Becket

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Becket

PG-13,

1964,

2h 28m,

History/

Drama

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75%

28 Reviews

Tomatometer

87%

5,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

75%

Tomatometer

28 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Debauched King Henry II (Peter O'Toole) installs his longtime court facilitator Thomas Becket (Richard Burton) as the Archbishop of Canterbury, assuming that his old friend will be a compliant and loyal lackey in the King's ongoing battles with the church. But Becket unexpectedly finds his true calling on the ecclesiastical side, and aligns himself against the king's selfish wishes, causing a rift and an eventual showdown not only between the two men, but also the institutions they represent.

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Michael Wilmington

Chicago Tribune

Mar 8, 2007

3/4

Ripe with homoerotic undercurrents -- which O'Toole mines with relish in his great hysterical performance, full of cunning, eloquence and mad outbursts.

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Desson Thomson

Washington Post

Mar 1, 2007

Becket may seem like a movie of yesteryear, but its timeliness brims over with rousing, meditative discourses between Henry and the church leaders on the separation of church and state.

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Mark Feeney

Boston Globe

Feb 23, 2007

2.5/4

Everything that Doctor Strangelove is -- daring and inspired, vibrant and brilliantly staged -- Becket is not.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Aug 9, 2023

5/10

It’s all a touch too simple and uninspiring, despite an undoubtedly wry script.

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Zita Short

InSession Film

Feb 7, 2023

If you really want to think about the conflict between religious and political movements and the necessary separation between them then this will be for you.

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Judith Crist

New York Herald Tribune

Aug 15, 2022

The power of the film is in the close-up, the concentration on the two protagonists. And what is so fascinating in this exploration is that Burton and O'Toole provide no ultimate answers for each other or for us.

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Poe R

Feb 5, 2019

One of the great all-time classics - based on the true story of Henry II & Thomas Becket, brilliantly played here by Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton.The magnificent script pits the two men against one another in an epic battle of wills with tragic consequences. A rare opportunity to see two of the most extraordinary actors of our time go head to head.

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Jan 27, 2019

The best movie score ever composed!

Albus R

Sep 10, 2017

King Henry II of England comes to terms with his affection for his close friend and confidant Thomas Becket, who finds his true honor by observing God's divine will rather than the king's.A famous feud that became famous 12th century history of England. Peter O'Toole's first role as King Henry II before The Lion in Winter (1968 film).

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Theodore R

Apr 13, 2017

This is a clear exercise in why historical films shouldn't be treated as just history lessons. It managed to take a fairly worthy premise and bludgeon it to near death with an overall lack of urgency or stakes, an unbearable reliance on lengthy passages of circular dialogue, and a permeating feeling of disinterest exuded by nearly every cast member other than Peter O'Toole. And, try as he may to inject this thing with as much scenery-munching vim and vigor as he can, it all really matters naught in the end.

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Peter Glenville

Director

Richard Burton

Thomas à Becket

Peter O'Toole

King Henry II

John Gielgud

King Louis VII of France

Gino Cervi

Cardinal Zambelli

Paolo Stoppa

Pope Alexander III

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Synopsis

Debauched King Henry II (Peter O'Toole) installs his longtime court facilitator Thomas Becket (Richard Burton) as the Archbishop of Canterbury, assuming that his old friend will be a compliant and loyal lackey in the King's ongoing battles with the church. But Becket unexpectedly finds his true calling on the ecclesiastical side, and aligns himself against the king's selfish wishes, causing a rift and an eventual showdown not only between the two men, but also the institutions they represent.

Director: Peter Glenville
Producer: Hal B. Wallis
Screenwriter: Edward Anhalt
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, Wallis-Hazen, Keep Films
Rating: PG-13 (Some Sexual Content|Violence)
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 11, 1964, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 20, 2011
Runtime: 2h 28m

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