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A Man for All Seasons |
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1966
Color
2 hours
Academy Awards
- Best Picture
- Fred Zinnemann
- Director
- Fred Zinnemann
- Actor
- Paul Scofield
- Cinematography, Color
- Ted Moore
- Costume Design, Color
- Joan Bridge
Elizabeth Haffenden- Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
- Robert Bolt
Academy Award Nominations
- Supporting Actor
- Robert Shaw
- Supporting Actress
- Wendy Hiller
Until Braveheart in 1995, no other fact-based film set anywhere near the Middle Ages won a Best Picture Oscar. A Man for All Seasons is a triumph of historical drama and a feast for the cerebral history buff.
The film centers around the conscientious Thomas More, who could so easily have maneuvered out of the path of King Henry VIII's fury without giving in to his demands, yet chose instead to stand up for his beliefs on pain of death. More's fate would result in his canonization in the Catholic Church, and it would have inescapable effects on the future of the English Church, as well.
Thanks in large part to Scofield's profound performance, the fascinating and forceful examination of integrity and politics is brilliantly realized. He is aided in the superior script by a fine supporting cast, and the realistic costumes and sets provide a fairly authentic atmosphere. Though it has been some time since I've had a chance to see the film, I simply cannot recommend it ardently enough.
A Man for All Seasons also won British Academy Awards, Golden Globes, NBRs, and New York Film Critics Circle Awards. For a complete list of nominations and awards, visit the awards page at the Internet Movie Database.
An affecting and fairly extensive biography of More by John Farrow is available online at the Catholic Information Network.
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The image of Thomas More is in the public domain.
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