A Man for All Seasons (Special Edition)
by Fred Zinnemann
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Leo McKern, Orson Welles, Paul Scofield, Robert Shaw, Wendy HillerDirector: Fred Zinnemann
Brand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); French (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 120 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-02-20
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Sony Pictures
Movie Reviews of A Man for All Seasons (Special Edition)
Movie Review: A timeless classic...
Summary: 5 Stars
The book is simply magnificent, this DVD version of A Man for All Seasons, provides the eloquent conversations about good and evil, about morality and standing by one's beliefs that makes us stop and ponder on choosing the right path.
Upon the death of his brother, King Henry VIII requested to be married to his brother's wife and was granted special dispensation by the Vatican. After his Queen, Katherine of Aragon fails to produce a male heir to the throne and Henry VIII becomes infatuated with Anne Boleyn, he requests that his marriage to Katherine of Aragon be annulled claiming that it is and always was a sin to marry the wife of a brother. But, the Vatican refuses to agree and Thomas More refuses to endorse the proposed divorce.
The conflict between King Henry VIII, played by Robert Shaw and Sir Thomas More, masterfully played by Paul Scofield is superb. At first, the King and More were great friends, both collaborating in writing the Defence of the 7 Sacraments, which negated Luther. As a result of this great work, the Vatican names King Henry VIII, Defender of the Faith, and as a result Henry VIII makes More Speaker of the House of Commons and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. After the fall of Thomas Wolsey in 1529, King Henry VIII makes More his Lord Chancellor, a position that holds great power.
But, this promotion does not last long and Thomas More resigns shortly after three years, claiming that he is not in the best of health, but everyone understands the motive to be his disapproval of Henry's stance towards the Pope and the Catholic Church. More does not attend the coronation of Anne Boleyn and is then accused of treason.
More refuses to swear to the Act of Succession and the Oath of Supremacy. A friend asks him to sign... for friendship's sake and More answers: "And when we go in front of God to be judged and you are forgiven because you followed your beliefs and I condemned and sent to hell because I went against mine... for friendship's sake... would you, for friendship's sake come with me?
More is found guilty of treason and was beheaded. It is said that his final words were: I am the King's faithful servant... but God's first. Without a doubt, this is a story of a man who stood by his beliefs and never gave up in his firm resolution to stay true to his convictions. A must see!
Summary of A Man for All Seasons (Special Edition)
Adaptation of Robert Bolt's play about Sir Thomas More a Catholic statesman in England who rebelled against Henry VIII's self-proclaimed status as the head of the Church of England and paid for his religious beliefs by having his head exhibited on London Bridge.System Requirements:Run Time: 120 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 043396180857 Manufacturer No: 18085Robert Bolt's successful play was not considered a hot commercial property by Columbia Pictures--a period piece about a moral issue without a star, without even a love story. Perhaps that's why Columbia left director Fred Zinnemann alone to make A Man for All Seasons, as long as he stuck to a relatively small budget. The results took everyone by surprise, as the talky morality play became a box-office hit and collected the top Oscars for 1966. At the play's heart is the standoff between King Henry VIII (Robert Shaw, in young lion form) and Sir Thomas More (Paul Scofield, in an Oscar-winning performance). Henry wants More's official approval of divorce, but More's strict ethical and religious code will not let him waffle. More's rectitude is a source of exasperation to Cardinal Wolsey (Orson Welles in a cameo), who chides, "If you could just see facts flat on without that horrible moral squint." Zinnemann's approach is all simplicity, and indeed the somewhat prosaic staging doesn't create a great deal of cinematic excitement. But the language is worth savoring, and the ethical politics are debated with all the calm and majesty of an absorbing chess game. --Robert Horton
Robert Bolt's successful play was not considered a hot commercial property by Columbia Pictures--a period piece about a moral issue without a star, without even a love story. Perhaps that's why Columbia left director Fred Zinnemann alone to make A Man for All Seasons, as long as he stuck to a relatively small budget. The results took everyone by surprise, as the talky morality play became a box-office hit and collected the top Oscars for 1966. At the play's heart is the standoff between King Henry VIII (Robert Shaw, in young lion form) and Sir Thomas More (Paul Scofield, in an Oscar-winning performance). Henry wants More's official approval of divorce, but More's strict ethical and religious code will not let him waffle. More's rectitude is a source of exasperation to Cardinal Wolsey (Orson Welles in a cameo), who chides, "If you could just see facts flat on without that horrible moral squint." Zinnemann's approach is all simplicity, and indeed the somewhat prosaic staging doesn't create a great deal of cinematic excitement. But the language is worth savoring, and the ethical politics are debated with all the calm and majesty of an absorbing chess game. --Robert Horton
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