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Edward Anhalt's academy award winning screenplay adatation of Jen Anauilh's play is, as many have mentioned, exceptional, the cinematography, and costume design superb, the direction nearly flawless, but it is the exquisitely realized performances of Burton ( as Becket ), and O'Toole ( as Henry II ) that command attention in this sumptuous tale of a doomed friendship ( and, of course, an epic battle of church and state ). Whether you like religious films, political intrigue, historical epics, or just ascerbic, and intelligent dialogue, there are very few pictures that can contend with BECKET.
The supporting cast is also great, in particular the always impressive John Gielgud. This is an excellent film that helped define the careers of two of the best actors England has produced, specially for Peter O'Toole. It was nominated for 12 Academy Awards. This movie has been hard to find, buy while available. The movie looks great on High Definition. This is a must have.
The blu-ray transfer is flawless and a pleasure to watch. The details have been gone over by others so I won't repeat them. It is a must-see classic. I saw this in a theater many years ago when it first came out, and recall that even then it appealed to everyone from intellectuals to the guys on the street corner. Who can ask for more. The film has everything- humor, pathos, tragedy, with magnificent performances by Peter O'Toole as Henry II and Richard Burton as Beckett. It starts from great material- a play by Jean Anouilh which is wonderfully adapted for the screen by Edward Anhalt, one of the best screenwriters of the era. Both were then at the height of their powers and it shows on the screen.
This film is slow moving and you actually have to pay attention enough to appreciate the suffering of Henry II's love for Becket and hence, I continue to persue the venue of how this film succeeded in this era.I am impressed with those that were able to appreciate the path less taken and applaud anyone who comprehends the afflictions of kings and counterparts in history. I absolutely loved this film and it's pagentry and intrigue and dialogue.but how on earth with the crass competition of cleavage and Doris Day venue did ANYONE sit thru this compelling drama. Were they just trying to impress their colleagues that they were interested in 11-12th century ENGLISH history.
(The interviews are interesting, but there is no mention of Becket in either of them). I still prefer the hi-def image without reservation).I tend to imagine Peter O'Toole as too big a star to give his attention to DVD commentary tracks, but he does a commentary track here and is fully engaged, interesting and informative.The Blu-ray supplements are missing two archival interviews with Richard Burton that appear on the DVD. I don't think this is a great movie, but it's a very good one.With the elaborate costumes and sets, the movie really benefits from the hi-def treatment -- with only a couple exceptions, the Blu-ray looks far superior to the DVD. (The exceptions are places where enhanced clarity makes film tricks like matte paintings more obvious.
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