Historical Inaccurate Films I Love
Okay I do love a good historical film and I usually like them to be as accurate as possible but sometimes there is a film so good that I really don't care how inaccurate it is. This film is Becket from 1964 (also the year Mary Poppins, Dr. Strangelove & My Fair Lady came out so clearly just a good year for film).
Just watching Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton (two of the best actors ever and somehow 15 nominations between them neither managed to get a competitive Best Actor award) go at a great script is enough (and they are both so good in a different way I am not even sure who I prefer). Who cares that Becket wasn't really a Saxon (the original author of the play was told this but kept this plot point in because it made his story better and well he is right).
It's a story about lost friendship & juicy things like church VS state. And once again the acting. What's not to like? Well the only thing I did not like is the portrayal of Eleanor. Lion in Winter (which I like to think of as an unofficial sequel) makes up for this because Katharine Hepburn is awesome as the Queen. Peter O'Toole again plays Henry II but showing what a great actor he is he adds extra layers to the character who is now much older than the King he played in Becket.
Thinking about it I guess I just like these 1960's historical films based on plays: A Man for All Seasons & Anne of a Thousand Days are also quite good. Becket is probably my favorite though. I recorded it off TCM this morning but I still wish I had the DVD just so I can hear the commentary track by O'Toole.
Just watching Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton (two of the best actors ever and somehow 15 nominations between them neither managed to get a competitive Best Actor award) go at a great script is enough (and they are both so good in a different way I am not even sure who I prefer). Who cares that Becket wasn't really a Saxon (the original author of the play was told this but kept this plot point in because it made his story better and well he is right).
It's a story about lost friendship & juicy things like church VS state. And once again the acting. What's not to like? Well the only thing I did not like is the portrayal of Eleanor. Lion in Winter (which I like to think of as an unofficial sequel) makes up for this because Katharine Hepburn is awesome as the Queen. Peter O'Toole again plays Henry II but showing what a great actor he is he adds extra layers to the character who is now much older than the King he played in Becket.
Thinking about it I guess I just like these 1960's historical films based on plays: A Man for All Seasons & Anne of a Thousand Days are also quite good. Becket is probably my favorite though. I recorded it off TCM this morning but I still wish I had the DVD just so I can hear the commentary track by O'Toole.