A Man for All Seasons (1966)-"G"

Run Time:120 minutes

3 and 1/2 stars out of 4

A Man for All Seasons (1966) is directed by Fred Zinnemann, famous for such popluar films as The Day of the Jackal (1973), High Noon 1952, and the film version of Oklahoma! (1955), and is well-known for his cinematically beautiful direction. A Man for All Seasons is no exception, with vivid colors and fantastic scenery shots. It was also adapted from a play written by Robert Bolt (also writer of Doctor Zhivago, 1965 and Lawrence of Arabia, 1962). The plot of the film is the well-known story of Sir Thomas More's stand against King Henry the VIII's separation from the Catholic church. King Henry (Robert Shaw), the monarch of England in the 16th century, has been unable to produce a male heir from his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and wants to end the marriage, in hopes of finding a more fertile wife to bear him a son. The Pope refuses to grant an anullment in the marriage, for fear of angering Spain, Catherine's homeland, so Henry is left with no choice but to break with the church. He goes out, seeking the approval of England's nobles, and they all agree, or feign agreement eventually, except for the well-respected and virtuous Sir Thomas More (Paul Scofield). Being a spiritual man , Sir Thomas doesn't believe in Henry's break with the Church, and is too honest and God-fearing to lie and take a false oath before God. Despite Sir Thomas's good intentions and lack of desire to go against the king, he finds himself being charged as a traitor, and is thrown in the Tower of London. I will leave out the ending in this summary to avoid a spoiler, but I will say that it does justice to the film. There is a lull a little after the beginning of the movie, where not much is going on, but the plot gets much more interesting, so have patience. With excellent performances by Shaw, Scofield, and even a small appearence of Orson Welles, the film is well-acted and visually beautiful. Zinnemann's A Man for All Seasons is definitely a classic and well worth renting, even after all of these years.