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52 Weeks, 52 Religious Films***
1966 Best Picture (39th Academy Awards)“Why Richard, it profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world... but for Wales?”Directed by Fred Zinnemann,
A Man for All Seasons follows the true story of the iconic historical event, the English Reformation. If you’re unfamiliar or don’t remember from your high school World History class, King Henry VIII was upset that the Pope refused to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, and decided to use his power to become Supreme Head of the Church of England. The decision split the religious beliefs of the Church of England.
But this film doesn’t follow King Henry VIII, but rather Sir Thomas More, the Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII, who also refused of his annulment, which in turn put him on trial for treason, and (spoiler alert), he was sentenced to death by beheading. The irony of the trial was that the lawyer prosecuting More was Thomas Cromwell, who was also executed per Henry VIII’s order due to his failed marriage to Anne of Cleves.
If you can’t tell, King Henry VIII abused his power for his own selfish desires, and there were many bootlickers who still followed him, despite his many failed marriages and the reason for the execution of many innocent people. He, along with his followers, using religion to justify his actions. You can’t help but think of how familiar this sounds. Don’t believe me? There are military men who truly believe our president has been anointed by God to commit war crimes, which will spark the beginning of the end times.
If you know me, I don’t like to get political. But when religion is being used to justify sinful behavior, it’s time to take a stand against it. Which is why I believe
A Man for All Seasons, and the history of King Henry VIII to be an important piece of history to study. The film is a great religious film, that paints the importance of religious belief for people, and More’s life will forever be remembered, as he was canonized as a martyr in 1935. It takes each and every one of us to step into the shoes of More to call out the blasphemy happening in our country, and that God will not be used to justify the death of innocent civilians.
But to talk about the film, this is an incredible film. This film feels ahead of its time, but not visually, as I think this does look like a 1966 Technicolor product. But rather the incredible performances all around from Paul Scofield, to John Hurt, to Leo McKern, heck even Orson Welles is great for the little screen time he has. The screenplay feels like if Aaron Sorkin time traveled back to 1966, that’s how great it is. Fred Zinnemann directed many famous films, this being his 2nd Best Picture winner after
From Here to Eternity, and he shows off some sauce for a 1966 product. So many astonishing creative ideas with camera movements, shot compositions, zooms, this is brilliantly crafted film all around, definitely deserving of all six of its Academy Awards.
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