Man for All Seasons

UPC: 043396032569

Studio: Columbia TriStar

MPAA Rating: G   Contains:[Adult Situations, Questionable for Children]

Summary: Adapted by Robert Bolt and Constance Willis from Bolt's hit stage play, A Man for All Seasons stars Paul Scofield, triumphantly repeating his stage role as Sir Thomas More. The crux of the film is the staunchly Catholic More's refusal to acknowledge King Henry VIII (Robert Shaw)'s break from the church to divorce his first wife and marry Anne Boleyn (an unbilled Vanessa Redgrave). Sir Thomas willingly goes to the chopping block rather than sacrifice his ideals. Director Fred Zinnemann retains the play's verbosity without sacrificing the film's strong sense of visuals. The impeccably chosen cast includes Wendy Hiller as Sir Thomas' likably contentious wife Alice, John Hurt as the deceitful Richard Rich (More's put-downs of this despicable character provide some of the film's biggest laughs), Orson Welles as a dour Cardinal Woolsey, Leo McKern as the ambitious Thomas Cromwell, and Susannah York as More's daughter Margaret. The "Common Man," an important bridging-the-scenes character in the original play, is removed from the film version, which does just fine without him. A Man for All Seasons won six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, as well as seven British Film Academy awards. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Category: Historical Film

Awards: Best Art Direction for a Color British Film – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best British Actor – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best British Film – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Cinematography for Color [British] – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Film - Any Source – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Screenplay for a British Film – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Picture - Drama – null Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – null Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – null Best Director – null Best Screenplay – null Best Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Adapted Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Color Cinematography – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Color Costume Design – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Supporting Actress – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – National Board of Review Best Actor – National Board of Review Best Director – National Board of Review Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – National Board of Review Best Picture – New York Film Critics Circle Best Actor – New York Film Critics Circle Best Director – New York Film Critics Circle Best Screenplay – New York Film Critics Circle Best Screenplay – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Supporting Actor – National Board of Review Best Supporting Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Director – Directors Guild of America

Features: Interactive menus
Scene selections

Man for All Seasons

Format: DVD

Release Date: 01/26/1999

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen, 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Runtime: 120 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 1

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Scene Selections
0. Scene Selections
1. Start [5:15]
2. A butcher's summons [4:13]
3. With the Cardinal [6:43]
4. Petitions [:59]
5. Home to Chelsea [5:07]
6. Saying no to a heretic [4:06]
7. The Duke of Norfolk [1:22]
8. The new Lord Chancellor [1:47]
9. "Surprise" visit [5:02]
10. Quiet words [8:20]
11. Catching the tide [4:12]
12. A bad, dangerous spy [3:22]
13. Rich & the new Secretary [4:30]
14. The King's answer [1:19]
15. More resigns [1:36]
16. Explaining his decision [12:05]
17. The King's wedding day [2:39]
18. A letter [1:04]
19. Conversation with Cromwell [5:07]
20. Ending a friendship [4:57]
21. News of the oath [1:37]
22. In the tower [2:34]
23. An inquiry [7:21]
24. Family visit [7:56]
25. The trial [6:13]
26. Richard Rich testifies [4:21]
27. Verdict & discharge [3:48]
28. Sentence carried out [2:33]
Side #2 -- FULL SCREEN
0. Scene Selections
1. Start [5:15]
2. A butcher's summons [4:13]
3. With the Cardinal [6:43]
4. Petitions [:59]
5. Home to Chelsea [5:07]
6. Saying no to a heretic [4:06]
7. The Duke of Norfolk [1:22]
8. The new Lord Chancellor [1:47]
9. "Surprise" visit [5:02]
10. Quiet words [8:20]
11. Catching the tide [4:12]
12. A bad, dangerous spy [3:22]
13. Rich & the new Secretary [4:30]
14. The King's answer [1:19]
15. More resigns [1:36]
16. Explaining his decision [12:05]
17. The King's wedding day [2:39]
18. A letter [1:04]
19. Conversation with Cromwell [5:07]
20. Ending a friendship [4:57]
21. News of the oath [1:37]
22. In the tower [2:34]
23. An inquiry [7:21]
24. Family visit [7:56]
25. The trial [6:13]
26. Richard Rich testifies [4:21]
27. Verdict & discharge [3:48]
28. Sentence carried out [2:33]

Richard Gilliam

A Man for All Seasons is a handsome adaptation of the stage play on which it is based, with fine acting, solemn issues, and a message of moral order that conservative audiences of the 1960s found attractive. Historians, however, have objected to the glorification of Sir Thomas More, who was hardly the innocent martyr portrayed by playwright/screenwriter Robert Bolt. For example, the historical More urged the executions of various "heretics," a distasteful matter that the film somehow overlooks. The appeal of A Man for All Seasons to 1966 audiences was a direct reaction to the cultural upheavals in the world at large. In a era where once-confident values were being questioned and sometimes destroyed, the story of the principled More, who sacrifices himself rather than give in to change and wickedness, had resonance among those who longed for simpler days with more concrete values. AMPAS, still a bit embarrassed over having honored the libertine Tom Jones three years earlier, showered the film with six Oscars, including Best Picture. ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Eira Heath  Actor 
Matt Zimmerman  Actor 
Anthony Nicholls  Actor 
Martin Boddey  Actor 
Vanessa Redgrave  Actor 
Cyril Luckham  Actor 
Molly Urquhart  Actor 
Jack Gwyllim  Actor 
Philip Brack  Actor 
Michael Latimer  Actor 
Paul Hardwick  Actor 
Eric Mason  Actor 
Thomas Heathcote  Actor 
John Nettleton  Actor 
Constance Willis  Screenwriter 
Robert Bolt  Screenwriter 
Georges Delerue  Composer (Music Score) 
Fred Zinnemann  Director 
Fred Zinnemann  Producer 
Paul Scofield  Actor 
Wendy Hiller  Actor 
Leo McKern  Actor 
Robert Shaw  Actor 
Orson Welles  Actor 
Susannah York  Actor 
Nigel Davenport  Actor 
John Hurt  Actor 
Corin Redgrave  Actor 
Colin Blakely  Actor 
Yootha Joyce  Actor 

Country: UK