A
Man For All Seasons (1966)
Sony
Cast:
Paul Scofield, Robert Shaw, Orson Welles, Susannah York.
Rating:
G.
Run
time: 120 mins
Genre:
Drama.
Verdict:
Brilliant
(see rating
system)
Winner
of six Oscars including "Best Picture" of 1966,
this is a classic story about personal belief holding firm
despite the threat of execution during the reign of King Henry
Vlll.
Paul
Scofield was deservedly awarded the "Best Actor"
Oscar for his flawless portrayal of Sir Thomas More, the Roman
Catholic chancellor who defied Henry (Robert Shaw) when he
sought the Catholic church's approval to a divorce from Queen
Catherine of Aragon.
After
20 years of marriage, none of Henry's male sons by Catherine
had survived. Desperate for an heir, Henry decided to marry
a young court attendant, Anne Boleyn. More couldn't stop the
king, but he wouldn't endorse the divorce or remarriage and
his silence proved a more eloquent protest and embarrassment
to Henry than any public speech since educated society took
notice of the well-respected More.
Henry
eventually threw More into the Tower of London and appointed
himself head of the new Church of England. But he wasn't finished
with More - and he had terrible plans for Anne Boleyn when
he tired of her.
Fine
performances and a superb supporting cast bring the intrigue
and danger of Henry's 16th-century court brilliantly to life.
Director Fred Zinnemann and screenwriter Robert Bolt both
won Oscars for their work.
