A Man for All Seasons Resources

The IMDB page on A Man for All Seasons has you covered when it comes to info—technical specifics, cast members, etc. (We have you covered when it comes to scintillating, in-depth summaries and analysis.)

Rotten Tomatoes aggregates a ton of reviews of A Man for All Seasons, so you have your pick of perspectives (from lame, befuddled perspectives to attentive, appreciative ones).

Turner Classic Movies is one of the best things to ever happen to people who like classic movies. Its A Man for All Seasons page also offers some film clips, in addition to IMDB-style info on the film.

Originally written for radio, Bolt adapted A Man for All Seasons for the stage in 1960. It was a smash hit both in London's West End and on Broadway. Paul Scofield, who would star in the screen version, also played More in the London production.

In 1957, the BBC aired a one-hour live television version of the play.

This TV movie version (directed by William Sterling) sort of flew under the radar. The big screen version came out the next year and totally buried any memory of it. Seriously. There's not a whole lot on the internet about it.

This '80s TV version stars Charlton Heston (who also directed). Also, Vanessa Redgrave plays Alice More in this version, although in the more famous version—the one we're covering—she had a small, wordless cameo as Anne Boleyn.

A guy with the immortal name of Bosley Crowther originally reviewed A Man for All Seasons for The New York Times. He liked it.

This TCM article gives you the lowdown on some factoids.

Kael was known for having sharp takes on movies, occasionally hating on future classics (she didn't like The Exorcist or Blade Runner). Here, while finding the movie "tasteful and moderately enjoyable," she attacks the idea that Thomas More was necessarily a great man. Like the writer Hilary Mantel, she probably would've been more sympathetic to Thomas Cromwell.

Unlike Kael's review, this contemporaneous review from Variety's A.D. Murphy is much more positive.

In another review from when it came out, Kate Cameron of the New York Daily News gives the movie four stars, praising the acting: "But, over all these fine performances, including Robert Shaw's opulent, bluff, and forceful representation of the king, it is Scofield who dominates the screen with his gentle voice and steadfast refusal to kowtow to the king, even at the expense of his head."

Paul Scofield chats a bit about his life and career, ranging well beyond A Man for All Seasons and Thomas More (though it's probably still his defining role).

This trailer comes from the time period when the movie was released, but also evidently after the movie won its Best Picture Oscar (since the trailer pumps up that particular piece of info).

In this clip, Scofield, as More, delivers one of his great speeches, lecturing his son-in-law on the need to let bad people also enjoy the protections of the law.

As you might expect, priests love A Man for All Seasons. Here, Father Victor Feltes offers some insights, explaining some of the movie's symbolism and translating the Latin passages heard and inscriptions seen in the movie.

This clip shows A Man for All Seasons snatching up the awards for Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Actor at the 1967 Oscars.

This is a solid sample of Georges Delerue's score for the movie—royal, elegant, and pretty serious.

In this original poster for the movie, an imposing silhouette of More stands in the center, while a tagline informs us that it's "a motion picture for all times!"

This poster comes from after the movie's spree of Oscar-winning—and it highlights that fact with a little golden Oscar in the corner.

Paul Scofield reprises his stage-role as More for the screen, looking honest and straightforward as ever.

Shaw plays the young, arrogant, blustering king—kind of different from his role as the old sea-dog, Quint, in Jaws.

McKern conveys an impression of self-satisfied evil in his role as Cromwell.

Here's a photo of Wendy Miller, whose career was basically crowned with this performance.

As More's daughter, York gives us the impression of an extremely well-educated, scholarly young woman.

Here, John Hurt plays Rich holding More's would-be silver cup bribe. He would later go on to an illustrious role in Alien—with the titular alien bursting out of his chest and into movie history.

Here, Robert Bolt rocks a writerly beard and a pair of distinguished suspenders.

Zinnemann was a Polish-Jewish immigrant who escaped Nazi persecution by moving to America in 1934. Both of his parents died in the Holocaust.

This shot from the big courtroom sequence highlights More's isolation—he's in the middle of the room, surrounded by open space, with only his principles supporting him.