Becket
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Movie Reviews of Becket
Movie Review: Symbiotic magnificence in acting, close to perfection
Summary: 5 Stars
*** It is a defect that this review shows as posted on July 4, 2006. Although it's of no particular importance, I tried to get Amazon to fix the problem several times, to no avail. This was probably my "punishment" for being the first to post, on January 30th, the fact that MPI was releasing "Becket" in the DVD edition on May 15, 2007. My post, meant to be nothing more than joyous news for "Becket" fans, was removed by someone in Amazon, twice! Today's attempt to file a "Becket" review, October 11, 2007, will be my last: ***
It would be easy to write paragraphs of praise for "Becket" for so many reasons. But what makes it unique to me is the perfect balance of the energies and talents of two such powerful and masterful actors as Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole.
This is shown first as the two (Becket and Henry, respectively) are fast friends and staunch allies in supporting the position of the King and the success of England. But it is just as powerful and robust when they become enemies. Each has enormous powers of projection, in love and hate, in happy humor as well as acidic acrimony and sarcasm. And we see the dynamic forces in motion in the personalities of the two throughout the story. At the very beginning, they are like two young guys, partying all night, and actually very much alike. By the end of the story, Henry is an almost insane wretch, convulsing with both his love and hate for Becket, while Becket has developed from clever statesman and master negotiator to being almost a pure warrior of God, surrendering everything and his life itself to "Your Divine Will".
And the icing on the cake is the equally poised and perfectly balanced uses of both explosive, vicious rages, as well as sophisticated spontaneous humor. You may expect to feel mentally and spiritually exhausted after watching this story unfold because so much of "you", and "Everyman" is engaged in the effects of it.
Surely at least some of the praise for this masterful balance between two actors whose symbiotic powerhouse energies and magnificent polish put "Becket" into a class by itself is deserved by Director, Peter Glenville. Perhaps a good deal of the success is due to the fondness and friendship of Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole for each other. All this combined with the talents of so many other truly great actors and actresses, the cinematography, the sets, and the heroic, magnificent restoration that has, at last, given us this DVD version have, in the aggregate, given us what I believe to be one of the five best movies ever made.
Movie Review: The Lion in Summer
Summary: 5 Stars
When Henry II entrusted his close friend Thomas Becket with the title of Chancellor of England, Becket proved himself a loyal and trustworthy ally. But when Henry decided he needed his friend to replace the recently departed Bishop of Canterbury, he never dreamed that Becket would place his duty to God before his loyalty to the monarchy. Thus sets up the historically flawed but dramatically compelling conflict behind the play and film Becket. They just don't make films like this anymore, and it is a genuine treat to marvel at the unparalleled skills of these two thespians in their prime. Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole are both great joys to behold, and the supporting cast, led by a much too-brief but amazing performance by John Gielgud as King Philip of France, are every bit as delicious as the literate, thoughtful script and the sumptuous, colorful sets and costumes.
Edward Anhalt's screenplay of Jean Anouilh's brilliant play won the Oscar for Best Screenplay; the film was nominated for 12 additional Academy Awards, and received 22 other industry awards and nominations. The intelligent and literate dialogue is so full of raw gems that to quote any one line here would do a gross disservice to the balance of the script.
As breathtaking as Burton is, Peter O'Toole reveals an appreciation of the character of Henry II that, unbelievable as it may seem, gloriously precedes and anticipates his magnificent portrayal of the same king in The Lion in Winter, just five years later. But where Lion in Winter proffered a brilliant, witty script and an amazingly modern take on medieval court intrigue, Becket offers meaty drama and dead serious, soul-searching introspection. And unlike his polished portrayal of the self-assured Henry at age 50 in the brilliant James Goldman comedy, O'Toole's portrayal of the younger King Henry in Becket is raw, vulgar, crass and just what you would expect the lesser-experienced monarch to be, until Becket teaches him a royal lesson in humility and penance. As for Burton, well, his eyes speak paragraphs, and his clear understanding of a complex role and that magnificent voice combine to demonstrate once and for all that he was one of the most talented screen actors of the 20th century.
The DVD extras and brilliant restoration round out the release to make this the not-to-be-missed video event of 2007. Highly recommended.
Movie Review: The profligate, expedient Becket discovers the honour of God
Summary: 5 Stars
At the end of the twentieth century the Catholic bishops of England and Wales reduced his obligatory feast to an optional memorial. In the sixteenth century the Protestant reformers destroyed his shrine, desecrated his remains, defaced his image wherever they found it, forbad devotion to him and expunged his name from the missals. And in the twelfth century the barons of King Henry II took care, by means of the sword, to rid their sovereign of so troublesome an English priest, indeed Archbishop, as Thomas Becket.
What is it about this man that continued to provoke such ire; that challenged his contemporaries and his subsequent countrymen for centuries? Was he arrogant, single minded, obstinate, full of pride? Is he a hero, a saint, or a fool?
In 1964 a full length feature film of Hall Wallis' `Becket' appeared starring Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole, with a supporting cast of greats including John Gielgud. As a film it had its day and I remember tasting it all too briefly on television as a boy. It never made a great impact in the age of video tapes. But advances in technology have enabled its recent release on DVD affording widespread and affordable popular release to a classic study of a pivotal character in English and ecclesiastical history.
"What if Thomas Becket should discover his honour?" the profligate, expedient Becket (Burton) asks rhetorically early in the film. On this question alone everything hangs. For, of course, Becket does discover honour: as the stooge Archbishop of Canterbury interposed by Henry II (O'Toole) he discovers the honour of the love of God. All other loves and loyalties take second place, much to the incomprehension of his friends, enemies and coreligionists. Yet Becket heroically accepts death of the body rather than the suicide of compromise others would have had him embrace.
That Becket's dilemma and ultimate witness, as portrayed in this classic of the cinema, is available to us again in the twenty-first century by virtue of modern technology is very good indeed for it raises questions that both modern and medieval men ignore to their peril.
Perhaps, though, one should hasten to secure a copy of the DVD, for who knows when or how the next potentate will move to attempt to silence his voice?
Movie Review: "How cold it was when we last met on the shores of France"
Summary: 5 Stars
reminisced Henry as he kneels awaiting penitence beside the tomb of his friend Thomas Becket. Hal Wallis produced and Peter Glenville directed this wonderful period film based on the play by French dramatist Jean Anouilh. Lucienne Hill translated the play into English and David Merrick produced it on stage. This is a wonderful movie starring Peter O'Toole, as William the Conqueror's descendant Henry II, and Richard Burton, as Thomas Becket his servant friend. They spend their time together chasing women, hunting and basically partying. Becket has been well educated. He is loaded with charm and diplomacy. As king, Henry decides to expand his power base by making his friend Becket Chancellor. Then in a turn of fate, after Archbishop Theobold dies, has him installed as Archbishop of Canterbury. Henry sees this as a chance to get his man in the right place to control the church and especially the church's money. What is interesting to note is that Becket recognizes the problems that this new position will cause even though Henry doesn't sense the division that is being created. He begs Henry "Don't do this thing". Henry unwittingly sets the battle ground forcing Becket to choose between friendship and his new found religious convictions. The right to try clerics belonged only to the church council but Henry wants more control. He wants to change the law's jurisdiction by placing church officials under the crown's rule. When a cleric is charged with a civil crime and killed escaping Henry's men, Becket's allegiance changes away from Henry towards the church. The conflicts of Church and Crown are played out between the now changed Becket and the now bitter Henry.
The film runs around 150 minutes but never seemed to drag. The only issue with the DVD, that I watched, was when Becket and Henry meet on the beach of France the sound syncing was off. A fractional delay between the lips moving and the spoken word. This wasn't a huge problem just in certain spots. That was the only issue that I had with this excellent film. Well worth adding to the film library.
Movie Review: Dictum Meum Pactum
Summary: 5 Stars
Say what you want about Martin Scorsese, auteur of the dark anti-hero aesthetic: The man's clearly in love with Hollywood's Golden Age. He's put himself on the line for almost two decades helming the Film Foundation, bringing public attention to the need for film preservation. Without the Foundation's efforts, such masterworks as Lawrence of Arabia, How Green Was My Valley, On the Waterfront, and Rear Window might have been lost to movie audiences forever.
Now, thanks to the Foundation and to Academy Film Archive director Michael Pogorzelski's painstaking restoration, the 1964 romantic classic Becket has been re-released in all its pomp, pageantry, and Technicolor glory.
Fresh off his brilliant turn in Lawrence of Arabia, Peter O'Toole gives a bombastic, explosive performance as the hated Angevin king of England, Henry II. In one of his finest screen roles, legendary Welsh actor Richard Burton plays his enforcer, Thomas à Becket, with cool-headed erudition.
Whether looting among the Saxons, taking liberties with wenches, or even having his wife taken from him by Henry, Becket's a loyal pal and reliable stooge. Then, one day, trying to put one over on the pesky clergy, Henry devises a brilliant scheme to install his drinking buddy as Archbishop of Canterbury.
But what begins as a fun romp in the "buddy picture" tradition veers into the sublime when Becket begins to understand the enormous gravity and honor required by his office. Transformed from yes-man into his own man, he refuses to render the things holy before God to O'Toole's spoiled brat of a Caesar, who is driven to betray Becket by an unrequited love that dare not speaketh its name.
A fascinating study of integrity in the face of corruption, Becket is an unforgettable Medieval epic from the same decade that gave us A Man for All Seasons and The Lion in Winter (also starring O'Toole). Experience the grandeur of a bygone era when "over the top" meant "larger than life."