A Man for All Seasons

Why it's worth watching

This cinematic masterpiece offers a profound and beautifully written portrayal of Christian conscience and moral courage. Paul Scofield's Oscar-winning performance as Sir Thomas More provides an unforgettable model of a man who refuses to compromise his soul for worldly favor.

For discernment

This is one of the great films about conscience for a Christian to sit with: Thomas More will not swear an oath his soul knows to be false, and Scofield plays him as a man who reverences God's law above the king's and pays for it with his head. The screenplay is morally serious and treats an oath as a sacred binding of the self to God — rare and edifying fare. Two honest notes. The plot hinges on Henry VIII's drive to annul a marriage and remarry, so adultery and the corruption of power sit at its heart, though handled with restraint. And More dies specifically as a Roman Catholic defending papal supremacy, so a Protestant viewer will admire his integrity and courage while parsing the particular doctrine he martyrs himself for. Language is limited to a couple of mild profanities. This is a film to think and pray with, not merely to watch.

• Faith & familyThe story turns on Henry VIII discarding his wife to remarry, dramatizing the corruption of both marriage and power, handled with restraint.
• WorldviewMore is martyred specifically defending Roman Catholic papal supremacy, a point a Protestant viewer will weigh against his admirable integrity.
• LanguageA use of "b****" and two profane exclamations using God's name.

Cast

Paul Scofield

Thomas More

Wendy Hiller

Alice More

Leo McKern

Thomas Cromwell

Robert Shaw

King Henry VIII

Orson Welles

Cardinal Wolsey

Susannah York

Margaret More

Nigel Davenport

The Duke of Norfolk

John Hurt

Richard Rich

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