Becket (MPI Blu-ray)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: B- Film:
B+
In 1964,
during the prime of their careers and after other huge stars passed on the
chance, Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton would star in the stage-adapted
version of Becket. Directed by Peter Glenville and also
co-starring equally talented John Gielgud the film would make waves, despite
being snubbed hardcore during the Oscars by My Fair Lady and Mary
Poppins. Needless to say the film
has become somewhat of a lost gem, which has surfaced on the Blu-ray format and
is well-worth the attention. Just four
years after it’s release O’Toole would revisit the character of King Henry II
in the masterful The Lion in Winter,
which we will certainly look forward to on Blu-ray as well.
Becket is a film that involves the
trouble that King Henry II has with the church and when the archbishop passes
away he decides to appoint his drinking buddy named Thomas Becket. He is technically a deacon and so the move is
legit, but certainly not a favorable decision too many, including the
church. Oddly enough King Henry finds
that his buddy not only takes the job quite seriously, but also becomes a bit
of a nuisance and causes more problems than any of the predecessors could
have. The film is strategic and
thought-provoking, at times it’s a verbal joust that involves wit and intellect
that rarely graces our silver screens today and is certainly a film worthy of
discover or rediscovery.
I have
never seen this film in what I would call an adequate version prior to this
Blu-ray release. I have only seen hacked
up broadcast versions or poor home video releases, which were never in the
proper aspect ratio and the transfers were incredibly poor. My eyes were finally opened to the way that
this film was meant to be seen upon glancing at the beautifully restored print
that MPI has issued for this Blu-ray release.
Presented in a 2.35 X 1 transfer at 1080p high definition the film looks
stunning. The DVD of the film, which was
released about a year and a half ago already looked good in terms of color, but
resolution was a problem and showed the limitations of DVD. Here the level of detail is greatly increased
with a more film-like presentation with even more color fidelity, depth, and
overall tone that is very pleasing.
Sharpness is solid as well; black levels are deep, dark, and accurate,
while whites are steady and true.
MPI
decided to release the film with two English audio tracks, both of which are
good, but I tend to prefer the lossless PCM 2.0 mix over the Dolby Digital 5.1
mix, which was also issued on the DVD.
While it does not have the advantage of a multi-channel mix, the PCM mix
clearly outshines in terms of fidelity and resolution in the dialogue and effects. Since the film is primarily dialogue-based,
the preferred listening option is clearly the lossless mix.
Besides
the exceptional technical qualities of this release, the real highlight (also
recycled from the DVD) is the fantastic commentary by O’Toole, who is always
fun to listen to and could pretty much recite the dictionary and it would still
be engaging. The only other significant
extra aside from the still gallery and trailers is the interviews with editor
Anne V. Coates and composer Laurence Rosenthal, who add a good bit of information
into the mix and are worth a glance.
While
only a modest improvement over the already fine MPI DVD, it will likely depend
on your expectations to warrant a purchase, but if you have never seen the film
or do not own the DVD, this is the clear version to watch, love, and enjoy.
- Nate Goss
