Watch Becket For Free

You won't be disappointed!

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

something magic defines Becket. the source is not the acting, the music, the costumes, atmosphere. but the silence. it does force to the fight for honor, to loyalty, to the friendship and to the final word of king. it is the heart of tension and the drawing of lead characters. Richard Burton does one of his memorable roles. but his role is like a coat for two. his Thomas Becket is great, convincing, touching, profound, vulnerable and profound human for the science of Peter O ' Toole to discover his Henri II as the runner to his precise destiny. it seems be the film of two great actors and that is its high virtue. but its status of memorable movie has deeper roots. because it becomes more than a remarkable play adaptation and sustain a generous message in brilliant manner. story of power and faith, it is good support of reflection about politics and its necessary limits.

'Becket' examines the rather intricate relationship between the headstrong 11th-century King Henry II of England (O'Toole) and his lifelong friend, Thomas Becket (Burton). On the surface, the two appear to be really close chums who spend their time wenching and drinking - king and servant, but friends foremost. However, there are layers below this, as Henry clearly revels in his lust for living and more than a little affection for his servant Becket. Unable to consummate his love for his fellow man, he drowns his desires in women. Becket is much more of an enigma, and his motivations are somewhat elusive. He clearly relishes the company of his king, but is not entirely comfortable with his attentions. He is a Saxon, one of the conquered, requiring him to straddle the gulf between honor and collaboration, serving his Norman King in several capacities – as a valet, a bodyguard and a military adviser. He wears his compromises poorly, and longs for a simpler, honorable way of living.When the Archbishop of Canterbury dies, with view to subjugate the mighty Church, Henry picks Becket to be the successor, despite not even being an ordained priest, which proves to be his undoing. As soon as the miter is upon his head and the silver cross in his hand, Becket becomes a thorn in the king's side, opposing him on a point of principle, straining their friendship and putting Becket's life in peril. Henry loves Becket, as he adores no other human being in his life, and it hurts him to the core that Becket chooses honor over their friendship. 'Becket' soon moves from power play to power struggle, a struggle that Henry is not ready to lose.On the surface, Becket appears to be a humdrum king versus a dignified politician war. But, here, the primary conflict is between the throne of England in its debauchery, and the Church, with its compromised morality. The characters, even while wearing robes of power, stink to highest heaven in every sense. While protected by their power, they freely admit the moral sewer they occupy, and serve their gluttonous appetites with aplomb. Absolute power allows the veneer of quality to drip away, and we can be most thankful for this lack of varnish. Just as the characters' loyalties to one another are called into question, so, too are ours: 'Becket' enters a moral gray area from which it never fully emerges.Becket crackles with whip-smart dialogue and is anchored by a sharp screenplay that finds resonance even today. Peter Glenville directs with a flamboyant hand, but mostly he lets his two leads have free rein, and the results are glorious. Richard Burton is always at his best when reserved, and this is no exception. Peter O'Toole rips into the script as if he invented the art of acting, and belts out some of the best lines. He has a slithery charm that suddenly erupts into volcanic expulsions of blind fury. His chemistry with Burton is ripe with homo-erotic undercurrents, which O'Toole mines with relish in a hysterical performance, full of cunning, eloquence and mad outbursts.Years later, Becket remains just as incandescent and relevant!

OMG this movie is so LGBT it really should be categorized as gay-themed. Probably the gayest mainstream film of the mid-1960s. And let's not forget, Burton and O'Toole were A-list actors then. True, their characters indulge in wenching (gotta love that word) at the beginning of the film but fasten the leather straps for the unbelievable 180 when Beck becomes Big Churchy Prig like overnight (Beck goes to bat over a sex-abuser priest because churchy authority must trump earthy) and Hen is just CRUSHED.... This is as gay as it gets, dear readers. Probably historically totally inaccurate. And it seems the filmmakers couldn't care less about anyone's approval. All the Catholic stuff (costumes, rituals, etc.) is totally gayicized, (which is not hard to do). A strangely fun movie and screamingly essential for all LGBTs.

This slow-paced film explores the love-hate relationship between a young, hedonistic King Henry II (Peter O'Toole) and his brooding, philosophical friend Thomas Becket (Richard Burton). The casting seems perfect, but O'Toole is often caught chewing the scenery and there is surprisingly little chemistry between he and Burton. Both of these actors are rightly associated with challenging and multifaceted roles, usually of flawed, frustrated antiheroes who embrace but undermine traditional notions of masculinity. That is precisely what the script of "Becket" aims for, but here the dialogue is overwrought and belabored, and the characterizations are one-dimensional. O'Toole would reprise the character of Henry II to much greater effect in "The Lion in Winter" (1968), which features a more forceful script and better performances.