Line #15 Film/Becket


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/becket_1964_2_5083.jpg]]
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3	''Becket'' is a 1964 British film adaptation of the French play ''Becket or the Honour of God'' by Jean Anouilh, directed by Peter Glanville and starring Creator/PeterOToole as [[UsefulNotes/HenryTheSecond Henry II]] and Creator/RichardBurton as Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
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5	In 12th-century England, King Henry II is at odds with the church because he spends most of his time hunting, drinking, and womanizing with his Saxon friend Thomas Becket, who also advises him on matters of state. Following the death of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Henry appoints Becket as his replacement, despite the protests of most of the clergy and Becket himself, who claims that he cannot serve both God and the king. Becket takes his new position seriously and finds himself in opposition to Henry's interference in the church. Henry becomes furious because he mistakenly believed that installing his best friend as archbishop would give him control of the church. He banishes Becket from England and now the two friends become mortal enemies.
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7	Four years later O'Toole would play Henry II again as an older man in the film adaption of the play ''Film/TheLionInWinter'' with Creator/KatharineHepburn as his estranged wife Eleanor of Aquitaine.
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9	!!Contains examples of:
10	* ArtisticLicenseHistory:
11	** The most obvious being that Becket was actually a Norman (and not only that, his parents had only recently emigrated from France and Becket himself was educated in Paris) and not a Saxon. Jean Anouilh admitted that he invented this for RuleOfDrama. Further, some recent historians suggest that Becket and Henry were never as close of friends as the play and film make out.
12	** When Henry II went to perform his penance in the wake of Becket's murder he stopped outside Canterbury, took off his boots, and walked barefoot three miles to the Cathedral rather than riding up to the Cathedral as depicted in the film.
13	** The real Thomas Beckett was consecrated as Bishop by Henry of Blois, who was the Bishop of Winchester rather than Bishop of London Gilbert Foliot as depicted in the film.
14	** Becket's death happened after Henry the Young King's coronation rather than shortly after Becket's return from exile as the film suggests. The younger Henry's coronation was performed by the Archbishop of York instead of by Becket, who as Archbishop of Canterbury held the right to crown the monarch. Learning of this Becket excommunicated the clergy involved in the coronation, and in response Henry had his infamous frustrated outburst that prompted the barons to kill Becket.
15	** The relationship between the real life Henry and Empress Matilda was no where near as acrimonious as the film makes out. Historical evidence indicates that Henry adored Matilda and relied on her heavily for guidance until her death.
16	** Empress Matilda died three years before Becket was allowed to return to England from exile.
17	** In the film, Henry covers for Becket's assassins and they are let go. In real life, they traveled to Rome to absolve their sins and were sentenced to 14 years of military service in the Holy Land.
18	* TheAtoner: Becket, once he's made Archbishop, devotes himself completely to God to make up for his sins. Also by the end, Henry for ordering Becket's death.
19	* BerserkButton: When his eldest son identifies himself as "Henry III", Henry replies with an angry "Not yet!"
20	* CandlelitRitual: The rite of excommunication is performed with the Archbishop Becket flanked by a full choir, all bearing candles. After declaring [[spoiler:Lord Gilbert]] cast out of the church, Becket [[DyingCandle snuffs his candle out]] against the floor, followed by all the monks in attendance doing the same.
21	* CategoryTraitor: Becket is a Saxon who sides with the Norman King Henry.
22	* ChessMotifs:
23	** King Louis is [[EstablishingCharacterMoment first seen]] at a chessboard, proclaiming that his French knight has captured an English bishop. (This is right after Becket, as bishop, goes into exile in France.)
24	** Becket himself gets this line, while in prayer:
25	--->It has pleased you to make me archbishop, and to set me like a solitary pawn face to face with the king on the chessboard.
26	* DidntThinkThisThrough: Henry does this a couple times.
27	** First, Henry failed to think through what would happen if Becket were to take being Archbishop seriously instead of being the King's puppet.
28	** And second, he didn't think through what would happen when [[RhetoricalRequestBlunder he asked]] why no one would [[DeadlyEuphemism rid him]] of Beckett.
29	* DoesntKnowTheirOwnChild: Henry can't tell his rambunctious sons apart.[[note]] Henry and Eleanor had eight children - five sons and three daughters but only four sons were seen in the film.[[/note]]
30	* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Lady Gwendolyn]]
31	* DysfunctionalFamily: When you see Henry's home life, you don't blame him for wanting to hang out with Becket.
32	* TheGoodChancellor: Becket to Henry until Henry makes him archbishop.
33	* EvilMatriarch: Henry's mother the Empress Matilda.
34	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Until Henry makes Becket Archbishop of Canterbury.
35	* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: In the film it is at least strongly implied that Henry knowingly ordered Becket's death, and that his penance was a token gesture to get the heat off of his back. The general concensus among both contemporaries and historians is that it was a case of a drunken Henry lashing out in anger and being mistaken for an order, and that Henry was later genuinely remorseful.
36	* HistoricalInJoke: In what is possibly a historic in-joke for Art/TheBayeuxTapestry, Henry yells in frustration at his wife and mother:
37	-->'''Henry II:''' In God's name, how long does it take to make a tapestry?! And it's mediocre beyond belief!
38	* HomoeroticSubtext: Henry directly compares his love for Becket to his relationship with his wife, with Becket coming out far ahead, even moaning his name at one point. His mother says he has an "obsession with this man that is unhealthy and unnatural" and that he's behaving like a scorned lover. His wife says she can tolerate the King's mistresses, but will not tolerate his relationship with Becket. Interestingly this seems to have been made up for the movie and has no historical basis.
39	* IdiotBall:
40	** Henry grabs the idiot ball on a regular basis.
41	*** First, he fails to consider what would happen if he forced Becket to make a choice as to where his loyalties lay - either King or the Church.
42	*** Next, while he might not have intended it, what did Henry think was going to happen when he asked his knights if no one would rid him of [[TurbulentPriest Becket]]? Did he seriously think that the knights would realize that he did not mean it as a direct command from their King to kill Becket?
43	** Becket also gets his hands on the idiot ball as well by failing to consider how Henry would react to a challenge to his authority as well as failing to consider that the larger church might not back him up.
44	* IWasQuiteALooker: Becket thinks the old impoverished Saxon farmer he and Henry find may have been handsome in his youth.
45	* ItWillNeverCatchOn; Henry doesn't see the use of these new implements for eating called "forks":[[note]] The English were rather slow to adopt forks compared to other parts of Europe, not doing so for several hundred years.[[/note]]
46	-->'''Thomas Becket:''' Tonight you can do me the honor of christening my forks.
47	-->'''King Henry II:''' Forks?
48	-->'''Becket:''' Yes, from Florence. New little invention. It's for pronging meat and carrying it to the mouth. It saves you dirtying your fingers.
49	-->'''Henry II:''' But then you dirty the fork.
50	-->'''Becket:''' Yes, but it's washable.
51	-->'''Henry II:''' So are your fingers. I don't see the point.
52	* LargeHam: Peter O'Toole at his hammiest.
53	* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Becket saves a Saxon girl taken from her family from being ravished by Henry. Henry in return demands he sleep with Becket's mistress. [[spoiler: She kills herself before they can do the deed]].
54	* RaceLift: The historical Thomas Becket was a Norman not a Saxon.
55	* RequisiteRoyalRegalia: Henry II in this film. Averted when O'Toole plays him again in ''Film/TheLionInWinter''.
56	* RhetoricalRequestBlunder: "Will no-one rid me of this meddlesome priest?!"
57	* RoyalBrat: Henry's eldest son, also named Henry.
58	* SheCleansUpNicely: The Saxon girl Henry finds and takes from her family to sleep with.
59	* SinisterMinister: Bishop Folliot.
60	* [[TheSnarkKnight The Snark King]]: Henry, especially around his own family.
61	* ATasteOfTheLash: Henry has himself flogged by monks after [[spoiler: he orders the death of Becket]].
62	* TurbulentPriest: Becket was the TropeNamer although Henry calls him "meddlesome" in the movie.
63	* WeUsedToBeFriends: Right up to the point where Thomas is installed as Archbishop of Canterbury. The friendship quickly falls apart then.

Context Film / Becket