Film: Becket

Director: Peter Glenville
Genre: Drama
Source: USA (1964)
Rating: PG-13
Location/Format: Netflix Streaming
Grade: A-

The joy of "discovering" old films continues to be the joy of recognizing the complexity, dynamism, and sophistication of a bygone era--eras that as a child I had written off as somehow inferior to my own. Movie studios may have controlled the reins in a different way back then (as far as I know the independent scene was not thriving as it is now), cultural taboos may have prevented the type of explicit content on screens that is common now, and the technology may not have nearly as sophisticated as what I could buy now for just a few thousand dollars, but artists, directors, writers, and actors were still working at the height of their craft and producing some impressive results. In the same year that gave us great new works by Hemingway, Kesey, Miller, and more, is it any wonder that the film world was alive and thriving and producing some incredible works? The fact that I had never heard of Becket made me assume it was a minor work by some well-known actors--and perhaps it is--but there are other reasons I may not have discovered it until now as well. Looking at the Academy Awards in 1965, Becket was up for Best Picture--and thirteen other academy awards--against some heavy hitters: Zorba the Greek, Mary Poppins, Dr. Strangelove, and winner My Fair Lady. 
That's some stiff competition, and it makes sense that at least one of those films would fall off the radar as time goes by.

But I'm disappointed it was this one! This was my first Richard Burton film, and one of only a handful of Peter O'Toole films I've seen, but the dynamic and opposing acting styles of the two drew me in to the fractured friendship at the heart of the film. It's a good thing, too. Stylistically, the film reminded me of Camelot, which, though a few years later, shares Becket's slightly stale and soundstagey look. I'm not sure if that's wholly a result of the film stock being used, the art direction, or just the stylistic choices going into making a somewhat generic looking twelfth century England, but visually the film did not stand out for me.

But those actors. O'Toole is a raging inferno of emotion. He would play an older Henry II a few years later in The Lion in Winter, but his lusty and id-driven King here is both frightening and dynamic in a way that really electrified me. I have to wonder if he and Richard Burton split the vote for Best Actor, because while I haven't seen My Fair Lady in years, I don't remember Rex Harrison being nearly this fascinating to watch. At times it might verge on scenery chewing, but overall it's a stimulating and moving performance as Henry II pushes his need for obedience--and love--until he's locked himself into a corner. It's tragic, and if he doesn't get the outcome he had expected, he may get the outcome he deserves.

Burton on the other hand is playing the slow burn, as his Becket is everything the loud, boisterous, and unrestrained Henry is not. I would have liked to see a little more of a transition from him as he moved from faithful adviser to determined adversary, but Burton does a discovery of faith convincingly enough that I won't push him on it. It didn't match O'Toole's in intensity for me, but I can't help but feeling that was a deliberate choice on the actor's part.

At any rate, the film plays a nice contrast between the two, and it sets up some thought-provoking questions regarding loyalty, friendship, and morality. And perhaps my understanding of censorship rules in the early 60s is weak (probably the case), but I was surprised how the film pushed a few boundaries regarding Henry's sexual appetites as well--including a scene with a mostly nude woman in his bed. It was tame by today's standards, but still a surprise to me in a film from this era, and O'Toole's ecstatic throwing-back of the covers was effectively shocking.

In all this is the kind of discovery that's fun to make, and hot on the heels of Rosemary's Baby and Manhattan, I feel like I'm really lucking out in my older movie picks lately. Let's hope it keeps up, but at least I know that I'm interested in finding more O'Toole and Burton movies in the future.

Alternate Film Title: "Don't Let the Inconsistent Accents Get You Down"