Becket

"An age of rampant lusts, abandon, runaway passions. An age brought bristling to life by two of the most exciting stars of our time!"

1964 2h 28m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

🍅

75%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.7

IMDB

★7.2TMDB · 208🍅75%Rotten Tomatoes●68Metacritic★7.7IMDB · 16,848

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Thomas Becket, Henry II's longtime advisor, finds his friendship with the debauched king corroding when he is unwillingly appointed as Archbishop of Canterbury in an attempt to gain absolute loyalty from the Church.

“An age of rampant lusts, abandon, runaway passions. An age brought bristling to life by two of the most exciting stars of our time!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Richard Burton
Thomas Becket
Peter O'Toole
King Henry II of England
John Gielgud
King Louis VII of France
Gino Cervi
Cardinal Zambelli
Paolo Stoppa
Pope Alexander III
Donald Wolfit
Bishop Folliot
David Weston
Brother John
Martita Hunt
Empress Matilda

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter Glenville
Writers: Edward Anhalt
Languages: Welsh, English, Latin
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

62 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Welsh, English, Latin.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Peter Glenville, shot by Geoffrey Unsworth. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Laurence Rosenthal. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Anne V. Coates shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole and John Gielgud carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "An age of rampant lusts, abandon, runaway passions. An age brought bristling to life by two of the most exciting stars of our time!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter Glenville directs. Geoffrey Unsworth behind the camera. Laurence Rosenthal scores. Anne V. Coates cuts. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in Welsh, English, Latin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

162 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Welsh, English, Latin.
3International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Directed by Peter Glenville, shot by Geoffrey Unsworth. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Laurence Rosenthal. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Anne V. Coates shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole and John Gielgud carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "An age of rampant lusts, abandon, runaway passions. An age brought bristling to life by two of the most exciting stars of our time!".
9IMDB entry: tt0057877 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "england", "bishop", "based on true story", "based on play or musical".

The technical file

Cinematography: Geoffrey Unsworth
Original score: Laurence Rosenthal
Editing: Anne V. Coates
Production design: John Bryan
Runtime: 148 min · 2h 28m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $9,100,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Becket (1964)
Rotten Tomatoes: 75% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 68/100
IMDB rating: 7.7/10 · 16,848 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

Won 1 Oscar. 14 wins & 23 nominations total

National Board of Review Award for Best Film
Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Peter Glenville

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-05-24
★ 10/10
Here's my royal foot on your royal buttocks! King Henry II of England has grown tired of the interference of the Church. When the Archbishop of Canterbury dies, he senses an opportunity to gain the upper hand. Much to the church, and Thomas Becket's surprise, he appoints his great friend Thomas to the highly important position. What Henry hadn't bargained for was that Becket takes the role very serious indeed and serves God to the full, so where once there was great friendship between the two men, there is now an uneasy feud. Based on the Jean Anouilh play, Becket is as near a technically perfect film as you could wish to see, with the acting on show coming right out of the top draw. Nominated for 12 Academy Awards, it won only one for Best Adapted Screenplay (Edward Analt), but on another given year it could quite easily have cleaned up. Peter O'Toole & Richard Burton play Henry II & Thomas Becket respectively, both men feeding of each others commitment to the project to bring peerless results, witness one scene in particular as they exchange views on horseback on a British beach, wonderful stuff. The costumes, the cinematography from Geoffrey Unsworth (now booming from the screen with the DVD restoration work), the sound, and the brilliant sets all come together to make a top of the range Historical drama. But all these would not stand out if the story wasn't any good, but Becket's triumph is in the story itself, a tale about the separation of great friends, and the separation of the state from the church, it really is an intriguing and beguiling way to spend your evening. One glaring error aside (Becket was not a Saxon, but a Norman), the makers have followed history rather well, and it leaves us with what i believe to be one of the best films of its type. 10/10

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