A Man For All Seasons on Blu-ray
Category: Blu-ray's and DVD's
This 1966 film won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Paul Scofield), Best Director (Fred Zinnemann), Best Screenplay based on another medium (Robert Bolt), Best Cinematography, and Best Costume Design. A Man for All Seasons stars Scofield as Sir Thomas More, a man of honor and deep passions.
The story pits Thomas More against Henry VIII (Robert Shaw). More was dedicated to the true meaning of the law and the rules of the Catholic Church. At the time Roman Catholicism was the church of the country. However, when the king wanted to divorce his wife Catherine to marry his mistress Anne Boleyn for the purposed of producing a male heir to the crown, More and his friend Henry clashed to the end.
This was the pivotal time in religious history in Britain. This was the time when Henry VIII decided that if he could not get what he wanted from the Roman church, that being a divorce from his wife and the declaration that his marriage was actually null and void, he would declare his own version of Catholocism. Therefore, the Church of England was founded with the king as the head of this new religion.
More, being a scholar and a devout Catholic, couldn’t bend to the new order. He was a man of honor and stood by his beliefs. This was a true man of conscience. He loved to read and learn new things, however he couldn’t bend to rewriting laws for personal gain, as the king had done.
The film is an interesting look at the times and the historic figures, and definitely will inspire admiration for More from all those who view it, however to gain the most out of the story I feel the viewers should have some previous knowledge of the men and the situation. While it is explained in the movie, a previous understanding of the situation would definitely help viewers enjoy the film better than not knowing anything about this actual historical event.
The new Twilight Time Edition includes an interesting documentary about Thomas More, in which viewers get a deeper understanding of the man who was an important figure in British history. More lived from 1478 – 1535. He was canonized in 1935 and in 2000 the Pope declared him the “Heavenly Patron of Statesmen and Politicians.” This man who stood up for his beliefs, made a tremendous impact on history, and this film shows a small part of his life and the impact he made.
The new Twilight Time edition of A Man for All Seasons is an interesting look at this critical time in history and the people who made it so. The movie is rated G for all viewers.
About the Author
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment business for 20 years. She also writes about technology and has been a travel writer for the past 12 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.
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