A Man For All Seasons (1966)
Grade: 65
"A Man For All Seasons" is a contest of will between King Henry VIII of England (Robert Shaw) and Sir Thomas Moore (Paul Scofield). The King's marriage is not going well. His wife cannot deliver an heir, which is necessary to avoid potential civil war upon the King's death. The King wishes to divorce his wife and marry again, this time to his brother's widow, with whom he is already having an affair. If the King cannot obtain the permission of the Pope for a divorce, no matter. He will start his own church, with himself at its head.
The King's government officials readily accept the wishes of the King, mostly for their own protection. But not Moore, who does not approve of the divorce. He believes that if he does not say so, publicly or privately, he cannot be convicted of treason. Moore is influential in society, and the King insists that Moore take an oath that approves of the divorce and King Henry's place as head of the Church. But Moore believes that if he takes this oath, his soul will be condemned, and he would rather lose his head than his soul.
Early in the film, Moore becomes Chancellor of England. Due to his believes, Moore gives up the title, his family becomes poor and outcast, Moore is imprisioned in the Tower of London, and eventually executed. While this slow submission of Moore to the King's will is well scripted and plotted, it does get a little repetitive. The dry nature of the film prevents any comic relief, and any humor is ironic. The alignment of the cast into "good" (Moore's family, the Duke of Norfolk) and "bad" (Cromwell, Richard Rich) is also simplistic. Moore being a lawyer, and speaking in sixteenth century English, most of what he says takes considerable concentration to comprehend. The film ends up less of a character study and more of a lawyer's deposition. Admittedly, I am scratching around for reasons I did not grade this film very highly. Might as well mention the character of Moore's daughter (Susannah York) who is so perfect that she may as well sprout Angel's wings.
"A Man For All Seasons" was the star of the 1966 Academy Awards, winning Best Picture, Best Director (Fred Zinnemann) and Best Actor (Scofield). The Academy must have found more charm in the film than I was able to.
Orson Welles is indeed in this movie, but is limited to only two scenes in the first few minutes. He looks as heavy as John Candy and Marlon Brando joined at the waist.
Shaw's portrayal of the King is my favorite part of the movie. King Henry VIII is usually depicted in film as gluttonous, murderous, and debauched. Henry here is portrayed as mercurial and self-centered, but also as a patron of the arts.
http://members.tripod.com/~Brian_Koller/movies.html
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