when the Archbishop of Canterbury dies, and Henry gives the position to Becket. Becket, having never considered himself a particularly religious man, now finds himself in a position of leadership in the church. He doesn’t want the job and begs Henry not to give it to him, but when he takes the position, he changes his mind about his new role and takes it seriously, even when it puts him at odds with Henry, who has disdain for the church and thought putting Becket in the role would give him an ally in the church. When an important man in the British hierarchy commits murder against a priest, Becket has him excommunicated and starts a head-to-head clash between the church and the monarchy splitting people’s loyalty to either.

This action, and Becket’s refusal to back down from it, leads to Henry having his friend framed for embezzling funds from the church in a desperate bid to rid him in his high office. Later, it will culminate in Becket’s assassination at the hands of the King’s guards, who misunderstand the king’s frustrations as a call for the murder. The film is bookended by King Henry II’s penance at the grave of his friend, pleading with him and accepting lashings for punishment.

Peter O’Toole is hamming it up throughout this entire film, playing Henry with a jovial energy that livens up the screen. This is in stark contrast to Richard Burton, who is so somber and laid back that he seems determined to lull you to sleep. These two opposite approaches to acting should clash with each other, yet they don’t. In fact, they complement each other and make their shared scenes feel more realistic. Unfortunately, once they go their separate ways, the film loses much of its energy, and the middle third of the film slows down considerably. This is where this long film begins to feel its length. There is entirely too much time dedicated to ceremonies and pageantries. So much time is dedicated to this that it loses some of the narrative focus. The only saving grace in this middle act is the relationship that develops between Becket and a Saxon monk, Brother John (David Weston), a man who initially tries to assassinate Becket for being a Saxon collaborator but grows to respect him after overhearing his sincere prayers to God. 

The ending of Becket is known from the opening scene; it’s betrayed by the bookend format. But that doesn’t take away the effectiveness of seeing Becket’s death and aftermath. Through all the head-butting and clashing these two men went through, they still loved each other as evidenced by their final scene together, effectively, and suggestively, staged on a beach. Neither will back down from their position, and Henry refuses to take direct action against Becket. The film does everything but outright state that these two men were intimate at one time; to outright state it would have been a bit much for audiences of the 1960s. 

While this is a beautiful film to look at, especially since it underwent a restoration a few years ago, it is tonally uneven and runs too long, especially in the middle act. It’s still worth checking out, though, paired up with its spiritual sequel, The Lion in Winter. Both films were steamrolled by a pair of musicals at the Oscars, ensuring that they wouldn’t come home with the top prize. While Becket is an interesting movie, it never quite hit the highs needed to be considered a truly great film. It’s surprisingly easy to watch and avoids the stuffiness attributed to many of the historical dramas of the time. It’s infinitely watchable thanks in large part to the scenery-chewing performance given by Peter O’Toole and how he bounces off Richard Burton and their scenes together are well worth the time invested in watching it.

Academy Award Nominations:

Best Picture: Hal B. Wallis

Best Director: Peter Glenville

Best Actor: Richard Burton

Best Actor: Peter O’Toole

Best Supporting Actor: John Gielgud

Best Screenplay - Based on Material from Another Medium: Edward Anhalt (won)

Best Art Direction - Color: John Bryan, Maurice Carter, Patrick McLoughlin, and Robert Cartwright

Best Cinematography - Color: Geoffrey Unsworth

Best Costume Design - Color: Margaret Furse

Best Film Editing: Anne V. Coates

Best Scoring of Music - Substantially Original: Laurence Rosenthal

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Release Date: March 11, 1964

Running Time: 148 Minutes

Rated PG-13

Starring: Richard Burton, Peter O’Toole, and John Gielgud

Directed By: Peter Glenville