Becket (1964)
Becket is a man’s movie. There are a few women in the cast, but they have very insignificant parts. My brother, who has been known to tolerate rather than enjoy old movies, loved this movie. Whenever he talks about the classic film genre, he says, “You know what movie I liked? Becket!”
The only bad part of the movie is what happened during the 1964 awards season. Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole were repeatedly pitted against each other in the Best Actor category. If only tied awards were more prevalent. Both men were nominated for the 1964 Oscar, and Rex Harrison ran away with the gold for his bored, flippant, tired, lousy performance in My Fair Lady. If that doesn’t make you lose faith in the Academy, just wait two more years for Richard Burton to once again lose the gold in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? to Paul Scofield in A Man for All Seasons. Just terrible.
Anyway, back to Becket. If you like Richard Burton or Peter O’Toole, you need to watch it. Di
Pete plays King Henry II, and Dick plays Becket. The king and the archbishop differ in their core beliefs, but will religion get in the way of their friendship? Will Becket compromise his morals to stay a loyal friend to the king? The historical friendship between the two real life figures is written out thoughtfully and rivetingly, even though the story was originally based off a play. Yes, it’s wordy, but none of the speeches are wasteful or boring. It’s incredibly thought-provoking, constantly pulling the audience both ways. Both characters are likable and both sides of the debate are understandable. And since the actors were friends offscreen, it’s that much more enjoyable to watch them verbally spar with each other onscreen.
Richard Burton has all his classic brooding and stone-faced pain that we know and love him for, but it’s Peter O’Toole who makes the movie indelible. From the instant we see him walking up the stairs in the opening scene, he personifies the spoiled king who’s never had to apologize. Everything’s a game to him, since he’s never had any real problems in his life. Becket has been his constant companion, and it never occurs to him that he might lose his devotion. In one classic scene, Peter makes a “favor for a favor” bargain and demands Dick’s mistress be handed over to him. His eyes are glinting, and he dares Dick to object, to show he has real feelings for another human being. When he doesn’t, Peter doesn’t even really care about the girl. She was just the object of his latest game. She kills herself rather than go to his bed (which is really absurd), and Peter’s reaction is utter surprise and fear. He’s just a little boy who doesn’t know anything outside the realm of his castle. He actually crawls into bed with Dick and asks for comfort.
That was only one scene; Peter’s performance peppers the entire film with memorable examples of his talent. His pain is raw, his amusement contagious, his authority palpable, and his love endless. At the Hot Toasty Rag Awards, we were proud to rectify the Academy’s error and award Peter O’Toole as the Best Actor of 1964.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Mocha Locha" for posting!
More Richard Burton movies here!
The only bad part of the movie is what happened during the 1964 awards season. Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole were repeatedly pitted against each other in the Best Actor category. If only tied awards were more prevalent. Both men were nominated for the 1964 Oscar, and Rex Harrison ran away with the gold for his bored, flippant, tired, lousy performance in My Fair Lady. If that doesn’t make you lose faith in the Academy, just wait two more years for Richard Burton to once again lose the gold in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? to Paul Scofield in A Man for All Seasons. Just terrible.
Anyway, back to Becket. If you like Richard Burton or Peter O’Toole, you need to watch it. Di
Pete plays King Henry II, and Dick plays Becket. The king and the archbishop differ in their core beliefs, but will religion get in the way of their friendship? Will Becket compromise his morals to stay a loyal friend to the king? The historical friendship between the two real life figures is written out thoughtfully and rivetingly, even though the story was originally based off a play. Yes, it’s wordy, but none of the speeches are wasteful or boring. It’s incredibly thought-provoking, constantly pulling the audience both ways. Both characters are likable and both sides of the debate are understandable. And since the actors were friends offscreen, it’s that much more enjoyable to watch them verbally spar with each other onscreen.
Richard Burton has all his classic brooding and stone-faced pain that we know and love him for, but it’s Peter O’Toole who makes the movie indelible. From the instant we see him walking up the stairs in the opening scene, he personifies the spoiled king who’s never had to apologize. Everything’s a game to him, since he’s never had any real problems in his life. Becket has been his constant companion, and it never occurs to him that he might lose his devotion. In one classic scene, Peter makes a “favor for a favor” bargain and demands Dick’s mistress be handed over to him. His eyes are glinting, and he dares Dick to object, to show he has real feelings for another human being. When he doesn’t, Peter doesn’t even really care about the girl. She was just the object of his latest game. She kills herself rather than go to his bed (which is really absurd), and Peter’s reaction is utter surprise and fear. He’s just a little boy who doesn’t know anything outside the realm of his castle. He actually crawls into bed with Dick and asks for comfort.
That was only one scene; Peter’s performance peppers the entire film with memorable examples of his talent. His pain is raw, his amusement contagious, his authority palpable, and his love endless. At the Hot Toasty Rag Awards, we were proud to rectify the Academy’s error and award Peter O’Toole as the Best Actor of 1964.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Mocha Locha" for posting!
More Richard Burton movies here!
Hot Toasty Rag Awards:
Best Actor of 1964: Peter O'Toole
Hot Toasty Rag Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Dramatic Screenplay