Rating: 
Summary: As good as it gets
Review: I've yet to see a more perfect film. Aside from the reasons it won all those Oscars (best screenplay, cinematography, etc), the journey Sir Thomas More undergoes is so compelling, so emotional, without seeming to be, that I find myself watching this film at regular intervals in my life. The story isn't as much about religion, or swearing to an oath, as much as about knowing who you are, what you stand for, what you won't fall for. Be aware that this isn't a sweeping visual film, in fact it isn't even a movie as much as a filmed stage play, with some exceptions. However, if you're looking for a majestic tale, a film you'll compare many others to, get this DVD. No other instance of storytelling comes close.
Rating:
Summary: A superb film
Review: Near-perfect rendering of Robert Bolt play. Dazzling performances by Scofield and Shaw, with Leo McKern and John Hurt
providing exceptionally good support. A believable examination of
lust for power and obedience to a morally corrupt ruler for personal gain or protection. More comes off as a true modern man, who places his personal beliefs and adherence to his morality above allegience to temporal government, as well as above personal gain or loss, even to the acceptance of death. A fine retelling of the conflict of a saint and martyr of the Catholic church, but with much food for thought for the atheist as well. Gorgeous cinematography and excellent musical score and costumes round out the picture. A must-see (and for me, a must-own) movie.
Rating:
Summary: A Film for All Seasons
Review: A Man for All Seasons is my favorite film after "Its a Wonderful Life." But it is a very close race. Paul Scofield as Sir Thomas More creates an indelible impression on you and makes you want to be a better person. He is, as another reviewer put it, a man of quiet dignity and conviction. What I admired about the portrayal though is he is not maudlin or a man that willingly marched to the executioner with a holy glow about his head. He was crafty and maneuvered for years to avoid having his head lopped off. He was an intellectual and a religious man. All to rare combination in his time and ours. When people discuss Thomas More, they think of him as a man who stood by his convictions regardless of the cost. But really he wouldn't tell anyone what his convictions were! It was actually this that cost him his life. Its a very peculiar thing when I think of this movie's title. More was a religious man to be sure and many religious people find strength in this film. But the title of this film is so apt because anyone can admire Thomas More regardless of what they think of what he was fighting for. After the film is over and I think to myself, I realize I don't even agree with him. But the way he comports himself and handles each encounter with grace and subtlety you just wish you could have such a nimble wit and strength of character. He represents something heroic people want to embody. This abstract case is what makes the movie timeless, and one whose message will continue to resonate even another fifty years from now. Paul Scofield turns in one of the great male acting performances of all time. Scofield brings Thomas More to life in a way its hard for me to take in that he is playing a role. I come away from the film unwilling to imagine Thomas More was probably less perfect than the man we see on the screen. Scofield has created an iconic vision of More that will persist regardless of the realities of the flesh and blood man.I think aside from All About Eve, only A Man for All Seasons has won all the Academy awards in the major catagories. It could not win best actress because there was no female lead. But garnered Best Picture,Director, Actor and both actor and actress supporting roles. It also won Best Cinematography, costume design and writing awards. If you have missed this film you have one of the truly great movies to still look forward to enjoying.
Rating:
Summary: A film for all seasons
Review: Obviously a mustsee, this picture is a real masterpiece from the beginning to the end, from the quality of the dialogues (it is based on a play) to the acting (Scofield and Shaw actually are Moore and Henry VIII). I was abashed and stunned when getting out of the theater. The fight for freedom of thinking and speech of this free man is very well rendered. Bravo !
Rating:
Summary: Good In Any Season
Review: A Man For All Seasons was a very successful Broadway play. When it came to the screen, Fred Zinneman had the good sense to bring the man who played Sir Thomas More on stage, Paul Scofield, along for the movie. Mr. Scofield doesn't merely act the part, he becomes Sir Thomas, the man who wrote Utopia. Sir Thomas is a close friend to King Henry VIII and when the King wants a divorce, he breaks away from the church and starts the Church of England. Sir Thomas will not recognize this schism and backs the church. This leads to his jailing and eventual death. This is a bitter pill for the King to swallow as he dearly loves Thomas, but he feels that duty to the King is paramount to everything. Sir Thomas believes he must serve God first. The movie is a morality play and we are drawn into the pain that both Thomas Henry feel. Henry is played with the right of amount of bluster and zest by Robert Shaw (who received his only Academy Award nomination for the role). Wendy Hiller portrays Sir Thomas' wife with compassion and understanding of a man who is willing give his life for his beliefs. Susannah York is his daughter, a young John Hurt plays the traitorous Richard Rich and Orson Wells has a cameo as a Cardinal. Mr. Scofield won the Best Actor Oscar and the film took the Best Picture prize. A Man For All Seasons is an intelligent, thoughtful and well made film.
Rating: 
Summary: A Man For All Seasons
Review: The movie A Man For All Seasons is a historical account of the turning point in the life of Sir Thomas More. Thomas More later became a saint, for the courage of his convictions and for his undying faith in God. I thought the movie did a good job of showing the many opportunities More had to save himself from being executed. It also showed that More was a knowledgeable man who knew he had the law on his side, and was willing to fight for his life. Through his struggle for his life More exemplifies the quote "The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one." More did not openly say he defied the King, yet it was clear he was an opponent of the divorce. More valued his life and was willing to do all he could to keep it. It took false testimony to finally convict him. The movie was good in that it really showed the tension in the courtroom, and the amount of worldwide respect that More had. The movie also showed More's faith in God, by the fact that More went willingly to be beheaded. The final quote summarizes the message that we should take away from this movie, "I die the King's good servant...but God's first."
Rating:
Summary: Misguided religious scruples a career-limiting move
Review: I kept wanted to shout at the Paul Schofield/Thomas Moore character: "For god's sake, let Bluff King Hal have his divorce if he wants it! He's got plenty more lead in his pencil and no heir! What's it to you anyway?" Why do people get all het up about religion? Robert Shaw is wonderfully hammy as the frustrated Henry VIII.
Rating:
Summary: Historical Highwater Mark Regarding Political Morality
Review: No wonder this movie won so many awards! Sir (Saint) Thomas More is portrayed very well in this movie as he silently resists King Henry the 8th's forceful institution of the Church of England. Pledged to his faith in Catholicism and the Pope, the powerful More is slowly rejected by his peers-in-power and finally finds himself in the Tower of London. What happened after that is with us today: the decision to follow a trend vs. standing one's ground because of moral belief. The lesson has stood the judgement of time!
Rating:
Summary: They just don't seem to make `em like this anymore!
Review: This is one of the great movies! Paul Scofield is totally brilliant in his role as Sir Thomas Moore. Richard Harris is also outstanding. This film has so much going for it. Truth not only as an ethical standard but truth as a value in itself. Education as the ultimate occupation of human fulfillment. This movie won some Oscars and should have won a whole bunch more.
Rating:
Summary: A lawyer as a saint??
Review: These days, the idea of a lawyer achieving sainthood seems a bit thin. More was the last legal mind to achieve it, and for good reason. Caught in the swirl of shifting values arising from the spread of Luther's reformation and the rise of nationalism More became an anachronism within his own lifetime. Scofield's presentation of a man watching his traditional world dissolve, replaced by an emerging political one is more than compelling; it's flawless. Scofield shows the futility of attempting to balance canon and civil law when the state was emerging triumphant. Cardinal Wolsey's death, in a superb cameo by Orson Welles, establishes how much power the church wielded in the state. Norfolk's scornful gaze expresses the resentment many felt over the dominance of England by Rome. Robert Shaw's Henry VIII presents the mood swings and apparent callousness toward human values reflecting the common judgment of his reign in traditional history. Shaw displays a fine villain, but can touch only lightly the complexity of Henry's position in Reformation England. Bolt's hagiography denies Shaw the scope he might have used in depicting Henry's burdens. The Tudor reign ended a long, furious civil war. Henry VIII's divorce was not an issue of lust, but of providing an heir and attendant political stability. Henry's break with Rome flew in the face of a millennium of European tradition. The Papacy had the support of the most powerful monarch in Europe, Charles II, who would gladly have invaded England. However, the Lutheran Reformation kept his attention. Will Roper's role is too weak to represent the man who penned the first biography of More. Roper did, indeed, pass from orthodoxy through Lutheranism before returning to the 'true faith'. Like More, he was caught up in circumstances he couldn't comprehend. His confusion expresses what England went through over religion in those years. If we have a saint, there must be a sinner for contrast. Bolt tries to make Henry More's foil, but Leo McKern's stunning performance as Thomas Cromwell walks away with the job. We don't know if Cromwell initiated the break with Rome, but once the process began, he followed through with enthusiasm. McKern vividly portrays a man of the new age, seeking power not for himself, but for the State. Coldly dispassionate in his role, McKern shows how inept the Academy Awards folk are having overlooked his performance. Without detracting from either Scofield or Shaw, it's McKern who captures attention with his demonstration of a man of the 'new age' [for contrast, see him in the Beatles 'Help!']. This film is a timeless classic. No other depiction of More or Henry has matched it. Put it on your shelf next to 'The Lion in Winter' for a comparison of royal prerogative. Both Henrys had laymen as their most powerful Chancellor. Both Henrys killed both Thomases. A fine irony.
|
