That was an excellent one.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

So far removed are we from the Sixteenth Century that it's virtually impossible to comprehend the devotion to one's religion shown by Sir Thomas More (Paul Scofield) in "A Man For All Seasons". I had a cursory insight into the events surrounding More's stoic judgment and eventual demise way back in my high school days some half century ago, but to see the machinations that led to his execution is something else again. More made the decision, some would call it a mistake, to forego 'minimizing the inconvenience of things', and instead remained resolute in opposing the marriage of King Henry VIII (Robert Shaw) to Anne Boleyn (Vaness Redgrave) upon securing a divorce from Lady Catherine. I wouldn't know what parts of this story might be called into question for historical accuracy, but as an overview of the circumstances surrounding Henry VIII, More, and functionaries like Cromwell (Leo McKern) and the Duke of Norfolk (Nigel Davenport) all seem to bear credibility. As a period drama and cinematic achievement, there aren't many finer films, and the only exception I would take with the production is something the movie actually earned an Oscar for, that of Best Costume Design for a Color Movie. Yes, it did have that, but if you take a discerning look at the clothing of players like King Henry III and the guests at his wedding celebration, all of it looked like it was brand new and made specifically for the picture and not part of a Sixteenth Century, every day wardrobe. A minor niggle, but it just struck me as odd.

A pretty good film about a man who sticks to his principles when everyone else has abandoned theirs for convenience, power, wealth, and/or the status quo. Does the audience for this film exist today (would anyone "get it"?).The film, its lead actor (Paul Scofield), its director (Fred Zinnemann, From Here to Eternity (1953)), Ted Moore's Color Cinematography (his only nomination), its Color Costume Design, and the Adapted Screenplay Writing by Robert Bolt (Doctor Zhivago (1965)) all won Academy Awards. Supporting players Robert Shaw and Wendy Hiller were Oscar nominated.Scofield plays Sir Thomas More (the title character), who is asked by King Henry VIII (Shaw) to approve his divorce of Catherine so that he might marry Ann Boleyn (Vanessa Redgrave). More refuses his king which ultimately leads to his undoing.Hiller plays More's wife Alice, Susannah York his daughter Margaret. Orson Welles plays Cardinal Wolsey, Leo McKern plays Thomas Cromwell, Nigel Davenport plays the Duke of Norfolk, and John Hurt plays Richard Rich.

This is the story of Sir Thomas More, who, as Chancellor of England under Henry VIII, refused to compromise his beliefs and condone the King's divorce, remarriage and break from the Pope. He resigned his office, refused to sign an oath and paid for his convictions with his life. It is a thoroughly engrossing story, an enlightening look at a key period in British history and a portrayal of a man who steadfastly followed his conscience.Fred Zinnemann directs superbly (my God, did this man ever make a bad film!?)and the film is an acting tour-de-force by an amazing cast. Paul Schofied as More is front-and-center and he is absolutely amazing and totally believable in the role. Wendy Hiller, as his wife Alice, Leo McKern, as the conniving Cromwell, Robert Shaw, as King Henry, Orson Welles, as Cardinal Wolsey, Susannah York, as More's daughter Margaret, Nigel Davenport, as his friend the Duke of York, and John Hurt in his first important role as the scheming Richard Rich, are all fantastic in support.Robert Bolt's screenplay, based on his play (which won a Tony as Best Drama), is literate, intelligent and insightful. The film's cinematography, costume design and set design are exemplary and the picture is wonderfully evocative of time and place.The trial scenes (based on eye-witness accounts) are amazing, but my favorite section of the film is the farewell at the prison between Schofield and Hiller. It is poignant and incredibly heartbreaking.The film won six Academy Awards including Best Picture and deserved every one of them. It is without a doubt one of the best British historical dramas, as well as one of the best costume dramas, ever made.

One of the greatest film directors of all time is Fred Zinnemann, and the shocking thing is, most people wouldn't know who that is, let alone even heard the name. He has a whopping 65 Oscar nominations under his belt with a great 24 wins. His films have stood the test of time and continue to be debated and discussed to this day. Perhaps Zinnemann is most known for 'High Noon', 'Oklahoma', 'The Nun's Story', and 1977's 'Julia'. All of those movies are excellent and have each earned their own numerous awards in filmmaking.But there is another film from 1966, which was one of Zinnemann's last films that not only took home Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Actor, but it is the best film ever made according to The Vatican. Needless to say, that's a pretty high honor, considering the film isn't 100% about religion. The film centers around the time where King Henry VIII was wanting to marry Anne Boleyn, and right before the King became the chaotic leader he is known for. But this story does not follow around King Henry (Robert 'Jaws' Shaw), but rather 'A Man for All Season' focuses on Sir Thomas More (Paul Scofield), a family man who was the right hand man to King Henry VIII, at least for a little while.Based on the 1960 stage play by Robert Bolt with Bolt writing the screenplay, 'A Man for All Seasons' can be seen as an accurate portrayal of the downfall of one of the most infamous kings in England, not to mention the intense and brilliant dialogue that occurs. As the film starts out, King Henry is already wanting to marry Boleyn and leave Lady Aragon, because she cannot bear children, specifically a son to take the reigns someday, which is something King Henry is obsessed about. He has his lord chancellor Wolsey (Orson Welles) ask Sir Thomas More, Henry's right hand man to attend a secret meeting to convince the Pope to allow Henry to divorce his wife and marry another.If you're Catholic, you have been told this a big "no-no" in the religion. Already knowing that the Pope will not agree to this, Sir Thomas More, declines to help. You see, back then, almost everything had to be approved before the Pope and the church, and if it wasn't "kosher", it would be considered illegal. When More declines, King Henry tries to bribe More with power and riches. When that doesn't work, King Henry takes a more violent approach. All the while, Sir Thomas More sticks to his religious convictions and does what's right by his family and God. He never bows down or takes the low road. Instead, he takes the righteous path, always standing up to what he believes him, no matter what the obstacle is to overcome.Well, we all know what happened, King Henry overthrew the Pope basically, making it law that the church had no say on people's lives. He went on to marry five more women, some of whom he had killed. But what works so well with 'A Man for All Seasons' is the attention to detail of the time period, and the incredible performances by each actor. These actors just throw themselves into these roles and make you believe every single action and emotion, especially Paul Scofield, who is one of the best Shakespearean actors to have ever lived. He fully immersed himself into these roles and there are stories of how intense he was on set in character. It definitely shows here as he won Best Actor at the Oscars for his role here. 'A Man for All Seasons' is smart, beautiful, and well-acted, and remains one of the best adaptations of King Henry VIII's life out there today.