| Release Date: | Mar 1964 |
|---|---|
| Genres: | History / Drama / Biography |
| Awards: | Won Oscar. Another 12 wins & 22 nominations |
| Runtime: | 148 min |
| Cast: | Richard Burton (Thomas à Becket), Peter O'Toole (King Henry II), John Gielgud (King Louis VII of France) Gino Cervi (Cardinal Zambelli) Paolo Stoppa (Pope Alexander III) Donald Wolfit (Bishop Folliot) David Weston (Brother John) Martita Hunt (Empress Matilda) Pamela Brown (Queen Eleanor [of Aquitaine]) Siân Phillips (Gwendolen (as Sian Phillips)) Felix Aylmer (Archbishop of Canterbury) Percy Herbert (Baron) Inigo Jackson (Robert de Beaumont) Niall MacGinnis (Baron) Christopher Rhodes (Baron) |
King Henry II of England has trouble with the Church. When the Archbishop of Canterbury dies, he has a brilliant idea. Rather than appoint another pious cleric loyal to Rome and the Church, he will appoint his old drinking and wenching buddy, Thomas Becket, technically a deacon of the church, to the post. Unfortunately, Becket takes the job seriously and provides abler opposition to Henry than his predecessors were able to do. This leads to the famous "Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?"
