Review of Becket (1964) by Uditha D — 26 Nov 2011

I heard quite early on that Peter O'Toole acted magnificently in the same role in two films - one was The Lion In Winter, the other Becket. But although both were nominated for Best Picture (and Best Actor for him), I firmly think that Becket is an inferior epic.

The main reason for this is because, from beginning to end, it seems to drag on and on, drably and even colorlessly. I got tired of watching Henry II's childish antics turn dangerous towards the end, although the homosexuality between him and Becket was subtly hinted.

I found the performances wanting vitality, too dramatic, and (in O'Toole's case) quite predictable. Even the counterpart roles from The Lion in Winter, most notably Pamela Brown's Eleanor, were too emotionally played.

The lines (even "Thank God, madam, he gave you breasts - an asset from which I derived not the slightest benefit ") were not witty enough. Having said that, the score was quite good, and Burton's performance was alright (better than O'Toole's in any case).

Between this and The Lion In Winter, the latter is infinitely better. Overall I would rate this 3 out of 5 stars.