The choice of Becket (1964) was purely a Catholic one.  There will be many, even among the Church faithful, who have never heard of St. Thomas Becket (Richard Burton), who will henceforth be referred to as Thomas despite the movie title.  Because yours truly has spent time studying such things, I knew what I was looking at when I found it on Amazon Prime.  While doing my usual scrolling, I try to find things that will be at least somewhat familiar to my readers.  Failing that, I will go for whatever piques my interest.  With today’s movie, I feel I have accomplished both those imperatives, even if the eponymous character is not widely known for being a saint to Anglicans and Catholics.  I say this because, while dated, the film was nominated for twelve Academy Awards, though only winning one.  It had some competition in 1964, with the likes of Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Mary Poppins, and My Fair Lady.  While those others may have overshadowed Becket, perhaps this will convince you to watch one of the more Catholic films I have seen despite its problems.

Early on in Becket, it would appear that neither Thomas or his good friend, King Henry II of England (Peter O’Toole), have any problems.  We first see them together canoodling with a local peasant girl before being chased away and back to the duties of the state.  Those tasks include dealing with the Catholic Church in England, which is led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, a post at this time filled by Theobald of Bec (Felix Aylmer).  It should be noted, too, that there is divide in the kingdom between the Normans who conquered the country in 1066, and the native Saxons.  King Henry II is of the Norman line, and Thomas is a Saxon.  This bit is pretty historically inaccurate, but it makes for good drama.  What is real drama is the frustration King Henry II has with ecclesiastical authority.  The monarch desires taxes from the Church in order to fund his wars in France, which flies in the face of centuries of privilege and tradition.  In the ensuing argument, King Henry II names Thomas his chancellor, who manages to persuade the archbishop to cede some money to the rightful ruler.  While Thomas is honored by his new position, he is increasingly disturbed by the highhandedness with which King Henry II treats his Saxon subjects.  While on campaign in France, Thomas intercepts an assassination attempt by Brother John (David Weston), a Saxon monk, but allows the would-be killer to go free.  Following this, he rides with King Henry II into one of the liberated towns where they receive word that the Archbishop of Canterbury has passed away.  Within moments of hearing the news, King Henry II comes up with the idea that Thomas should be installed in the post.  In the king’s view, this would give him an inside man in keeping the clergy under control.  When the notion is put to Thomas, who is also a deacon, he tries to convince King Henry II to choose someone else.  Nonetheless, King Henry II prevails, and Thomas heads to Canterbury to fill his new role.  Contrary to expectations, he takes it seriously.  Before taking up the mantle, he sells everything he owns and gives away his possessions to the poor, a move that startles the establishment.  It certainly startles Brother John, who once more pays a visit to Thomas with murderous intent.  Instead of being put off, Thomas makes Brother John a servant, who has become convinced that the new archbishop is sincere in doing what is right by the Church.  The point is driven home when Thomas is told that one of his priests has been killed by a baron.  The priest had been accused of illicit behavior, but instead of being turned over to ecclesiastical authorities as is the law of the land, he is summarily executed.  Brother John’s first task as Thomas’ servant is to take a message to King Henry II to inform the monarch of Thomas request for something to be done about the unruly member of the nobility.  Not only does King Henry II refuse, but he rides alone ahead of Brother John to personally confront Thomas.  The archbishop remains steadfast in his initial request, which leads to a rupture in the friendship between the two.  While King Henry II goes to the Archbishop of London, Gilbert Foilot (Donald Wolfit), to get the rest of the bishops to turn against the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas proceeds to excommunicate the guilty baron.  Upon being summoned to court in London on the matter, Thomas declares that he is going to appeal to Pope Alexander III (Paolo Stoppa, voiced by Robert Rietti) in Rome.  On the way, King Henry II sends emissaries to intercept and/or stop Thomas, but the archbishop is granted safe passage by King Louis VII of France (John Gielgud) on the way to Rome.  Once there, Thomas asks that he be demoted from his office to serve as a humble priest, but Pope Alexander III denies it, telling Thomas to toe the line between being at peace with King Henry II and defending the interests of the Church.  Still, Thomas is granted an extended retreat before returning to his duties, a time he spends living as a monk in France.  In prayer, though, he realizes that he is being called back to England to serve God’s honor in his appointed position.  Before going, he has one last meeting with King Henry II, who requests that Thomas finally give in to the demands of the crown.  Thomas agrees to almost all requests save for dropping the matter that brought him across the English Channel.  King Henry II is still not pleased, but he agrees to let Thomas return.  Nonetheless, it does not take long for King Henry II to complain to anyone who will listen about the “meddlesome priest.”  The ones who listen are a small group of knights who travel to Canterbury and murder Thomas in the cathedral.  The final scene sees King Henry II being flogged by monks in front of Thomas’ tomb, though it is clear it is just for show.  All the same, King Henry II does tell the edifice of his old friend that Thomas has been declared a saint.

It is true that Thomas Becket was made a saint during the lifetime of his old friend, King Henry II.  What is less true is the feigned regret the king had for his role in the Thomas’ murder.  King Henry II did, indeed, submit to flogging, but he also walked barefoot through Canterbury, restored Church privilege, and sent troops to the Crusades.  You may rightly scoff at that last gesture, but that was seen as a magnanimous gesture in the twelfth century.  Put differently, as I hinted at in the introduction, the historical record is not well represented here.  King Henry II is considered to be one of England’s best monarchs, despite ordering Thomas’ death.  In the movie, he is portrayed as a raving, petulant child.  What is more satisfying is the portrayal of the eponymous saint.  There are many instances in the film that, even if they are dramatized or fabricated, speak to a deep sense of faith that found its way into the script.  The first is when Thomas gives away his possessions before becoming archbishop.  When he is questioned about his actions, he reminds them of Matthew 19:21, where Jesus tells those wishing to follow Him to, “go, sell what you have and give to [the] poor. . . .”  It brings his critics up short, but the fact that he has critics leads him to prayer.  Throughout, we see him asking God in specific solutions, not just a general request for guidance.  He desires to serve God with all his heart.  He also seeks to be humble in the execution of his duties.  When it comes to our own lives, so often we only turn to the Divine in moments of desperation.  It could be mortal peril, financial difficulty, or some other intense but passing imperative.  Please do not get me wrong.  It is good to say, simply, please God, help me.  What I would encourage is following Thomas’ example and going further with your supplication.  God is listening.

Listening is something King Henry II is made out to be uninterested in during Becket.  Aside from this historical inaccuracy, there are some brief moments of scandal that, luckily, do not get out of hand.  This was made in 1964, after all.  However, if you are looking for a movie that does a pretty good job of demonstrating saintly behavior, I recommend this one.