A Man for All Seasons
Directed by Fred Zinneman
Written by Robert Bolt from his play
1966/United Kingdom
Highland Films
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Sir Thomas More: I think that when statesmen forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their public duties, they lead their country by a short route to chaos.[/box]
The word for this is “sumptuous”. And what a cast!
The film is based on the true story of Henry VIII of England (Robert Shaw) and his sometime Chancellor Thomas More (Paul Scofield). More is a well-respected jurist and devout Catholic. He has no desire to be a martyr. Nevertheless, his conscience will not allow him to publicly support Henry’s divorce from his first wife Catherine and even less Henry’s declaration of himself as the head of the Church of England.
Despite the pleading of his wife (Wendy Hiller) and daughter (Susannah York) to bend, More attempts to play a cagy game of keeping public silence on the entire matter. This is far from enough for Henry. With John Hurt as weasel Richard Rich, Orson Welles as Cardinal Wolsey and Vanessa Redgrave in a short scene as Anne Boleyn.
Costume dramas are hit and miss with me but I really liked this one. The scenes on the river are spectacularly photographed. A bunch of great actors are absolutely spot on. My favorite supporting performance was Shaw’s. He has only a couple of scenes but his impact is indelible. My husband absolutely hated this movie, which he found depressing and pointless. Different strokes for different folks I guess.
A Man for All Seasons won Academy Awards in the following categories: Best Picture; Best Actor; Best Director; Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium; Best Cinematography, Color; and Best Costume Design, Color. It was nominated in the categories of Best Supporting Actor (Shaw) and Best Supporting Actress (Hiller).
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