A Man for All Seasons

This British period drama scored a whopping 6 Academy Awards, one of which went to ‘Best Actor’ Paul Scofield for his composed and thoughtful portrayal of Sir Thomas More, England’s Lord Chancellor, whose life ends on the executioner’s block when he refuses to approve the plans of King Henry VIII to divorce his wife to marry Anne Boleyn.

Based on Robert Bolt’s book of the same name, the story takes place between 1529 and 1535. Sir Thomas More, a devout Roman Catholic, is loved by his family and by his servants and equally respected by the common people who know him. However, he is envied by certain rivals such as Thomas Cromwell (Leo McKern) - Chief Minister to the King. When Lord Chancellor Cardinal Wolsey (a grossly overweight Orson Welles) summons More to Hampton Court for a private meeting is soon emerges that the reason for Wolsey’s get-together is a certain royal dilemma… Dilemma being that King Henry VIII (Robert Shaw) wishes to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon (who is in fact his former sister-in-law) in order to marry Anne Boleyn (Vanessa Redgrave in a brief cameo appearance). More is the only member of the Privy Council who opposes plans to obtain a divorce from the Vatican, mainly on grounds of his devout Catholic beliefs and because he is of the firm opinion that God must come before King and not the other way around. Meanwhile, the scheming Cromwell happens to overhear the conversation.
As if the matter of a looming royal divorce weren’t problems enough for More, he furthermore has to deal with daughter Meg’s (Susannah York) wish to marry a promising young lawyer called William Roper (Corin Redgrave) and although More has in principal nothing against him he refuses his blessing as long as Roper remains a stout Lutheran. More also has to deal with Richard Rich (the late John Hurt in his first and impressive breakthrough role), a young man hoping for a position in court and who ends up disappointed when More advises that a ‘solid’ job such as a teacher would be the more sensible option – an advice that Rich turns down.

A short time later, Wolsey dies of a heart attack and King Henry appoints More as Lord Chancellor of England. When the King announces a visit to More’s estate his wife Alice (Wendy Hiller), Meg and all the servants spread out an opulent buffet but the glorious food shall largely remain untouched for in the garden, King Henry and More are busy quarrelling over his plans to divorce Catherine of Aragon. More’s continuing refusal to put plans into action annoy the King and he leaves the More estate in a disgruntled mood. Alice makes it clear to her husband that she is not happy about the way the royal visit had ended… Cromwell meanwhile offers the ambitious Rich a position in Court but there is a condition attached: Rich is supposed to gather information and evidence that ultimately damage More and lead to his arrest on charges of high treason and to his consequent execution as a traitor. During his final moments, More is heard saying, “I die His Majesty’s Good Servant, but God’s first.”

The film, which was made at a relatively modest budget of $2 million, looks sumptuous! The cast are terrific and Robert Shaw strikes the right cord as King Henry VIII who can throw terrifying tantrums one minute and burst out laughing seconds later. But this really is Paul Scofield’s film and he rightly won the Academy Award for his portrayal of Sir Thomas More, the tragic hero who died for his beliefs. Although rumours circulated that ‘bigger’ names such as Sir Laurence Olivier or even Charlton Heston were up for the part, director Fred Zinnemann ignored pressure from Columbia Pictures and instead cast the relatively unknown (in the US at least) Paul Scofield. Zinnemann’s choice would prove him right though it should perhaps be pointed out that Scofield had previously played Sir Thomas More on a West End Stage and therefore wasn’t a complete stranger to the role.

This Dual-Format Edition also offers some interesting bonus material, including information about the real Sir Thomas More.