Picture 39: A Man for All Seasons (1966)

England won the FIFA World Cup this year and also managed to have Englishman Robert Bolt’s 1960 play adapted into an Oscar Best Picture winner. What a time to be alive!

A Man for All Seasons take us to Catholic England in 1529. Henry VIIIth (Robert Shaw) is the King of England and still married to his first wife – Catherine of Aragon. The central character is Saint Thomas More (Paul Scofield). More is a highly able, diligent and principled lawyer. He serves on the Privy Council as a key advisor to the King.

The 38 year old Henry VIIIth has not yet generated a male heir so is keen to divorce his wife and replace her with the younger Anne Boleyn (Vanessa Redgrave). Divorce is forbidden in the Catholic Church so Henry has to go to all the way to the Pope to get an annulment.

More is a devout Catholic and quietly opposes Henry’s plans. When he is promoted to Lord Chancellor of England, an intriguing dynamic develops. Will status interfere with More’s conviction? Will More stick to his principles and honour his faith even when faced with grave danger?

This is storytelling at its best. The dialogue is flawless and the plot is absorbing. It’s as good as any courtroom drama you will see and has its fair share of medieval spice and historical intrigue thrown in. The cast has strength in depth so look out for some big names including Orson Welles and a young John Hurt.

Well deserving of its fifth place – Columbia Pictures can be most proud of this entry.

Rating: 9/10

Reflections:

1.     To live a life against your values is, to some extent, worse than death.

Oscar Best Picture Rankings:

1. Casablanca (1943)

2. The Apartment (1960)

3. Rebecca (1940)

4. The Sound of Music (1965)

5. A Man for All Seasons (1966)

6. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

7. Ben-Hur (1959)

8. Lost Weekend (1945)

9. All About Eve (1950)

10. Hamlet (1948)

11. How Green Was My Valley (1941)

12. Gone With the Wind (1939)

13. West Side Story (1961)

14. Mrs. Miniver (1942)

15. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

16. Wings (1928)

17. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

18. You can’t take it with you (1938)

19. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

20. On the Waterfront (1954)

21. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

22. Marty (1955)

23. Cimarron (1931)

24. Grand Hotel (1932)

25. An American in Paris (1951)

26. From Here to Eternity (1953)

27. It Happened One Night (1934)

28. My Fair Lady (1964)

29. Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)

30. Cavalcade (1933)

31. The Life of Emile Zola (1937)

32. Going My Way (1944)

33. The Great Ziegfeld (1936)

34. All the King’s Men (1949)

35. Gigi (1958)

36. Around the World in 80 Days (1956)

37. The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)

38. The Broadway Melody (1929)

39. Tom Jones (1963)

Previous or current ranking leaders are in bold.

With credit and thanks to the patrons of the Best Picture Film Club:

Dr Sophie Bloomfield

Dr Caspar Briault

Dr Kate Diomede

Dr Fionnuala Durrant

Mr Vivian Gallaher

Mrs Clare Gallaher

Dr Hannah Morrison

Dr Meera Radia