Customer Reviews
A Show For All Seasons 
2008-09-24
An excellent movie with, what has to be, one of the best cast of actors in a critically acclaimed success. This film not only provides the audience with great visual backgrounds, a solid script, off the chart actors, but also provides a message that one could only wish were true today. A film to watch and then watch again.
ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES EVER MADE! 2008-09-01
Paul Scofield played Sir Thomas More exceptionally well in this movie, recreating his award-winning role from the theatre. It is well shot, well directed, well casted, well scripted. It is no wonder this movie swept the Academy Awards in its day, not to mention so many other awards! There are too many to mention. Back in the 1960's, the Academy Awards were still somewhat legitimate, willing to consider real movies, real acting, real direction, and real subject matter. This movie, made the way it was made, and considering its subject matter and viewpoint, would be ignored today as though it didn't even exist! Sad, because this reflects true history, and not some falsified or idealized version of history. It reveals the true character of an honest, decent, truly Good man up against growing leachery, tyranny, intrigue, and corruption in high places. So many today like to think that Henry VIII was a great reformer, a great liberator, a great innovator, and such. But history, and this film, are not on their side. He was unstable, self-centered, egotistical, and personally corrupt, and these failings led to not only the destruction of the Church in England, but to the destruction of England itself, and the general world as well. When evil is allowed to destroy the good in society, at the expense of the good, purely for the enrichment or gain of the evil, EVERYONE suffers eventually, and not only the object intended for destruction. England has never been the same since, and neither has the rest of the world. Colonialism, expansionism, secularism, even socialism have their origins in times such as this. The movie, in effect, is about more than Sir Thomas, Henry, and the few characters focused on in the script. It is really a glimpse into what happens beyond -- what is coming next. When personal evil is given right of way, if it isn't stopped soon, it expands to a point that stopping it may not be possible. It becomes like a pebble dropped into a pond. True history buffs should appreciate this for what it really is. The best movies are not fiction, they are true history.
R. English, 1 September 2008
Academy Award winner, for good reason 2008-08-16
Paul Scofield gives a stellar performance as a man whose ethics and principles trump even his regard for his life. Mr. Scofield plays Thomas More, King Henry VIII's close friend and confidante. But when the King virtually begs Sir Thomas for his acquiescence to a divorce from Queen Katherine so that he may "legitimately" marry the coquettish Anne Boleyn, Sir Thomas, an ardent Catholic, refuses. Locked in the Tower of London and ultimately deprived even of books to read, Sir Thomas refuses to relent, ultimately paying for his principles with his life. Wendy Hiller, a brilliant stage actress is superb as Sir Thomas' wife, and it would be difficult to find a more convincing King Henry than Robert Shaw. For the collector, this movie is a must
Do not rent this movie, OWN it. 2008-07-25
This Academy Award winning movie is a miracle. Fred Zinnemann's cinematic treatment of the play by Robert Bolt has a quality of luminous economy. The casting is amazing. Every member of the cast is just right, from Paul Scofield as Sir Thomas More and Dame Wendy Hiller as Lady Alice all the way down to those cast as the Thames river boatmen, the messengers, the jailers at the Tower and the big lab who played the More's family dog.
The costuming and settings in the movie are perfect, a huge departure from the costuming and makeup of other historical movies produced in the fifties and sixties. Another perfectly rendered component of A Man for All Seasons is the soundtrack. It is sparse and beautiful and truly evokes the historical period surrounding the events that lead to the split of the English Church from Rome and the subsequent execution of Sir Thomas.
Although this movie was not made to inspire in a religious sense, it is one of the best hagiographies ever made in any medium. It is, after all, the story of a man who is now a canonized Saint of the Catholic Church. More importantly, it is a well-told story with grace abounding everywhere. The opportunities for all the characters to respond to grace seem suspended in time, the choices still waiting to be made, as if time and history have been detained so we can see what they choose to do. King Henry, the Duke of Norfolk, Richard Rich, Lady Alice, Matthew, Margaret, Cromwell ... all of them ... choosing. One of the most exquisite and heartrending scenes in the movie is the foreshadowing of the choices Henry makes -- looking up from his immediate surroundings at his wedding to Anne Boleyn and thinking he sees Thomas (whom he loves and trusts) entering the hall with a group of men. You can almost see the two-fisted thrusting away of the grace of the moment when he realizes the man is not Thomas, and that Thomas will not and cannot endorse his marriage.
Spoilers abound in the Lives of the Saints, June 22, the Feast of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher. This movie, in my opinion, is a far better way to learn about a man who walked this earth and was remarkable in his love and compassion in imitation of Christ (and he was a lawyer!) Folks of a secular bent will not find much to complain about, either, as the movie is so well done and has no moralizing or melodrama.
A Man for All Seasons is not a movie to rent, it is a movie to own. I have already owned two VHS tapes and 2 DVDs and will probably have to buy it at least once or twice more in my life.
SADLY, THEY DON'T MAKE THEM LIKE THIS ANYMORE 2008-06-22
I don't mind recent Oscar winners with their complicated characters and bizarre situations (see Crash, The Departed, etc.) but it's nice to see a movie like A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS and remmember a time when the academy rewarded movies about deep, congruent, inteligent men. A truly great one for sure.
The movie does feel a little dated regarding hair styles (very 60s!) and customs (you can easily tell they have never been worn until right before the movie was shot) but the performances and screenplay are simply fantastic. I read somewhere that Steven Spielberg hired Robert Shaw for JAWS after seeing this movie and it's easy to notice a similarity in his work on both films.
Truly terrific !
excellent performances 2008-06-20
Adaptation of Robert Bolt's play about Sir Thomas More a Catholic statesman in England who rebelled against Henry VIII's self-proclaimed status as the head of the Church of England and paid for his religious beliefs by having his head exhibited on London Bridge.System Requirements:Run Time: 120 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 043396180857 Manufacturer No: 18085
Even more thoughtprovoking in 21st Century! 
2008-06-14
King or God? Who is more important?
Law of the land? Or religious sermon? Which is more correct?
Lawmakers or clergy - who should override whom?
Come and watch this movie to find how these thoughts were resonated in 16th Century England as it still do today at a different wavelength.
Sir Thomas More had bee glorified in last century as Saint, though he was a lawyer and a statesman. This movie at least partially explains why. He remained firm to his stance that King Henry VIII can not be placed beyond Papal authority. As the heretic King did not like More's idea - which was not sanitizing his divorce and marriage to Anne Boleyn - the end came to Sir More too soon.
The strength of the movie is the steady and restrained and often with intelligent wit, with which Scofield carried the role. Though he utters the same for a number of times (not mentioning intentionally why), he has been able to build the man of utmost reputation and integrity, for which Sir More has been known. The research work by Bolt is commendable too.
The movie preaches a lot. If you are not a real serious movie goer, or do not want to tax your brain with real complex religious-political issues, skip it. Though that does not discredit Zinneman's work.
I would like to end this with an interesting question though. In 21st century, whom would people follow? Clergy or Head of the State. What if clergy is wrong?
What happens to Sir Mores of 21st Century then?
A Movie for All Seasons 2008-06-08
You'd be hard pressed to find a film so profound as "A Man for All Seasons"; it borders on Shakespearean in its tone. Yes, it shows only one side of Sir Thomas More, and we fleetingly glimpse More's intense revulsion toward Protestantism and its followers (he sent some of them to the stake for heresy). But the side that the movie portrays is accurate, as Sir Thomas deeply loved his family and believed in educating both his son and his daughters (he had six girls: Three were his own, two were adopted, and one became his ward and later married his son). Sir Thomas also displayed a flashing wit that could run the gamut from light-hearted to biting. Paul Scofield's Oscar-winning portrayal of Sir Thomas has yet to be topped; not even Charlton Heston could do it. Orson Welles is perfect as Henry VIII's right-hand man Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, while Leo McKern's cunning Thomas Cromwell and John Hurt's sleazebag-in-training Richard Rich send chills down your spine. Robert Shaw's Henry VIII is a roaring lion who brooks no opposition from anyone. Wendy Hiller is delightfully gruff as Dame Alice More, Susannah York is radiant as Sir Thomas's daughter Margaret More, and Colin Redgrave is great as Margaret's outspoken suitor Will Roper. The settings and the costumes are the cherries on the cake, though the Tudor gown that Margaret wears when she first meets King Henry did not come into fashion until a decade later.
A Movie for All Seasons 2008-06-07
There can be little argument about the merit of this film winning the 1966 Best Picture award. The acting is superb, the authenticity is extraordinary, and the dialogue is absolutely captivating. Paul Scofield gives perhaps the best acting performance in the history of cinema. They simply don't make movies like this any more. Unfortunately, most of the younger generation will likely find this movie to be boring because it lacks action and has no sex, profanity or graphic violence -- a sad reflection of the times and of our society in general.
Heartwarming and Encouraging Film for the Catholic! 2008-06-07
This film is a great example of the saying that a great script is what makes a film great and Robert Bolt's excellent screenplay comes to life in spectacular manner in this film. For Catholics who are jaded or have somehow forgotten the significance of their faith will find this film together with "The Song of Bernadette" to be very encouraging as it reminds us of just how precious the faith was to our ancestors of the faith who were willing to sacrifice their lives to ensure that doctrinal purity is preserved for posterity. Having also read St. Thomas More's written works and especially those written during his captivity in the the Tower of London, I've grown to really respect this great man whose superior intellect is evident in his very lucid and considered writing style. No wonder he is the patron saint of lawyers.
This dvd version is also pretty well restored picture quality wise and although the sound quality is in mono those with Dolby Pro Logic capabilities can still enjoy surround sound quality although I would like to see future restored releases to come with better bonus features such as a good documentary on the life of the saint, improved picture quality and at least Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound options as well.
This is a good film and a deserving best Oscar winner for 1966 although you may want to wait for an improved restored Blu-ray version to surface. As far as standard dvds go, this version is pretty good already though.
Recommended.
