"A Man For All Seasons"

Paper Summary:

Sir Thomas More, also known as Saint Thomas More (because of sanctification by the Catholic Church), is probably best known for his confrontation with King Henry VIII, for which he lost his life. He was a statesman as well as a political and social philosopher. The paper shows that his most famous work is "Utopia", a book in which he created his version of a perfect society and gave his name to such conceptions ever after as "utopias." The paper analyzes the 1966 film "A Man for All Seasons (Fred Zinnemann) which recounts the story of More's refusal to change the law to allow King Henry VIII to divorce. The paper shows that the essence of the film is true to history, but there are elements in the film which are not.

From the Paper:

"Contemporary evidence shows that More was a docile servant to Wolsey, while the film shows More railing against the Cardinal. More depended on Wolsey for position and advancement and so was careful not to give offense until after Wolsey fell from disgrace because he failed to gain papal approval for Henry's divorce. While More did later write with ironic wit about those who had flattered Wolsey, Marius says it is clear that More offered just as much flattery as the others (Marius, "A Man for All Seasons" 72)."

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