If the furor over shows likeSuccessionandHouse of the Dragonis any indication, we love to see a well-told tale of political intrigue and petty power struggles. Being reminded that the people who are supposed to run our governments are just as selfish and corruptible as the rest of us is equal parts terrifying and all too juicy to resist. While now seemingly the primary domain of many juggernaut television shows, the behind-closed-doors conflicts of powerful authority figures used to be the fulcrum of many major Hollywood films. Some even found their way into the purview of the Oscars, one of which is the 1966 dramaA Man For All Seasons, a Best Picture winner that has seemingly been banished to that phantom zone of neither among the best norworst films to win that accolade. Which is a real shame, as it’s a film brimming with intellectual curiosity and moral conviction.
What is ‘A Man for All Seasons’ About?
Sir Thomas More (Paul Scofield), a trusted advisor to King Henry VIII (Robert Shaw), is a man of principle and conscience who sees himself as devoted to the king, but more devoted to God. Henry is desperate for a male child, and wants to leavehis current wife, Catherine, for a new wife, Anne Boleyn. For that to happen, he’d need an annulment, which he’d need to put pressure on the Church in order to achieve, since the Catholic Church opposes frivolous divorce.More, being a firm believer in the importance of laws and separating church and state, vehemently but respectfully opposes Henry’s effortsto convince him to switch sides, the only advisor in Henry’s inner circle to do so. Even respectful pressure from the reigning cardinal, Wolsey (Orson Welles), isn’t enough to make More budge from his position.
A Man For All Seasonsis, above all else,a fiendishly well-crafted and surprisingly fast-moving thriller of ideasthat vouches for standing up for religious ideals without ever coming off as crass Catholic propaganda. It’s a study on the permanently shady tension between genuine service to your fellow human and opportunistic ladder-climbing, all taking place under the full view of crisp and golden sunlight.More proves himself time and time again to be an emotionally intelligent and amiable personwho knows how to operate in the political sphere, and that paints his enemies as particularly egregious in their backstabbing of him, since he would never give them any truly valid reason to despise him. Furthermore, it’s abundantly clear that, for as much as Henry is vigorously portrayed by Shaw as a hedonistic porcupine who’s quick to impale even those he hugs closest to him, he and More are true friends who share a respect for each other that goes beyond their titles. Therefore, Henry’s inevitable betrayal of More is so much more painful, and the bulk of that pain is felt through Scofield’s remarkable performance.
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Paul Scofield Delivers a Thrilling Performance in ‘A Man for All Seasons’
Paul Scofield is a name cinephile audiences probably don’t remember much, since he was more of a theater titan who only sporadically did films. While he had scene-stealing roles in films likeThe TrainandQuiz Show,his performance as Thomas More is what he’s most revered for, winning the Tony for his stage performance of the original play, and then the Oscar for the film version. His performance dominates the film and gives it a North star to guide it in its modality: dignified and proud, wielding a quietly biting wit for moments of irritation, tactful and surgically precise in his word choice. Everything about More is measured and tempered with self-knowledge and stolid grit, still vulnerable while never bending or admitting to any feelings of cowardice or true fear.
Scofield has a trick where he’ll be in the flow of a conversation in a low state, demure and sensitive, and then he snookers you by raising his voice to the rafters ina preacher’s tone, carrying you into an impassioned monologue that feels like you’ve been helplessly sucked into a wind tunnel. Even when at his wits' end,Scofield effortlessly sells you on just how willing he is to potentially forfeit his very lifefor the sake of sticking to what he believes is right. A paragon of nobility and conscientious objection must feel centered and reasonably unwavering in their mentality, without coming off like a dogmatic psychopath, and Scofield’s warmth and deceptive vigilance measure up to that lofty responsibility.
If Scofield isn’t enough for you to check this film out, then see it forFred Zinnemann’s direction. For a tight two hours, Zinnemann steers us through so much information about so many warring factions and ideologies, yet we never feel lost in the quagmire and tension. Despite how much the film is built around discussions of faith and legal loopholes,A Man for All Seasonsis an exciting call for moral courage and accountability for those tempted to use power for selfish gain, and it deserves to be seen by more people.
A Man for All Seasons
A Man For All Seasonscan be rented in the US on Prime.
WATCH ON PRIME
