Becket

Theatrical Release Date: 1964 03 11 (USA) / 2007 01 26 (USA - Limited Rerelease)

UPC: 030306180397

Studio: MPI Home Video

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children]

Summary: A high-class costume drama with a substantive historical basis, Becket is the true story of the friendship between King Henry II (Peter O'Toole) and Thomas ? Becket (Richard Burton), a royal courtier and confidant whom Henry appoints as Archbishop of Canterbury. As Becket takes his duties with the Church seriously, he finds himself increasingly at odds with the King, who finally orders the death of his once-close companion when he continues to defy the throne. Burton is very good and O'Toole is even better: both men were nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, while Edward Anhalt's screenplay, based on the stageplay by Jean Anouilh, won for Best Adapted Screenplay. The basic theme of separation of church and state still reverberates today, while the top-notch production values ensure Becket's place as one of Britain's better historical epics. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

Category: Historical Film

Awards: Best British Film – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Color Cinematography – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Film - Any Source – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Director – Directors Guild of America Best Picture - Drama – null Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – null Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – null Best Director – null Best Original Score – null Best Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Adapted Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Color Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Color Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Color Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Color Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Color Cinematography – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Color Costume Design – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – National Board of Review Best Original Score – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Supporting Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: Commentary with Peter O'Toole
Theatrical Trailer
Still Gallery
Interviews with Editor Anne V. Coates and Composer Laurence Rosenthal
TV Spot

Becket

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 11/25/2008

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cinemascope

Audio: DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo, DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 150 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) French,Spanish,English

Subtitles: English

Michael Betzold

In 1964, Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton were the two biggest British film acting stars, and they were paired in an historical epic about the friendship between King Henry II (O'Toole) and Thomas ? Becket (Burton). The film, directed flawlessly if staidly by Peter Glenville, was based on a bitterly sardonic stage play by Jean Anouilh. The movie is less edgy and features much talk and little action, even though its bloody climax was already well-known from history. Burton and O'Toole are great sparring partners, displaying tremendous acting talent. They and John Gielgud, who played French king Louis VII, were Oscar-nominated but didn't win; screenwriter Edward Anhalt won an Oscar for adapting the play. Becket emblematizes the serious, stagey historical dramas of the 1950s and 1960s. Glenville's short directing career would end a few years later. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Patrick Newell  Actor 
Edward Woodward  Actor 
Edward Anhalt  Screenwriter 
Jean Anouilh  Screenwriter 
Peter Glenville  Director 
Laurence Rosenthal  Composer (Music Score) 
Hal B. Wallis  Producer 
Richard Burton  Actor 
Peter O'Toole  Actor 
John Gielgud  Actor 
Donald Wolfit  Actor 
Martita Hunt  Actor 
Pamela Brown  Actor 
Gino Cervi  Actor 
Paolo Stoppa  Actor 
David Weston  Actor 
Felix Aylmer  Actor 
Inigo Jackson  Actor 
Sian Phillips  Actor 
Veronique Vendell  Actor 
Gerald Lawson  Actor 
Jennifer Hilary  Actor 
Riggs O'Hara  Actor 
John Phillips  Actor 
Frank Pettingell  Actor 
Hamilton Dyce  Actor 
Linda Marlowe  Actor 
Geoffrey Bayldon  Actor 
Graham Stark  Actor 
Victor Spinetti  Actor 
Niall MacGinnis  Actor 
Percy Herbert  Actor 
Christopher Rhodes  Actor 
Peter Jeffrey  Actor 

Country: UK