A Man For All Seasons (1966) Columbia Pictures 📢 Director: Fred Zinnemann 💰 Producer: Fred Zinnemann 👫 Cast: Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, Robert Shaw, Leo McKern, Orson Welles, Susannah York, John Hurt. 🏆 Awards ceremony: -39th Academy Awards: April 10, 1967. Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California. 🎭 Other films nominated for Best Picture this year: -Alfie. -The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming. -The Sand Pebbles. -Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? 📕 Plot summary: In 17th century England, King Henry VIII wants to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon (more accurately an annulment because she cannot bear his children) and marry Anne Boleyn instead so that he may have a male heir. Unfortunately for the King, Sir Thomas More (England's Lord Chancellor) will not grant him his wish because it is unlawful. Despite pressure from both the King and his chief minister Sir Thomas Cromwell to persuade Sir Thomas to sign an Act that would grant the King the head of the Church of England, Sir Thomas stands firm and is ultimately condemned for high treason. 💥 Standout scene: The final scene in Parliament where Sir Thomas exercises his integrity and good morals and refuses to be bullied by the court despite knowing it will result in his certain death. 🔑 Facts: -The 39th Academy Awards. -Nominated for 8 Academy Awards, it won 6: Best Picture, Director, Actor (Paul Scofield), Screenplay (adapted), Cinematography (color), Costume Design (color). -Second Best Picture appearance from Susannah York (after Tom Jones). -First of two Best Picture appearances for Robert Shaw (he later starred in The Sting). 🙂 Personal opinion: Another period drama! Well at least it was better than TOM JONES! Paul Scofield rightly earned himself the Best Actor Oscar for this film and is the stand-out performance here. Robert Shaw, who I regard as one of the most under-rated actors of all time, shouts and screams his way through the relatively brief bits that he has (we'll be seeing more of him in 7 years time for THE STING), and let's not forget about the beautiful Susannah York who still looks great just three years on from her outing in TOM JONES. It's an okay film; not brilliant but not dull either. From an historical perspective it does serve as a decent educational film. But there is something about it that feels too loose and lazy as well. Did it deserve the Oscar? ✅YES... just. Definitely not the best film of 1966 (possibly The Good, The Bad & The Ugly?) but it does just enough to warrant my approval. ⭐️6/10

Review date: 14 March 2025