A Man for All Seasons (1966)
Directed by Fred Zinnemann
A depiction of the conflict between King Henry VIII of England and his Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas More, who refuses to swear the Oath of Supremacy declaring Henry Supreme Head of the Church in England.
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What critics compared A Man for All Seasons to
Screenwriter Robert Bolt was also responsible for A Man for All Seasons (also on the Vatican film list for religious significance), Fred Zinneman’s incomparable film about the last years of St. Thomas More, who was martyred under King Henry VIII.
This is a powerful, compelling, and spiritually stirring film directed by Roland Joffe (The Killing Fields) and written by Robert Bolt (A Man For All Seasons).
Screenwriter Robert Bolt ("Lawrence of Arabia," "Doctor Zhivago," "A Man for All Seasons"), music composer Ennio Morricone ("The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," "The Untouchables"), and director Roland Joffé ("The Killing Fields," "City of Joy") give us a moving, inspiring, even rousing tale set against a politically sensitive and socially volatile backdrop.
He points out homages--sometimes they're to non-Disney movies (Shere Khan's entrance is a nod to A Man for All Seasons ), sometimes they're merely oblique (yes, Mowgli picks up the cowbell in King Louie's lair as a tribute to Christopher Walken)--and paints a generally appetizing portrait of the challenging but harmonious production.
(Is the echo of A Man for All Seasons deliberate?)
It’s based on the real Father Stuart Long, with the standard theatrical embellishments (and concepts of suffering to test faith), but none are significant enough to give this picture the profound flavor of “The Song of Bernadette,” or “The Robe,” or “A Man for All Seasons” (or even “My Left Foot” or “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” a la the biblical Book of Job).
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They’ll doubtless prefer the doubtless Thomas More of A Man for All Seasons, who sentenced hundreds of Protestants to be burned and beheaded but stuck to his principles and became a saint.
At times, it’s like watching “A Man for All Seasons” meets “Game of Thrones” with a soupçon of Monty Python.
So, too, is Mackenzie, who wants his audience to know that he’s swinging a bigger sword than all those stodgy historical dramas that have come before — movies like “A Man for All Seasons” and “Becket” that are sometimes shown in class but seldom viewed for pleasure.
As did ":Spartacus," "Dances With Wolves" and even, in an odd way, "A Man For All Seasons," Gibson's picture extols such old-fashioned virtues as honor, freedom, principle, loyalty and romantic love.
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Even biographical masterpieces Schindler’s List and A Man for All Seasons lack the carefree nature of this film.