Orson Welles alone relieves the boredom in a marvellous cameo as Cardinal Wolsey. If only they'd let him loose with the whole sorry history...
Comment
02/09/06
A Man for All Seasons (1966)
85
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:27
Fresh:23
Rotten:4
Average Rating:7.8/10
Consensus: Solid cinematography and enjoyable performances from Paul Scofield and Robert Shaw add a spark to this deliberately paced adaptation of the Robert Bolt play.
Runtime: 2 hrs 48 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: When Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, is unable to produce an heir to the throne, he uses that as a pretext for the pope to grant him a divorce, so he can marry his newest conquest,... [More]
Starring: Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, Leo McKern, Robert Shaw
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Reviews for A Man for All Seasons
Top CriticBolt's writing is elegant, vivid, shot through with a mounting sense of irony, and both Scofield and Shaw clearly relish their roles.
09/18/03
Top CriticPrestigious, well turned out piece of British historical drama with enough genuine intrigue and wit to persuade some audiences they aren't watching a history lesson.
02/14/07
Top CriticA Man for All Seasons is a picture that inspires admiration, courage and thought.
05/20/03
Top CriticFiercely intelligent, deeply affecting, resonant with verbal beauty and grace.
05/24/02
A Man for All Seasons is a handsome production. In other words, it is staid, stern, plodding, and precise, with about as much passion as your 11th-grade history textbook.
01/01/00
Robert Bolt's boring historical drama functions best as an anthology of British acting styles, circa 1966.
12/13/06
It will not be for all tastes, but it is a fine film.
01/01/00
Political, religious and personal niceties of the period are streamlined, and the movie concentrates on the impressive steadfastness of Sir Thomas More.
06/24/09
Splendidly acted by Paul Scofield and Robert Shaw, this version of Robert Bolt's play about the conflict between Church and State suffers from Zinnemann's restrained, middlebrow sensibility, the kind of which impresses Academy voters, hence the Oscar.
07/24/06
One man's conviction against the tyranny of Henry VIII makes for an intriguing drama in A Man for All Seasons
11/21/06
This is an outstanding (and brilliantly filmed) study of a man who is faced with a harrowingly difficult moral choice.
04/20/02
Producer-director Fred Zinnemann has blended all filmmaking elements into an excellent, handsome and stirring film version of A Man For All Seasons.
01/29/08
Top CriticThe dry film, more boring than it had a right to be, nevertheless was sincere and won an Oscar for Best Picture.
03/01/08
Waiting for More's breaking point provides the only thread of suspense.
02/24/07
Zinnemann proved to be a filmmaker for all seasons.
04/15/07
One of the most intelligent religious movies ever made.
02/20/09
Top CriticThis absorbing film features inventive camerawork and superior production values.
12/13/06
Top CriticOutstanding adaptation of Robert Bolt's play detailing battle between Sir Thomas More and King Henry VIII
07/07/05
It's basically a play, but the script is so good and Scofield is masterful.
11/10/05
Latest News for A Man for All Seasons
March 20, 2008:
Paul Scofield: 1922-2008
David Paul Scofield, Oscar-winning British actor of stage and screen died from complications related to leukemia in a hospital near his home in Sussex. He was 86. More...
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