A Man for All Seasons (1966)
Facts
 
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| Directed by | Fred Zinnemann |
| Cast | Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, Leo McKern, Robert Shaw, Orson Welles, Colin Blakely, Nigel Davenport, John Hurt, Corin Redgrave and Susannah York |
| Theatrical Release | November 30, 1965 |
| DVD Release | February 20, 2007 |
| Running Time | 120 minutes |
| MPAA Rating | G (General Audience) |
| UPC Code | 043396180857 |
| Buy this item | $7.49 at Amazon.com As of May 14 17:46 EDT (details) 1 DVD, Sony, Usually ships in 24 hours, AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Portuguese (Subtitled), French (Dubbed) Or 44 new from $6.16, 11 used from $8.91 |
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User Reviews
Average user review:
(189 reviews)
One of the best movies of all timeI'm a History buff and love movies like this. It's fantastic, such incredible performances. I was mesmerized till the very end and what an ending it is! Paul Scofield became one of my favorite actors after I saw this movie and of course I've always been a fan of Robert Shaw and Orson Welles! You've got to see it, you will NOT be disappointed! May 3, 2008
Special Features
As previous reviewers have stated this is an excellent movie. Great period piece. But with limited special features. It would have been great if someone could have added a documentary about the times this movie is about, like they did for The Agony & The Ecstacy or a voice over like for Claudine. April 27, 2008
Magnificent Film, Great DVD
This is one of my all time favorite movies. Admittedly it is not very historically accurate (it glosses over some of the more unlikeable aspects of More's character, and leaves out some major things [like his other dozen or so children]), but as a film -- screenplay -- piece of entertainment, it is utterly magnificent.
The acting is flawless.
The script is amazing, with many wonderful bits. (I could listen to the "This country is planted thick with laws -- man's laws, not God's laws" speech a thousand times and never get tired of it.)
The cinematography, costuming and direction are gorgeous.
The DVD transfer is fine. While the extras are lighter than in many films, the documenary on More is very interesting, and there are 3 subtitle options (English, French and Portuguese), and 3 audio options (2 English, one very well done French track.) A commentary track might have been nice, but its omission isn't enough to influence firm my 5 star rating.
If you've never seen this movie, do so. If you've seen it before and love it, buy it at a VERY reasonable price.. (And, if you've seen it before and hate it ... well ... don't.) April 24, 2008
A timeless classic...
The book is simply magnificent, this DVD version of A Man for All Seasons, provides the eloquent conversations about good and evil, about morality and standing by one's beliefs that makes us stop and ponder on choosing the right path.
Upon the death of his brother, King Henry VIII requested to be married to his brother's wife and was granted special dispensation by the Vatican. After his Queen, Katherine of Aragon fails to produce a male heir to the throne and Henry VIII becomes infatuated with Anne Boleyn, he requests that his marriage to Katherine of Aragon be annulled claiming that it is and always was a sin to marry the wife of a brother. But, the Vatican refuses to agree and Thomas More refuses to endorse the proposed divorce.
The conflict between King Henry VIII, played by Robert Shaw and Sir Thomas More, masterfully played by Paul Scofield is superb. At first, the King and More were great friends, both collaborating in writing the Defence of the 7 Sacraments, which negated Luther. As a result of this great work, the Vatican names King Henry VIII, Defender of the Faith, and as a result Henry VIII makes More Speaker of the House of Commons and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. After the fall of Thomas Wolsey in 1529, King Henry VIII makes More his Lord Chancellor, a position that holds great power.
But, this promotion does not last long and Thomas More resigns shortly after three years, claiming that he is not in the best of health, but everyone understands the motive to be his disapproval of Henry's stance towards the Pope and the Catholic Church. More does not attend the coronation of Anne Boleyn and is then accused of treason.
More refuses to swear to the Act of Succession and the Oath of Supremacy. A friend asks him to sign... for friendship's sake and More answers: "And when we go in front of God to be judged and you are forgiven because you followed your beliefs and I condemned and sent to hell because I went against mine... for friendship's sake... would you, for friendship's sake come with me?
More is found guilty of treason and was beheaded. It is said that his final words were: I am the King's faithful servant... but God's first. Without a doubt, this is a story of a man who stood by his beliefs and never gave up in his firm resolution to stay true to his convictions. A must see!
April 1, 2008
A Man For All Seasons
Bolt's play is wonderfully brought to life by a stellar cast. I'm in my 60's and I do believe that there simply isn't a better display of the English language on film. The word selections are effective and eloquent, displaying the elusive edges of emotions and the raw nature of desire. Despite anyone's religious convictions, the sheer power of the spoken word expelled from the depths of Sir Thomas, the gentle servant of the King as portrayed by Paul Scofield, is definately worth the watch. 5 Stars...yes! March 28, 2008