8 / 10
Becket is Peter Glenville’s 1964 British historical drama adapting Jean Anouilh’s 1959 play of the same name. The film depicts the friendship between King Henry II of England and Thomas Becket, a Norman commoner who becomes the king’s chancellor and confidant. When Henry appoints Becket Archbishop of Canterbury expecting continued loyalty, Becket instead becomes a serious defender of the Church against royal encroachment, leading to escalating conflict and ultimately Becket’s murder in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. Peter O’Toole plays Henry II. Richard Burton plays Becket. John Gielgud plays the French King Louis VII. Donald Wolfit plays Bishop Folliot of London. Pamela Brown plays Queen Eleanor. Martita Hunt plays Empress Matilda. The screenplay was written by Edward Anhalt. The film was produced by Hal Wallis Productions and Paramount Pictures on a budget of approximately 3 million dollars and grossed approximately 9 million dollars on initial release. The work won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and received twelve total nominations.
The film is one of the principal British historical dramas of the 1960s and this film that paired Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton at peak career standing. The Anouilh source play examines the historical Becket through invented friendship that the historical record does not fully support. The play and film present Henry and Becket as close personal companions whose breach over ecclesiastical authority destroys their relationship. Burton plays Becket with the controlled intelligence the role demands. O’Toole plays Henry with the theatrical fervor that distinguishes his stage-trained performance. The two leads received both Best Actor nominations and split the votes that might have produced a winner for either. Neither won. The performances remain among the definitive screen pairings of the 1960s. The Anouilh source presents historical issues that subsequent entries in the genre including The Lion in Winter (1968) have continued to examine.
The O’Toole and Burton Pairing
Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton were both established theatrical performers by 1964. O’Toole had recently completed Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Lord Jim (1965). Burton had completed Cleopatra (1963) and was beginning the highly publicized Elizabeth Taylor period. Both actors brought substantial stage training to this picture. The pairing produces particular quality that purely film-trained actors cannot generate. The dialogue exchanges between Henry and Becket require theatrical projection alongside cinematic intimacy.
The two actors had not previously worked together. They reportedly bonded immediately during production through shared drinking and theatrical background. The personal friendship produces on-screen chemistry that staged interaction alone could not match. Subsequent productions have attempted similar O’Toole-and-Burton style pairings without matching the Becket result. The combination of skilled actors with genuine off-screen rapport, the strong source material, and the strong dramatic conflict produced material neither performer would have generated in lesser company.
For Writers
Actor combinations produce results that individual performances cannot achieve alone. Worth remembering for creative work. The right pairing creates conditions for material neither contributor would have generated working separately.
The Historical Friendship
The historical Henry II and Thomas Becket were probably not close personal friends in the way the Anouilh play depicts. The historical record indicates a working relationship of king and trusted official rather than the emotional intimacy the film portrays. Anouilh invented the friendship to give the conflict dramatic stakes that purely political dispute would not have generated. The invention serves the play’s argument about the conflict between personal loyalty and institutional duty.
Anouilh also made another significant historical alteration. He depicts Becket as Saxon rather than Norman to give the conflict an ethnic dimension that did not historically exist. The actual Becket was Norman like Henry. Anouilh’s depiction makes Becket’s eventual defense of the Saxon-identified Church against Norman-identified king carry additional symbolic weight. The change has been criticized for falsifying ethnic history while strengthening dramatic structure. The play and film both make the choice to prioritize drama over accuracy.
For Writers
Historical accuracy and dramatic effect can conflict. The same logic applies to adaptation. It of which to prioritize is an artistic decision with consequences that subsequent audiences may evaluate differently.
The Murder Scene
The film depicts Becket’s murder in Canterbury Cathedral on December 29, 1170. Four knights enter the cathedral after Henry’s frustrated outburst about being rid of this turbulent priest. The historical record indicates that Henry’s outburst may have been rhetorical rather than direct command, though the knights interpreted it as authorization. The film stages the murder as Becket calmly accepting his death rather than fleeing or resisting.
The staging emphasizes martyrdom rather than violence. Becket prays as the knights approach. He turns his back to receive the strikes. The blood spreads across the cathedral floor in compositions that reference religious iconography. The film to depict the murder as deliberate martyrdom rather than chaotic violence aligns the film with the historical Becket’s subsequent canonization as Catholic saint. The film gives the murder thematic weight that pure violence would not have produced. Becket dies in a manner the Church can recognize as appropriate sacrifice.
For Writers
Staging choices carry thematic content beyond what events alone deliver. The same applies to fiction. How an event happens affects the meaning the event acquires within the larger work.
Craft Note
Peter Glenville directed only a few feature films across his career, with theatrical work being his primary professional identity. Becket represents his strongest cinematic achievement. The director had previously staged the Anouilh play on Broadway with Laurence Olivier as Becket and Anthony Quinn as Henry. The stage production informed the film’s approach. Theatrical directors making occasional films often produce work with particular qualities that career film directors do not generate.
Verdict
Becket is one of the principal British historical dramas of the 1960s and the work that paired Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton at peak career standing. The Anouilh source play takes historical liberties that serve dramatic effect. The two leads produce chemistry that lesser pairings have not matched. The Canterbury murder scene lands as martyrdom rather than chaotic violence. Worth viewing for anyone interested in British historical drama, in O’Toole or Burton’s filmographies, or in adaptations whose dramatic choices override historical accuracy in service of stronger material.
FAQ
Is the film historically accurate?
Partially. The major events occurred. The personal friendship between Henry and Becket is largely invented. Becket’s ethnic background is wrongly depicted as Saxon when he was actually Norman.
How does the film compare to The Lion in Winter?
The Lion in Winter (1968) depicts Henry II later in his reign without Becket. O’Toole plays Henry in both films with Katherine Hepburn as Eleanor. The two films function as informal companion pieces.
Should I read the Anouilh play first?
The play is short and provides useful context. The film follows the play closely. Either order works.
How does the runtime function?
The film runs approximately two hours twenty-eight minutes. The long runtime accommodates the political and personal content without excessive compression.
What is the cultural impact of the film?
Substantial sustained impact through British historical drama and ongoing work with the historical Becket subject.
Why did neither O’Toole nor Burton win Best Actor?
They likely split the votes between them. Rex Harrison won for My Fair Lady. The competition between the two Becket nominees may have prevented either from winning.