Becket (1962)

Fr. Scott Haynes

A Film on the Life of St. Thomas Becket

Feast Day, December 29

Becket is one of the great historical dramas of mid-twentieth-century cinema, released in 1964 and closely associated with the cultural and spiritual climate of the early 1960s. Directed by Peter Glenville and based on the play by Jean Anouilh, the film dramatizes the tragic conflict between King Henry II of England and his former friend, Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury.

At the heart of the film is Peter O’Toole, whose performance as King Henry II is intense, restless, and magnetic. O’Toole portrays Henry as brilliant and impulsive, a ruler who wants both absolute loyalty and absolute affection. His Henry laughs, rages, charms, and wounds in equal measure, embodying a man who cannot understand why friendship must ever yield to conscience.

Opposite him stands Richard Burton as Thomas Becket, delivering one of the most memorable portrayals of sanctity and moral awakening in cinema. Becket begins as a worldly courtier, skeptical of religion and amused by power. Yet once he accepts the office of Archbishop, something irrevocable changes. Burton plays this transformation with restraint and gravity, showing a man who discovers that obedience to God places him beyond the reach of kings.

What makes Becket so compelling is that it is not merely a historical pageant, but a meditation on authority, friendship, betrayal, and martyrdom. The dialogue is sharp and often poetic, allowing the philosophical and theological tensions to surface naturally. Henry and Becket are not simple symbols; they are fully human, bound together by affection and torn apart by incompatible loyalties.

The climactic martyrdom at Canterbury Cathedral is handled with solemn dignity. Becket’s death is not sensationalized but presented as the inevitable consequence of fidelity to conscience. The film invites the viewer to consider the cost of sanctity and the terrible loneliness that can accompany obedience to God.

In the context of the early 1960s, Becket resonated deeply. It appeared at a time when questions of authority, conscience, and moral responsibility were being publicly debated in Church and society. Without preaching, the film places before the viewer an enduring truth: when the claims of God and the demands of power collide, the saint chooses God, even unto death.

Nearly six decades later, Becket remains a powerful cinematic reflection on martyrdom and moral courage, elevated by Peter O’Toole’s fiery performance and Richard Burton’s grave, unforgettable Becket.

Notice: Parents should pre-screen the movie before allowing children to watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMwgMDUjVf0