A Man for All Seasons

Columbia Pictures - 1966
120 Minutes
Directed by Fred Zinnemann

Starring:
Paul Scofield - Sir Thomas More

Robert Shaw - King Henry VIII

Orson Welles - Cardinal Wolsey

Leo McKern - Thomas Cromwell

Wendy Hiller - Alice More

Susannah York - Margaret More

with

John Hurt - Richard Rich

Corin Redgrave - William Roper

Nigel Davenport - Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk

Embedding for the YouTube video of the trailer is disabled, but you can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RZKd1be05Q

A few days ago I talked about Archbishop Chaput's book Render Unto Caesar. I mentioned that he devoted a chapter to St. Thomas More & his relevance for today's political landscape. As Archbishop Chaput describes him: "More was a man of principle guided by a properly formed conscience, who died rather than betray either." In the book he recommended seeing this movie to get a flavor of More's character. I put the movie on my birthday wish list, got it (Mille grazie, caro amico!!) & am here to add my recommendation to the Archbishop's.

As the Archbishop says, Robert Bolt (screenwriter & writer of the play it was based on) got More right in many ways. & he goes on to remind us "Still, the Thomas More of history is much more complex and interesting than any drama will ever show." True, but then it is impossible to ever get everything about someone like More into a 2 hour movie.

That disclaimer having been given, I agree with the Archbishop's assesment, he got More right in so many ways. From the start of the movie we see the strength of More's character. Since everyone knows what happened to Sir Thomas More, I will go into detail about the movie. If you don't want to know all the details, I will say that I highly recommend this movie. It is well written & well acted. It deserved the 8 Academy Award nominations it got. Hiller & Shaw got Best Supporting nods. (Shaw should have won in my opinion.) Scofield won for best actor as Sir Thomas More. He originated the role in London & later on Broadway. Zinneman won for director. It also won Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, cinematography & costume design. For those who don't want it spoiled you can quit reading now & go rent the movie. Then come back & read the rest. For the rest of you:

The movie starts with More's summons to Cardinal Wolsey's palace. Wolsey called More in to discuss King Henry's desire to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon. More refuses, despite pressure by Wolsey to compromise his morals. More tells him: "I think that when statesmen forsake their own private consciences for the sake of their public duties, they lead their country by a short route to chaos."

Later we see where Wolsey's ambition leads him, disgraced, & dying in a monastery. His dying words are: "If I had served my God as diligently as I did my king, He would not have given me over in my grey hairs." Wolsey's death saved him from facing a trial for treason for failing to get the annulment from the Pope. While it is a small part, Welles did an excellent job of portraying a man who was more concerned with temporal power than seeking 1st the kingdom of God.

Meanwhile, we see More's return to his estate. There we meet most of the rest of the main characters. He is met upon landing by Richard Rich who is constantly begging More to find him a position at court. More suggests teaching instead because of the corruption in court. We meet More's daughter Margaret (Meg). She was 1 of 4 children, 3 daughters, 1 son, More had with his 1st wife Jane Colt. They also adopted a daughter. After Jane's death he married Alice & adopted her daughter as well. In the movie there is no mention of any opf the other children. Margaret was More's favorite. That is clearly shown in the movie. We also meet William Roper who is in love with Meg. However, More refuses to let them get married because Roper left the Catholic Church & became a Lutheran. More tells him: "Now, listen, Will. Two years ago you were a passionate Churchman. Now you're a passionate Lutheran. We must just pray that when your head's finished turning, your face is to the front again."

After Wolsey's death, & despite his opposition to Henry's divorce/annulment, More is appointed Lord Chancellor of England. Shortly thereafter More's estate is visited by the King. Robert Shaw catchies Henry's mercuric temperment well. 1 moment we see Henry as fun loving, friendly & warm. We also see Henry actind devout & sincere in his belief that his marriage should never have been OKed by the Pope. Catherine had been the wife of Henry's older brother Arthur. Henry uses the Scripture where God said a man is not to marry his brother's wife, More the leverite law to justify their positions. Henry's stand of being a devout Christian is belied by his many affairs including the 1 he was having with Anne Boleyn even as he is acting so holy.

But after More's refusal we see the real Henry come out. He has a temper tantrum & screams: "I have no Queen! Catherine's not my wife! No priest can make her so! Those who say she is my wife are not only liars but traitors!" Here we see the truth come out. Henry's piety is an act. He then goes storming off, getting back on the boat. & in a funny scene we see all his obsequious courtiers running through the mud to get on board so they aren't left behind. Robert Shaw was perfectly cast as Henry. He is able to get across all the aspects of Henry's perseonality, pride, arrogance as well as anger. As I said, I think Shaw should have won the award for how he played Henry. Shaw was 1 of those versital actors whose roles varied from the psychopathic killer Red Grant in From Russia With Love to mobster Doyle Lonnegan in The Sting.

Henry's actions have an immediate effect on 1 person. Roper announces he is returning to the Catholic faith. This earns More's blessing for the marriage to now take place. During this conversation Rich comes in & again tries to get More to get him a position. More again refuses. Rich storms off after making some accusations. Roper wants More to have Rich arrested. More says he broke no law. At this point we get an excellent glimpse into More's character as he talks to Roper about the importance of upholding the rule of law.

Roper: So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!

More: Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?

Roper: Yes, I'd cut down every law in England to do that!

More: Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!

Rich ends up getting a position with Cromwell. Henry gets himself declared "Supreme Head of the Church in England", & gets Archbishop Cranmer to grant the annullment. More immediately reisgns as chancellor & returns home, hoping to avoid any public involvement with what lies ahead. More even refuses to discuss it with his family or friends to protect them. Unfortunately, Henry refuses to let it go at that. Knowing More's reputation with the people, he wants More to attend his wedding to Anne. He knows More's attendance will give the wedding legitimacy. More refuses.

He in now pulling in for questioning by Cromwell. Leo McKern was 1 of my favorite character actors. I 1st discovered him as 1 of the many #2s on The Prisoner. Later he took on what became his signature role as Horace Rumpole in Rumpole of the Bailey. His performance here didn't disappoint me either. We see Cromwell as the opportunist he is. Cromwell used every tactic he could to get More to get More to state his opinion on the wedding. Cromwell's hope is to get More to admit his disapproval so he can be tried for treason, or to trick him into approving it. More refuses to talk citing hir rights under English law. Cromwell calls him a traitor but has to let him go.

Parliament passes a new oath of loyalty requiring approval of the marriage. More can find no loopholes to allow him to take the oath so he refuses. He is now arrested, taken to the Tower of London & tried for treason.

Cromwell tries to prove that More's silence implies disapproval. More stands up to him & is able to quickly tear down the claims by Cromwell:

Cromwell: Now, Sir Thomas, you stand on your silence.

More: I do.

Cromwell: But, gentlemen of the jury, there are many kinds of silence. Consider first the silence of a man who is dead. Let us suppose we go into the room where he is laid out, and we listen: what do we hear? Silence. What does it betoken, this silence? Nothing; this is silence pure and simple. But let us take another case. Suppose I were to take a dagger from my sleeve and make to kill the prisoner with it; and my lordships there, instead of crying out for me to stop, maintained their silence. That would betoken! It would betoken a willingness that I should do it, and under the law, they will be guilty with me. So silence can, according to the circumstances, speak! Let us consider now the circumstances of the prisoner's silence. The oath was put to loyal subjects up and down the country, and they all declared His Grace's title to be just and good. But when it came to the prisoner, he refused! He calls this silence. Yet is there a man in this court - is there a man in this country! - who does not know Sir Thomas More's opinion of this title?

Crowd in court gallery: No!

Cromwell: Yet how can this be? Because this silence betokened, nay, this silence was, not silence at all, but most eloquent denial!

More: Not so. Not so, Master Secretary. The maxim is "Qui tacet consentiret": the maxim of the law is "Silence gives consent". If therefore you wish to construe what my silence betokened, you must construe that I consented, not that I denied.

Cromwell: Is that in fact what the world construes from it? Do you pretend that is what you wish the world to construe from it?

More: The world must construe according to its wits; this court must construe according to the law.

Finally, it takes purjury by Rich to convict him. When More finds out that Rich's reward is he will become Attorney General for Wales, More says: "Why Richard, it profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world... but for Wales?"

Having been convicted of treason More finally speaks, condemning the trial & the king's actions as going against God's will as found in Scripture as well as a betrayal of all England stands for as found in both the Magna Carta & the Coronation Oath that Henry took.

At his execution he makes the following speech: "I am commanded by the King to be brief, and since I am the King's obedient subject, brief I will be. I die his Majesty's good servant but God's first." He tells the executioner he is forgiven for doing his duty & that he is ready to go to God.

As I said, the movie does an excellent job of giving us insight into More, the man, his philosophy & his faith. We see a man of honor & conviction who doesn't seek martyrdom, but welcomes it as God's will when it does come.

More was executed, his head was stuck on Traitor's Gate for a month. Margaret removed it and kept it until her death. Cromwell was beheaded for high treason five years after More. Rich's testimony helped to convict him. Archbishop Cranmer was burned at the stake for treason & heresy under Queen Mary. The Duke of Norfolk should have been executed for high treason but the King died of syphilis the night before. He was released from prison under Queen Mary. Richard Rich became Chancellor of England. He was able to ride the changing political tides under Henry & his successors.Under Queen Elizabeth's reign he died in his bed.

We can see from the movie alone how More stood out from the usual carnality, greed & ambition found in politics & sadly parts of the Catholic Church at that time. 2 lines said by More especially capture this. At 1 point he says: "I think that when statesmen forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their public duties, they lead their country by a short route to chaos." The other was his reply to Norfolk's attempts to get More to go along: "And when we die, and you are sent to heaven for doing your conscience, and I am sent to hell for not doing mine, will you come with me, for fellowship?"

As for the title, Bolt took it from some lines written by Robert Whittington in 1520:

"More is a man of an angel's wit and singular learning.

I know not his fellow.

For where is the man of that gentleness, lowliness and affability?

And, as time requireth,

a man of marvelous mirth and pastimes, and sometime of as sad gravity.

A man for all seasons."

More truly was a man for all seasons. True to God & true to self.