Cheap Becket (Video) (Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole, John Gielgud) (Peter Glenville) Price

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Customer Reviews of Becket

One of the greatest movies of all time
Both richard Burton and Peter O'Toole give one of the greatest performces ever captured on film. There is the growing tension between friendship and honor, with Becket realizing that the honor of God is greater than the honor of the king. Richard Burton gives a great performance in his transition from a womanizer to a saint. Peter O'Toole is equally convincing as King Henry II who must endure the agnoy of both physical and emotional punishment as he grieves over the loss of his friend and also the smartest man in England. Watch for the great scenery and the historical depiction of the the tesnsions in England between the Normans and the Saxons. There are very good supporting roles of the Saxon aide to Becket and the Henry's queen and her mother, who provide reason for Henry to not want to be with his family. Listen for the great put down of the queen by Henry. It is one of the funniest and best insults of a spouse, and drives home the point of the emptiness that Henry feels in his home life.

This movie is a must see. When it first caame out in theaters, I saw it at lest six times.

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TO BE OR NOT TO BE...
This 1964 film garnered twelve Academy Award nominations, and age has not diminished its power to engage the viewer. Fueled by two powerful performances that drive the entire film, that of Peter O'Toole as Henry II and that of Richard Burton as Thomas Becket, this history based drama explains the conflict that caused the assassinatiom and subsequent canonization of Becket.

Henry II, England's twelfth century Norman King, elevated Thomas Becket, a commoner and Saxon peasant, to the lofty position of Chancellor of England. Famous friends, they drank, caroused and wenched together. All was well between them until Henry takes it into his head to appoint Becket as Archbishop of Canterbury, the most powerful cleric in England, though Becket begs his friend not to do this. Ignoring the heartfelt plea of his friend, he makes it so, under the belief that this would indirectly bring the Catholic Church of England under his dominion and control.

Simultaneously both Archbishop and Chancellor, Becket became the most powerful man, secularly and religiously, in England with one fell swoop. This political move by Henry did not work out as he had envisioned, however, as Becket found himself in the position of being able only to render to the King that which was the King's and to God that which was God's. Becket took his position of Archbishop of Canterbury very seriously and was uncompromising in his view, a devotion to God that Henry had not bargained on. This created conflict between Becket and Henry. The friendship and love that had existed between them for so long, now quickly turned to bitter hate on Henry's part for what he perceived to be a betrayal of that friendship. For the first time in his life, Henry had a rival with whom he could not compete: God.

This was to lead to a battle of wills between the two that would culminate in a tragedy that would become memorialized for all time. This film attempts to capture the events that led up to Becket's eventual martyrdom. It succeeds masterfully. A somewhat hammy Peter O'Toole is terrific as the selfish King Henry II. A more restrained Richard Burton is compelling as the troubled and angst ridden Becket, who ultimately chooses his devotion to God over the dictates of his King and friend. This is a beautifully filmed and superlative historical drama with wonderful performances contributed by the supporting cast. Though somewhat stagey at times, it does not fail to fully engage the viewer. All in all, it is a period piece well worth watching and a welcome addition to one's film collection.

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Will this EVER be on DVD??
What a wonderful movie buta horrific version on VHS. Some of the scenes are so dark you have to really stretch to even make out basic facial features. It's sad indeed, with one of the best films by both Burton and O'Toole.