A Man for All Seasons (1966)

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

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Writers:

Robert Bolt (from the play by), Robert Bolt (screenplay)

Stars:

Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, Robert Shaw

Won 6 Oscars. Another 27 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Scofield	...	Thomas More
Wendy Hiller	...	Alice
Leo McKern	...	Cromwell
Robert Shaw	...	Henry VIII
Orson Welles	...	Cardinal Wolsey
Susannah York	...	Margaret
Nigel Davenport	...	Duke of Norfolk
John Hurt	...	Rich
Corin Redgrave	...	Roper
Colin Blakely	...	Matthew
Cyril Luckham	...	Archbishop Cranmer
Jack Gwillim	...	Chief Justice
Thomas Heathcote	...	Boatman
Yootha Joyce	...	Averil Machin
Anthony Nicholls	...	King's Representative

Storyline

The story takes place in sixteenth century England. But men like Sir Thomas More, who love life yet have the moral fiber to lay down their lives for their principles, are found in every century. Concentrating on the last seven years of the English Chancellor's life, the struggle between More and King Henry VIII hinges on Henry's determination to break with Rome so he can divorce his current wife and wed again, and good Catholic More's inability to go along with such heresy. More resigns as Chancellor, hoping to be able to live out his life as a private citizen. But Henry will settle for nothing less than that the much respected More give public approval to his headstrong course.

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Plot Keywords:

period piece | courtroom drama | divorce | chancellor | king henry viii | 

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Taglines:

His silence was more powerful than words.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

UK

Language:

English Latin Spanish French

Release Date:

3 May 1967 (France)

Also Known As:

El hombre de dos reinos

Filming Locations:

Beaulieu River, Hampshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$28,350,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Highland Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Playwright and Screenwriter Robert Bolt offered the part of Norfolk to his friend, American actor and Director John Huston. Huston turned it down.

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Goofs

When King Henry visits Thomas More's house and steps off the boat, he steps into mud and makes light of it. When his retinue follow, it is seen their feet and leggings are already muddy from a previous take.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[first spoken lines are over 6 minutes into the film]
Man: ...there's the country every second bastard born is fathered by a priest.
Matthew: [clears throat to get More's attention]
Man: Why, in Utopia, that couldn't be.
Man: But why?
Man: Well, there the priests are very holy.
Man: Therefore, very few.
Sir Thomas More: Is it anything interesting, Matthew?
Matthew: Bless you, sir, I don't know.
[...]

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Connections

Version of The Tudors (2007)

User Reviews

Simply the best!

After 60 years--and many hundreds of movies--I steadfastly maintain that "A Man for All Seasons" is hands down the best ever. What's more (no pun intended), Paul Scofield's performance is also the finest job any actor (of any gender) has ever turned in...at least in a motion picture.

I've seen this film perhaps ten times (far fewer than I have seen "Star Wars," for example...or "Casablanca," my personal choice for Second Best), and each time I see it I marvel, not just at Scofield, but at the extraordinary performances of nearly everyone else in the movie--Leo McKern, Wendy Hiller, John Hurt, Robert Shaw, Orson Welles, Susannah York, and everyone else in the cast--as well as the magnificent dialogue and the sheer beauty of the film.

It may be that someday I'll see a better movie (heaven knows I keep looking), but even though some have come close ("Lion in Winter," "Citizen Kane", e.g.), there's still a fair-sized gap between the best of them and the best of all, "A Man for All Seasons."