A Man for All Seasons

"...a motion picture for all times!"

1966 2h 0m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

🍅

89%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.7

IMDB

★7.3TMDB · 518🍅89%Rotten Tomatoes●72Metacritic★7.7IMDB · 39,905

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A depiction of the conflict between King Henry VIII of England and his Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas More, who refuses to swear the Oath of Supremacy declaring Henry Supreme Head of the Church in England.

“...a motion picture for all times!”

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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

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Fred Zinnemann
Writers: Robert Bolt
Languages: English, Latin
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 7.3× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

60 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Latin.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Fred Zinnemann, shot by Ted Moore. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Georges Delerue. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ralph Kemplen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Paul Scofield and Wendy Hiller and Leo McKern carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Fred Zinnemann directs. Ted Moore behind the camera. Georges Delerue scores. Ralph Kemplen cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, Latin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 7.3× over at the box office.
360 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Latin.
5Directed by Fred Zinnemann, shot by Ted Moore. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Georges Delerue. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Ralph Kemplen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Paul Scofield and Wendy Hiller and Leo McKern carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "...a motion picture for all times!".
10IMDB entry: tt0060665 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 12 themes, including "death penalty", "england", "pope", "beheading".
12Released under 10 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ted Moore
Original score: Georges Delerue
Editing: Ralph Kemplen
Production design: John Box
Costume design: Elizabeth Haffenden
Makeup / hair: Helene Bevan
Runtime: 120 min · 2h 0m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $3,900,000
Box office: $28,350,000
Return: 727% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: A Man for All Seasons (1966)
Rotten Tomatoes: 89% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 72/100
IMDB rating: 7.7/10 · 39,905 votes
MPAA: G

Awards

Won 6 Oscars. 34 wins & 9 nominations total

Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Color
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
National Board of Review Award for Best Film
Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Color
Academy Award for Best Actor
Academy Award for Best Director
Academy Award for Best Picture

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Fred Zinnemann

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2016-05-08
★ 8/10
The agony of the moral high ground. Fred Zinnemann directs and Robert Bolt adapts the screenplay from his own play. It stars Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, Leo McKern, Robert Shaw, Orson Welles, Susannah York, Nigel Davenport and John Hurt. Music is by Georges Delerue and cinematography by Ted Moore. Plot has Scofield as Sir Thomas More, the man who refused to cede to the mighty machinations of King Henry VIII (Shaw). It's very much an actors movie, beautifully literate and costumed and photographed up to the nines. So not one for those more keen on the action orientated historical epic, then! The story is thriving on the anguish of Thomas More, who is torn between loyalty to his King and his own moral beliefs, the beliefs of his religion system and the potential damning of his soul. The political and religious machinations positively pulse throughout, vividly brought to life by a cast of great thespians (Scofield is as great as you have heard). Great credit has to go to Zinneman, one of the deserved recipients of the 6 Oscars the film garnered. He never lets the cast run away with things, no chewing the scenery or smell the fart acting, he keeps them in check and they respond by providing an utterly fascinating and compelling historical saga. But most of all, with all the royal pomp on show, it's the intelligence of the writing that shines brightest. The dialogue via the sharp script throws cloaks of suspicion over everything being played out. Religion and politics, huh, it's for the birds. Top film making. 8/10
CinemaSerf2024-09-02
★ 7/10
Paul Scofield is superb as the Lord Chancellor of England ultimately torn between his loyalty to his king and to his conscience. As Henry VIII (Robert Shaw) becomes more and more infatuated by Anne Boleyn (Vanessa Redgrave) he insists that all of his subjects acknowledge his absolute supremacy over the church. Most, fearful for their lives and property, acquiesce but Sir Thomas More (Scofield) cannot. The King has long relied on the honest counsel of his friend as so initially is content to allow him to retire, but soon those conspiring against More use everything at their disposal to bring him to ruin. Wendy Hiller sensitively portrays his stoic wife desperate to save her husband from the scaffold but cognisant of his overwhelming sense of right and wrong. Leo McKern also stands out as his scheming successor Thomas Cromwell and there is a cameo from Orson Welles as the clearly out-of-favour Cardinal Wolsey. Robert Bolt adapts his own stage play without compromising the genuine sentiment of his original work - fear, honesty, integrity and power - making this a thought-provoking watch from Fred Zinnemann.