One of the ten best films of the 1960s

I liked it so much I bought it as soon as it came out on dvd. It is by turns very funny- O'Toole has an unrivalled knack with a throw away line, Burton is beautifully other-worldly and tragically human by turns, and the relationship is brilliantly conveyed. Every line of dialogue is crafted just so, and don't the actors know it! From the early light-hearted stuff to the blackest emotional scenes of the bitter end, the whole cast surpasses itself.

It is not historically accurate, alas, {Becket wasn't a Saxon] but for dramatic purposes, it all works beautifully.