The 1966 version of A
Man for All Seasons begins with the Cardinal asking to speak with Thomas More,
who is played by Paul Scofield. The cardinal agrees with King Henry VIII’s plea
to divorce his wife Katherine of Aragon. The King wants to divorce his wife
because he believes that it is her fault that they are unable to conceive a
male offspring. Without a male offspring, the King is unable to relinquish
power, when that day comes.
Cardinal Wosley argues
with More, because he is the only entity of the Privy Council who refuses to
agree with the divorce. More admits that the pope will not allow it to happen,
so Cardinal thinks it is best to coerce him into it.
Upon further visits from
the King himself, More refuses to grant the annulment. This then leads to the
beginning of an altercation between the two. King Henry even threatens to
blackmail Thomas More or even relieve him of his duties as a member of
the Privy Council .King Henry decides to just redesigned the entire Catholic
church, and names himself “supreme Head of the Church”, allowing him to do what
he wants.
The
aspect of this movie that struck me the most was how much it can be compared to
today’s more modern government. Deception and hurt play a huge role in
government back then, as it does today. Throughout the adventure, More learns
that Rich, someone he thought he could trust, is actually being forced by
Cromwell to eavesdrop on him.
Even
as many around him prove to be fake or untrustworthy, More still holds to his
morals and refuses to be led astray.More even finds his daughter with a guy she
hopes to marry. However, something that is very evident in even marriages
today, the two children are different religions. Thomas More refuses to allow
his daughter to marry him, unless he becomes a Catholic.
What
also struck me was how chauvinistic King Henry VIII was; he believed that he
was above everyone else. This can be seen when he announces himself as “Supreme
Head of the Church “forcing the bishops and parliament to denounce themselves.
Once
King Henry gets his way and is able to marry Anne Boleyn, he cant even be happy
that, he even demands that More attend his wedding. The movie ends with Thomas More
being beheaded, and his head is stuck on traitors’ gate, proving that once
again, the King has abused his powers.The iconic and intelligent movie raises the age old question,can a man serve two masters?
