Rapid Response: A Man for All Seasons

Perhaps I’m not much of an anglophile, but the regal theatrics of Fred Zinnemann’s “A Man for All Seasons” merely impressed me for its poise and eloquence more than its moral gravitas. It is a strikingly compelling film with big, stage worthy performances and wide open cinematography that leaves us in awe of the deafening silence it can create. The climactic courtroom scene most of all is breathtaking for its lush, looming presence.

The film from 1966 is the story of Thomas More, the Chancellor of the Realm who famously opposed King Henry VIII’s divorce such that he could wed Anne Boleyn. The movie, as well as the play on which it is based, paints More (Paul Scofield) as a highly principled man who even has the respect of King Henry (Robert Shaw), but is simply pitted at a moral impasse against the good of the country. Much of the film follows his steadfast resolve to stay silent as to not be incriminated until he is finally brought to court and sentenced to beheading. Continue reading “Rapid Response: A Man for All Seasons”