Becket

A beautiful movie. And you get all the great acting you expect from the leads.

The film is literate and heady, taking full advantage of the imposing castles and landscapes that serve as the setting. The earliest scenes are strongest, generating frisson in their loose energy. As the king, O'Toole strides triumphantly through scenes with spirited combustibility and Burton plays Becket with an amused ease. As the movie gets more serious it gets less fun, suffering most from lengthy stretches where Burton and O'Toole no longer have the luxury of playing off of each other.

I'm not sure why O'Toole felt like ruining a perfectly good movie, but he gets points for doing it in the most ridiculous manner imaginable.

Damn near perfect. Now THIS is a heroic saga that can put all the superhero films that are the rage today to shame. Beautifully done in every way

Jean Anouilh's bitter stage comedy is filmed literally and soberly as a rather anaemic epic, so that the point is lost and the edge blunted. The paucity of physical action causes good scenes to alternate with long stretches of tedium.

Extraordinary well written and acted film; entire cast is wonderful, but O'Toole should have copped Oscar. Patrick Wolfit also extraordinary in minor role as Bishop of England. Burton and Gielgud also terrific. One of the greats.

While Burton is great, O'Toole ridiculously overacts throughout and I never got a sense of real friendship between the two, besides the one scene on the beach where the relationship is already ruined.

It's an interesting epic, very well told and acted. The themes that run through the film of friendship, loyalty and honor are very well executed and you can really feel for both Burton and O'Toole's characters as the story unfolds.

Movie seems a little long at times but is worth it as both Burton and O'Toole are very good.

An uneven performance from Peter O'Toole (exceptionally good in the scenes with his court, scenery-chewing histrionics away from it) dampens enthusiasm for a play-turned-film that is opened out nicely by Glenville. TA homoerotic sub-text is strong in this one, and would make an interesting companion-piece to the 1959 Ben-Hur.

O'Toole Burton

an extremely well written movie, o'toole and burton are so well immersed in their roles--but that's what you should expect from o'toole. it's a great story and the drama in it translates from the stage seemlessly, which is rare for a movie adapted from a play.

Impressive production and great performances by O'Toole, Burton and Gielgud. The dialogue was top notch as well.

Burton is excellent in his role, but the characters in general aren't very believable. This is just one of the issues caused by the fact that this is a rather direct adaptation of the play. Often it feels more like a filmed play, than an actual film.

It has good performances by O'Toole and Burton, but I wasn't blown away by much else. The story is just kind of ok. I preferred The Lion in Winter to this. Both star O'Toole as King Henry II, but The Lion in Winter was more intriguing IMO.

The film is beautifully shot. The script is clever and witty. Peter O'Toole's performance of the playboy King Henry II is fantastic. Richard Burton's portrayal of Thomas Becket as a man dedicated fully to whatever his duty entails is nothing short of perfection. A must see for sure, especially the newly restored DVD version.

Good but bland.

The story is simple, but very engaging, and this is in no small part because of Burton and O'Toole who give two very different, but equally terrific performances.

Histrionic history lesson, with Burton and O'Toole showing their stuff, or stuffing their show, as the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, and His Royal Majesty Henry II, respectively, once inseparable friends, driven apart by the demands of their posts. On the tongues of these actors, talkiness becomes talkier.

83.500.

This adaptation of Jean Anouilh's play is really quite remarkable. O'Toole and Burton are at the height of their powers and turn in really extraordinary performances. They are both very theatrical, but in a way that complements the material. The play is opened up into a very well executed widescreen spectacle with gorgeous cinematography and striking, spare sets.

O'Toole is amazing.

Two snaps and a twist.

Excellent costume period drama/biopic of Thomas Becket. Everything is big in scale with grand sets and a huge cast. Burton is very strong as Becket and O'Toole is great and fun as Henry II. The relationship between the two men is the focus here, and it's handled very well, multi-faceted and deep. Could have probably been tightened slightly but very strong stuff.

I wish I could like this movie more. Its actually quite good. Unfortunately it did nothing for me. I think it was the lack of any atmosphere.

Parçala Becket.