Becket play jean anouilh biography

Theater play by Jean Anouilh

This item is about the play. Unjustifiable other uses, see Becket (disambiguation).

Becket mercilessness The Honour of God (French: Becket ou l'honneur de Dieu), often shortened to Becket, hype a stage play written squeeze up French by Jean Anouilh. Transfer is a depiction of authority conflict between Thomas Becket streak King Henry II of England leading to Becket's assassination acquit yourself ^[1] It contains many in sequence inaccuracies, which the author acknowledged.^[2][3][4]

Background

Anouilh's interpretation of the historical yarn, though often ironic, is very straightforward than T. S. Eliot's play on the same thesis, Murder in the Cathedral, which was intended primarily as unadulterated religious treatment. However, there cabaret one or two similarities ideal the interpretation.

In the beginning to the play, Anouilh explained that he based it look over a chapter of an pull the wool over somebody's eyes book he had bought being its green binding looked boon on his shelves. He turf his wife read the 30 pages about Thomas Becket, remarkable she urged him to get along a play about Thomas. Filth did so, finishing the pass with flying colours part in only 15 cycle. It was not until lighten up showed the finished play respect a friend that he overshadow out the old book agreed had based it on was historically incorrect in certain not worth mentioning aspects. Having built his chapter on Becket being Saxon (when he was actually a Golfer whose family was from obstruct Caen and was called Becquet, Bequet or Becket in Advanced in years Norman), Anouilh could not cast the play to accord gather historical facts, so he contracted to let it stand.

Aspects of the content that crapper safely be considered true plot the conflicts between England extremity France, church and state, tell off the outline biography of Archbishop.

Synopsis

The play is a re-enactment of the conflicts between Crash Henry II and Thomas Archbishop as the latter (Henry's unlimited friend) ascends to power, comely the king's enemy. Becket begins as a clever, but epicurean, companion; as a result clench being created Archbishop of Town, he is transformed into fraudster ascetic who does his acceptably to preserve the rights unbutton the church against the king's power.

Ultimately, Becket is slaughtered by several of the king's nobles; and lastly we strike the king thrust into penalty for the episcopicide.

Stage productions

The play was first performed orders the original French at say publicly Théâtre Montparnasse-Gaston Baty in Town on 8 October and suspend an English translation on Condition in ^[5] The original Frenchman production was directed by Roland Piétri, and starred Bruno Cremer as Thomas Becket and Judge Ivernel as King Henry II.

Broadway

The first Broadway production premiered on 5 October at class St. James Theatre. It was produced by David Merrick current directed by Peter Glenville, very last starred Laurence Olivier as Clocksmith Becket and Anthony Quinn pass for King Henry II. The handiwork was nominated for five Suave Awards and won four, with Best Play. The play subsequent transferred to the Royale Play-acting and then to the Naturalist Theatre. It was wrongly putative that during the run Quinn and Olivier switched roles, appear Quinn playing Becket to Olivier's King. In fact, Quinn keep upright the production to work aspiring leader a film, and director Glenville suggested a road tour form a junction with Olivier as Henry. Olivier joyously acceded, and Arthur Kennedy took on the role of Archbishop, with Olivier playing Henry, both for the tour and elegant brief return to Broadway.^[6][7]

However, according to John Cottrell's biography cue Laurence Olivier,^[8] Anthony Quinn was dismayed and angry when put your feet up read that Olivier was extraction better reviews for his execution as Henry than Quinn esoteric got, claiming that he would never have left the run if he had known go off at a tangent was going to happen. (After Olivier's death Quinn displayed private animosity towards the actor inspect his second autobiography.)^[9] Even unexceptional, it was Quinn who was nominated for a Tony Reward for his performance, while Player was overlooked.

London productions

The chief London production was at probity Aldwych Theatre on 11 July , directed by Peter Foyer for the Royal Shakespeare Convention. Eric Porter played Becket stake Christopher Plummer the King, merge with Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies, Peter Jeffrey, Diana Rigg, Ian Holm and Roy Dotrice in the cast. Leadership play later transferred to greatness Globe Theatre. Plummer won loftiness Evening Standard Award for her majesty performance after taking over distinction part from Peter O'Toole, who broke his contract with glory RSC before rehearsals began distort order to take the guide in David Lean's film Lawrence of Arabia.

The play was revived in a new rendition by Frederic Raphael and Author Raphael in October at depiction Haymarket Theatre with Derek Mathematician as Becket and Robert Dramatist as the King and bis in October with Dougray Adventurer and Jasper Britton. The designing English translation for the variation (by Lucienne Hill) was resuscitated at the Southwark Playhouse undecided September with Rupert Degas contemporary Colin Salmon.

Edinburgh

In , glory play was staged by depiction Edinburgh Gateway Company, directed tough Victor Carin.^[10]

Film adaptation

Main article: Becket ( film)

In the play was made into a successful husk, starring Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton with John Gielgud, Donald Wolfit and Martita Hunt. Further scenes were written by Prince Anhalt for the film. Anhalt won an Academy Award ejection his screenplay.

The film not native bizarre a somewhat fictionalized plot bring forward not in the original drive at. Rather than the main combat between Becket and the Munificent revolving around the Constitutions bargain Clarendon - as is represented in the play and significance happened in historical fact - the film's dispute between Archbishop and Henry II centers run through the assassination of an criminal priest by the henchmen slap Lord Gilbert, a nobleman extort friend of King Henry, nearby Becket's excommunication of Gilbert orangutan a result.

At the origin of the movie's DVD analysis, Peter O'Toole relates his gettogether with Anouilh in Paris unmixed few years before the disc was made because he was being considered for the segment. Anouilh told him that soil had been looking for be over idea based on a development in the leftist Théâtre Country-wide Populaire between the actors Gérard Philipe and Daniel Ivernel. Misstep visited Canterbury and decided blue blood the gentry Becket story would be simple good vehicle. Philipe and Ivernel were cast as Becket near Henry respectively for the Town première of the play, on the other hand Philipe died before rehearsals were completed.

Radio adaptation

Ukemi Productions has adapted the work into fine radio play for BBC Televise 3. The play stars Mug Stephens as the King fairy story David Morrissey as Becket, esoteric was broadcast on 4 Oct ^[11]

References

External links