One of the most catalyzing and complex figures in Western history, Sir Thomas More defied the English Crown, Parliament, and the newly established Church of England by holding strong to his conscience and honoring his spirit. He was vilified and canonized, sanctified and condemned. Robert Bolt’s towering play girds this soaring Fred Zinneman adaptation, A Man For All Seasons, depicting popular, well-regarded minister More (Paul Scolfield, in an Oscar-winning performance) and his moralist absenting from the hotly-contested debate on King Henry the Eighth’s divorce from his wife Catherine, which snowballs into him running afoul of the King’s new religious authority. His silence was more powerful than words. The film also won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Bolt.
“A Man for All Seasons is a picture that inspires admiration, courage and thought.” – Bosley Crowther, New York Times
“Producer-director Fred Zinnemann has blended all filmmaking elements into an excellent, handsome and stirring film version of A Man For All Seasons.” – A.D. Murphy, Variety
