Main Cast: Charlton Heston, Vanessa Redgrave, John Gielgud, Richard Johnson, Roy Kinnear
Release Year: 1988
Country: UK/US
Run Time: 150 minutes
Plot
Originally telecast in December of 1988, A Man for All Seasons was the first made-for-TV film produced on behalf of the TNT Cable Service. Charlton Heston makes his film directorial debut herein, and also plays the central role of Sir Thomas More, 16th century lord chancellor of England. Unswerving in his belief of the Pope's supreme authority, Sir Thomas refuses to support King Henry VIII's plan to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon to marry the (hopefully) fertile Anne Boleyn. Declaring himself head of the Church of England, the King annuls his marriage and weds Anne. In concert with his administrator Cromwell, Henry further demands that all British subjects take an oath to uphold Henry's action. More cannot bring himself to do this, and as a result is imprisoned in the Tower of London. Tried for high treason, More is found guilty on the basis of the false testimony of sycophantic Sir Richard Rich. Sentenced to death, More continues to denounce Henry's behavior, walking proudly towards the headsman secure in the knowledge that he will die "the king's good servant, but God's first." Adapted from the play by Robert Bolt A Man For All Seasons was previously filmed in 1966, with Paul Scofield repeating his stage role as More. Heston's version restores much of the text that had been removed from the earlier film--as well as the ubiquitous expository character "The Common Man", here played by Roy Kinnear. More's harsh but loving wife Alice is played in the remake by Vanessa Redgrave, who'd appeared unbilled as Anne Boleyn in the 1966 version (Arch-conservative Heston and ultra-liberal Redgrave in the same film? Fear not: each respected the other's acting skills, and they got along famously). Heston had previously directed and starred in a London stage revival of Man for All Seasons; this splendid cable-TV version manages to retain all the virtues of that production while remaining a thoroughly cinematic experience. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
After earning acclaim for his portrayals of Moses and Ben-Hur, Charlton Heston again plays a man of God in this 1988 adaptation of a play by Robert Bolt. Heston acquits himself well in his role as one of the moral and intellectual giants of the Renaissance, Sir Thomas More (1478-1535), a canonized saint of the Roman Catholic Church. Playing More -- a humanist scholar, lawyer, and Lord Chancellor of England under Henry VIII -- was a daring undertaking for the actor, particularly as he must have known that he could not have improved on Paul Scofield's extraordinary performance in the same role in the 1966 film adaptation (for which Scofield won an Academy Award and the movie won Best Picture). A comparison of the Scofield and Heston performances clearly reveals that the former is better: more subtle, sensitive, and passionate. Still, Heston turns in a strong performance as the man of conscience who refuses to endorse Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon and his marriage to Anne Boleyn. Perhaps the explanation for Heston's fine performance is that he had plenty of practice for the role, having previously portrayed More on the London stage. Supporting Heston are John Gielgud as Cardinal Wolsey, the power behind the throne until he failed to gain Henry's divorce, and Vanessa Redgrave as More's wife. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
The 1988 film follows the original stage play more literally, runs a half-hour longer than the 1966 film, and could be considered more "stagy" than that earlier film, which not only divided the Common Man into several more realistic characters, but omitted small portions of the play itself.
Overall, this version of the play is perhaps the most religious form, where the sainthood of St. Thomas being at the centre of the play, as opposed to the more political and worldly environment of the 1966 production. Some critics have also observed the nature of St. Thomas in the 1966 version is 'priggish' and an unsympathetic character, whereas Heston's St. Thomas is a learned, affectionate scholar more in keeping with the historical chancellor, as related in Will's biography.
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