1960s drama film biographical film medieval film

Becket

1964 · United States, United Kingdom · 148 min

Director: Peter Glenville
Screenplay: Jean Anouilh, Edward Anhalt
Producer: Hal B. Wallis
Music: Laurence Rosenthal
Cinematography: Geoffrey Unsworth
Editing: Anne V. Coates
Production company: Paramount Pictures
Based on: Becket ou l'Honneur de Dieu

Awards: Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay; National Board of Review Award for Best Film; National Board of Review: Top Ten Films · 11 nominations

What the critics say

75 % Rotten Tomatoes positive reviews68 Metacritic /100

Cast

Magda Konopka

What it is about

Becket is a 1964 British-American historical drama directed by Peter Glenville. It follows the uneasy friendship between King Henry II of England and Thomas Becket, his chancellor and trusted companion, who handles affairs of state and the king's private indulgences. When the Archbishop of Canterbury dies, the king names Becket to the post, and the new churchman quickly begins to put the Church's interests first. The former friends become rivals, and the film turns on the clash between personal loyalty and religious duty.

How it was made

The film adapts Jean Anouilh's 1959 play Becket or the Honour of God, and Edward Anhalt wrote the screenplay based on the French text. Producer Hal B. Wallis made it through his independent company, and Paramount Pictures financed and distributed it. Shooting took place at Shepperton Studios in England, with location work at castles and beaches in Northumberland, including Alnwick and Bamburgh. Laurence Rosenthal wrote the score, Geoffrey Unsworth shot the film, and Anne V. Coates edited it. Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole led the cast as Becket and Henry, with John Gielgud as King Louis VII of France.

Reception and legacy

The film won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and received eleven other nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and two nominations for Best Actor. It also won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama, and the National Board of Review named it one of the year's best films in 1964. In Spain, Richard Burton received the Fotogramas de Plata for best foreign actor. A restoration brought it back to around thirty American cinemas in 2007, and home video releases followed in 2007 and 2008.