This notable improvement over the stage-bound Anouilh play recounts the story of two great friends turned unintentional foes, Becket (Richard Burton) and Henry II (Peter O'Toole). Becket is Henry's chancellor until consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury, almost in jest, by Henry. Becket takes
the job seriously and defends the church from royal onslaught. The two men drift further apart as Becket goes deeper into his ecclesiastical role, and the king realizes that his former friend must be killed after the two men meet for an attempted reconciliation in a wonderful scene on horseback at
a British beach.
Ostensibly a story regarding the separation of church and state, Anouilh and Anhalt followed history closely and added their own undercurrent of homoerotic tension between the men, although this is so subtle that it was lost on many viewers. All technical credits are excellent and so are the
performances. Many wonderful touches abound, including the scene wherein forks are introduced to the court. Wallis, whose career spanned six decades (everything from LITTLE CAESAR, CASABLANCA, and GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL to various Elvis Presley films) established himself in the pantheon of
producers with this film. leave a comment
