A Man for All Seasons
1966
**½
Director: Fred Zinneman
Cast: Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, Leo McKern, Orson Welles, Robert Shaw, Susannah York, John Hurt
Lord Chancellor Sir Thomas More knows he must pay a price for refusing to accept King Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon or his position as the Supreme Head of the Church of England. Fred Zinneman's adaptation of Robert Bolt's 1960 play portrays More as a deeply devout Catholic and as the only principled, uncorrupt and decent man in 16th century England. This set-up unfortunately sucks all tension out of the proceedings, and Bolt's leaden dialogue doesn't help at all. This dull and stagy drama becomes halfway gripping only in the final 30 minutes. Nevertheless, the film won six Academy Awards, which include Zinneman for Best Direction and Scofield for Best Actor.
