Becket - Movie Review

I've been on a history of the British monarchy kick, from Henry V to A Man for All Seasons to Chariots of Fire (hey, Prince of Wales). The royals have long been popular on the silver screen, and Becket is a pillar of the genre, despite numerous inaccuracies and a general spicing-up-of-facts goin' on.

Book-ended by scenes at the tomb of Thomas Becket (b. 1118, d. 1170), the rest of the film is a flashback to his life, from a wild youth, to a career as a statesman, and then his appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury.

Central to the drama is the bond between Becket and Henry II, to the point that the film is almost less a biopic than the story of a relationship. Peter O'Toole is at his best here, throwing himself into the dissolute, petulant king with gusto (a role he would reprise in 1968's The Lion in Winter). He nearly steals the show from Richard Burton's gentle, erudite Becket, but if O'Toole provides driving force of the narrative, it is Burton that channels it.

Both characters begin the story as thorough profligates (brief female nudity earns it a PG-13 rating), living the high life, drunk on power and luxury. Henry is a man without restraint, but one senses that the cunning, enigmatic Becket is not entirely committing himself to the revelry. Always, there is something held back, something undisclosed, something he refuses to give. It will prove his destruction, for Henry can't stand the idea that his beloved Becket may hold loyalties above and besides the king. Ironically, it is Henry himself that destroys this loyalty when he appoints Becket archbishop, for it brings the two into inevitable conflict, and forces Becket to finally commit to something, to finally "find his honor..." and it turns out to be "the honor of God."

Secondary to this dual clash of personality and faith is the symbolic rivalry of church and state. Unlike A Man for All Seasons, a film of ideas, and people who debated and defined themselves by those ideas, this is first and foremost an emotional drama. Because of this, it's not as good a film as Seasons (which invites comparison given the uncanny similarity of events). It suffers from over-complexity, over-length, and a main character who hasn't the power to command the narrative (Burton is good, but he's no Paul Scofield, as he was quick to admit.) The music is dated, a brassy, distracting clamor that leaps in to emphasize dramatic moments but instead converts them to comedic melodrama. Occasionally we're aware we're in a play, particularly when Burton performs his prayers as soliloquies.

But these are quibbles. Becket is a lavish affair, taking a far broader approach than Seasons. We get to see much more of this fascinating archaic world (the 12th rather than the 16th century), explore some truly spectacular locations, meet folk from all classes, witness the awe-inspiring ritual of the medieval church, and the ugliness of secular and religious politics. Our tour guides are two of the finest actors of their generation, who have such enormous rapport that every scene without them feels empty (even if that scene features a young, mischievous John Gielgud.)

While flawed, Becket's charms are many, from the witty writing to the breath-taking cinematography. This is the first film I bought on blu-ray (in anticipation of the day that I find a blu-ray player upon which to play it.) These and other things allow Becket to easily take its place among the high circles of costume drama, but it is the immense chemistry between the two leads, Burton and O'Toole, that catapults it to a place of royalty.

Watch it here:

4/5 stars






Hannah Long