BECKET (1964) - ♦♦♦♦

Directed by - Peter Glenville

Written by - Edward Anhalt (based on a play by Jean Anouilh and Lucienne Hill)

Starring - Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole, John Gielgud, Donald Wolfit, Martita Hunt

"An English King comes to term with the end of the friendship between him and his confidant, who chooses his devotion to God over his devotion to him.

There is a certain undeniable homoerotic charge in the portrait of manly emotions exhibited in Becket that kind of fulfils a certain fixation in period pieces that were being made at the time. Despite the epic grandeur of the film, from its sets to its extras, this film feels more like a deep and honest personal drama - if a little overtly melodramatic and a tad bit exaggerated.

Becket is also a wonderful showcase for the two great actors Burton and O'Toole who work magnificently together and whose performances are very powerful and full of noble and genuine sentiments."

Period Drama, UK/USA