A Man for All Seasons (1966)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Writers:

Robert Bolt (play)
Robert Bolt (screenplay)

Release Date:

1967 (Japan)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

...a motion picture for all times!

Plot:

The story of Thomas More, who stood up to King Henry VIII when the King rejected the Roman Catholic Church to obtain a divorce and remarriage.

Plot Keywords:

Thomas More | Divorce | Chancellor | Catholic | King Henry VIII

Awards:

Won 6 Oscars. Another 27 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Paul Scofield	...	Sir Thomas More
Wendy Hiller	...	Alice More
Leo McKern	...	Thomas Cromwell
Robert Shaw	...	King Henry VIII
Orson Welles	...	Cardinal Wolsey
Susannah York	...	Margaret More
Nigel Davenport	...	The Duke of Norfolk
John Hurt	...	Richard Rich
Corin Redgrave	...	William Roper (the Younger)
Colin Blakely	...	Matthew
Cyril Luckham	...	Archbishop Cranmer
Jack Gwillim	...	Chief Justice
Thomas Heathcote	...	Boatman
Yootha Joyce	...	Averil Machin
Anthony Nicholls	...	King's Representative

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Latin | Spanish | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:L | West Germany:12 (nf) | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:13 | Australia:G | Finland:K-12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | UK:U | USA:Approved (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1971)

Filming Locations:

Beaulieu River, Hampshire, England, UK

Company:

Highland Films

Trivia:

Dilys Watling auditioned for a featured role.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the beginning of the scene when Cardinal Wolsey is writing the letter to Thomas More, he stops writing and throws the pen on the table to his right but when the angle turns to Thomas Cromwell to fold the letter, the pen cannot be seen on the desk.

Quotes:

Sir Thomas More: Listen, Meg, God made the angels to show Him splendor, as He made animals for innocence and plants for their simplicity. But Man He made to serve Him wittily, in the tangle of his mind. If He suffers us to come to such a case that there is no escaping...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Magic Sword (#5.11)" (1992)

A top 10 film

Beautifully written and scripted by Robert Bolt, beautifully acted by Paul Scofield and others, beautifully costumed to match the age and filmed in beautiful surroundings. This movie deserves all the accolades it received in the year it was made. But beyond that, it will last as one of filmdom's finest for the ethical and moral issues it raises.

We are raised as children to understand there are three things for which we should be prepared to sacrifice our lives: Family, Nation and Religious Belief. What we are NOT told is: When weighed against each other, which takes precedence? This movie examines precisely that issue.

King Henry VIII pleads with Thomas More to grant the annulment of his marriage because his wife is barren. If it is not granted, and there is no heir, Henry fears civil war upon his death with tens or hundreds of thousands of deaths. An appeal to patriotism.

When More refuses he is sentenced to death, but given a final opportunity to sign the annulment and be granted a remission. His wife (Catholic priests could marry at that time) visits him in prison and pleads that he sign, fearing that her life and the life of her daughter will also become forfeit upon More's death. An appeal to save the life of his family.

More's decision was to give his life for his religious convictions. One comes out of the movie with much to digest as to which of the 3 choices each of us would make in similar circumstances.