Becket (Letterboxed Edition)
by Peter Glenville
(Click here)
Buy this VHS video movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
VHS Tape Cover Information
Actor: Gino Cervi, John Gielgud, Paolo Stoppa, Peter O'Toole, Richard BurtonDirector: Peter Glenville
Cinematographer: Geoffrey Unsworth
Editor: Anne V. Coates
Producer: Hal B. Wallis
Producer: Joseph H. Hazen
Writer: Edward Anhalt
Writer: Jean Anouilh
Writer: Lucienne Hill
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog; Latin (Original Language)
Format: Color, HiFi Sound, Letterboxed, NTSC
Running Time: 148 minutes
Release Date: 1994-10-17
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: Mpi Home Video
Studio: Mpi Home Video
VHS Movie Reviews of Becket (Letterboxed Edition)
Movie Review: Dramatic History at its Best
Summary: 5 Stars
Another "Burton" at his best, "Becket" gives us a superb Peter O'toole as Henry II. No better acting than these two give us has Hollywood ever produced and it's all there in this increibly important film. Thought provoking and ethiically important. The comlexity of being human faces us throughout the two and a half hours. Would that Hollywood were still producing motion pictures of this quality!
Summary of Becket (Letterboxed Edition)
Made in 1964, but set in 12th-century England, this is the fact-based story of Henry II (Peter O'Toole) and his dear friend, the Archbishop of Canterbury (Richard Burton). When the king appoints his former drinking buddy to the high religious office, he believes he has placed an ally into power. Instead, he learns that Thomas very much takes his job to heart, prompting Henry to ask that fateful question--"Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?"This won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay, and it is a strong example of finely tuned performances--both leading men received Academy Award nominations for their roles. There is much passion and rage on the screen, but the beauty of their performances is that we always know that love is there as well. The film, shot on location in England, is also visually appealing. Trivia buffs may be interested to know that Peter O'Toole played Henry II four years later in The Lion in Winter. --Rochelle O'Gorman
The primary bonus feature is a treat: a feature-length commentary by Peter O'Toole, accompanied by a moderator. With only occasional gaps of silence, the still sharp and well-spoken O'Toole recalls the making of the film, how he didn't research the historical King Henry ("The author has made the character; that's his job. My job is to play it."), and his memories of Richard Burton, both personal ("We found that we both enjoyed rugby, we both enjoyed songs, and we both enjoyed drinking, and got along very well.") and professional ("he had an astonishing presence on the stage"). There are also two archival interviews with Burton from 1967 and 1977 (26 minutes total), in which he doesn't discuss Becket, but he does say a lot about his life on stage, he recites some lines, and speaks candidly about his drinking problem.
Don't skip over the interviews with the film's editor Anne Coates and composer Laurence Rosenthal. Coates (7 minutes) has some good stories, and Rosenthal (12 minutes) discusses the influences on his Oscar-nominated score and how he had to teach Gregorian chant to Burton ("He was one of these people whom you really can't teach anything. He had this characteristic that you can only remind him of something he already knows. But he didn't know how to sing Gregorian chant."). In addition to a photo gallery and the four-and-a-half-minute theatrical trailer, MPI's long-delayed DVD looks better than many major-studio classics. --David Horiuchi
Beyond Becket
 Other Peter O'Toole Films |  Other Richard Burton Films |  More King Henrys on DVD |
 |  |  |
Art House & International VHS Video
VHS Video Movies
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation VHS Video
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics VHS Video
- Comedy VHS Video
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama VHS Video
- Educational
- Fitness
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror VHS Video
- Kids & Family
- Military & War VHS Video
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports VHS Video
- Television VHS Video
- Westerns VHS Video
Movies most talked about in Best Bio Pics
LutherTWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT; Release date: 2004-11-30; DVD
Best price: $7.13
Price in other shops:
Edison the ManMGM (Warner); Release date: 1998-09-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $69.99
The Story of Alexander Graham Bell20th Century Fox; Release date: 1998-01-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $44.00
Malcolm X (Two-Disc Special Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2005-02-08; DVD
Best price: $10.23
Price in other shops:
Gandhi (Widescreen Two-Disc Collector's Edition)Sony; Release date: 2007-02-20; DVD
Best price: $11.43
Price in other shops:
PollockSony; Release date: 2001-07-24; DVD
Best price: $7.93
Price in other shops:
Lawrence of Arabia (Single Disc Edition)Sony; Release date: 2002-08-27; DVD
Best price: $6.90
Price in other shops:
Ed Wood (Special Edition)Release date: 2004-10-19; DVD
Best price: $9.75
Price in other shops:
The Life of Emile Zola (Special Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2005-02-01; DVD
Best price: $9.75
Price in other shops:
Becket (Letterboxed Edition)Mpi Home Video; Release date: 1994-10-17; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $14.49
Price in other shops:
Similar VHS Movies
Elizabeth IWarner Brothers; Release date: 2006-08-22; DVD
Best price: $11.90
Price in other shops:
Letters from Iwo Jima (Two-Disc Special Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2007-05-22; DVD
Best price: $6.87
Price in other shops:
William Shakespeare's Hamlet (Two-Disc Special Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2007-08-14; DVD
Best price: $10.99
Price in other shops:
El Cid (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (The Miriam Collection)WELLSPRING/GENIUS; Release date: 2008-01-29; DVD
Best price: $6.98
Price in other shops:
CromwellSony; Release date: 2003-10-07; DVD
Best price: $7.67
Price in other shops:
The QueenBuena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2007-04-24; DVD
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops:
The Agony and the EcstasyRelease date: 2005-02-22; DVD
Best price: $4.10
Price in other shops:
Anne of the Thousand Days / Mary, Queen of ScotsUniversal; Release date: 2007-09-18; DVD
Best price: $11.83
Price in other shops:
The Lion in WinterRelease date: 2001-06-19; DVD
Best price: $4.48
Price in other shops:
A Man for All Seasons (Special Edition)Sony; Release date: 2007-02-20; DVD
Best price: $7.66
Price in other shops: