A Man for All Seasons
1966 · Movie · G · 120 min · ★ 7.3 · 81% critics
Set in England, the story follows a Lord Chancellor who refuses to declare the king as supreme over the church. As pressure mounts from the royal court and political power tightens, his loyalty to conscience collides with demands to comply.
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Details
- Years
- 1966
- Release date
- 1966-12-13
- Language
- English
- Rated
- G
- Runtime
- 120 min
- Critic score
- 81/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.3/10 (497 votes)
- Box office
- $28,350,000
- Budget
- $2,000,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want an intelligent, actor-led historical courtroom-and-conscience drama with big ethical questions; Not for you if you prefer fast, action-forward epics like The Mission or historical romances like Anne of a Thousand Days.
Pros: outstanding moral drama; superb lead performance; intelligent dialogue | Cons: slow, dialogue-heavy pace; little action focus; emotionally tough themes
Themes
- death penalty
- england
- pope
- beheading
- protestant church
- oath
- based on play or musical
- tudor
- catholic
- henry viii
- 16th century
- british monarchy
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Picture · 1967
- Academy Award — Best Director · 1967
- Academy Award — Best Cinematography, Color · 1967
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay · 1967
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 1967
Show all 16 awards →
- Academy Award — Best Costume Design, Color · 1967
- National Board of Review Award — Best Film
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 1967 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Costume Design, Color · 1967 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Cinematography, Color · 1967 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay · 1967 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actor · 1967 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actress · 1967 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Director · 1967 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Picture · nominated
Cast & crew
Paul Scofield
as Thomas More
Wendy Hiller
as Alice More
Leo McKern
as Thomas Cromwell
Robert Shaw
as King Henry VIII
Orson Welles
as Cardinal Wolsey
Susannah York
as Margaret More
Nigel Davenport
as The Duke of Norfolk
John Hurt
as Richard Rich
Corin Redgrave
as William Roper (the Younger)
Colin Blakely
as Matthew
Directed by Fred Zinnemann