A Man for all Seasons 1966

 A Man for all Seasons

“And when we die, and you are sent to heaven for doing your conscience and I am sent to hell for not doing mine, would you come with me… for fellowship?”

“I have no window to look into another man's conscience. I condemn no one.”

“Be not afraid of your office. You send me to God.”
-Thomas More, A Man for all Seasons

“Poor child, you expected too much of him. He was only a boy… Kings too are made of clay, and God forbid you locked him away from the world as your father did with you.”
-Jane Seymour to Henry VIII, The Tudors Season 4

There is an image that has been etched into my brain for years now. The image is of a frail older man in a cavernous great hall. The man, weak and burdened by life, stairs up at a larger than life portrait of himself. As he contemplates his younger visage I cannot tell what the man is thinking. Perhaps, the truth is I do not want to know, because if I did, what would that say about me?
This man is King Henry VIII, and the scene is the final scene of the final season of the Tudors. It is a scene that asks us too much. It asks us to empathize with a womanizing murderer. A man who basically tore apart a nation in order to get what he thought he deserved. This is the man they are asking me to empathize with? The truth is, I do. In some way, I think we all do or at least we're called to. Empathy is not a call for justification, Henry's actions are evil and they should be treated as such. Empathy, in this instance, is a reminder of dignity. An opening of the eyes as it were that allows us to recall our faults. Enabling us to unite our pain with Henry's. Again, we are not justifying his actions, we are recalling that he has dignity as a human being. Broken dignity to be sure, but it is dignity, and at the very least that is worth our pity.
In the case of Henry VIII extracting history from fiction is not a major concern. What fascinates me is what lies between. The popular psyche that is born out of that mixture as it were, and the man that was brought onto shepherd it. Enter Thomas More. A man who is, as screenwriter and playwright Robert Bolt dubbed him, A Man for all Seasons. Thomas More does not so much battle Henry VIII as he stands his ground. In doing this Thomas calls Henry to reevaluate himself and his relationship with the crown he wears. All of this is done without any degradation of Henry's dignity as the English monarch. The kingship is Henry's and Thomas knows and respects that. He is Henry's conscience, though not his judge. Thomas is a beacon of truth in a world of supplication. As well as a reminder of the duty Henry never wanted, and the tragedies he never asks for. This man is everything to Henry. Everything he loves and everything hates. There's no better way to put it, Thomas is the father Henry never had.
By way of fatherhood this 16th-century political drama calls Henry to the better angels of his nature. Yet Henry perceives this call as a denial of his kingship. Though, that couldn't be further from the truth God does not grant us a rank just to strip us of it at a later date. We are supposed to use it for the betterment of others and ourselves. A simple survey of history will show that this is not the case with Henry VIII. His denial of his true duty and dignity as king becomes his undoing.
A Man for All Seasons then, is a lavish lens through which we see the sundering of a father and son, a splitting on both axes, earthly and divine. This film is a delicate balancing act of wills that ultimately leads to tragedy. Though, it is not the tragedy you might expect. Director Fred Zimmerman and his team offer us the Academy Award Best Picture winner for 1966. A striking portrait of Thomas More, and what it means to be a true servant, friend and leader. In other words, what it means to be A Man for All Seasons.

A Man for all Seasons is rated G

The Tudors is Rated MA for Violence, Nudity and strong sexual content throughout its 4 seasons.

Note, I am not endorsing or recommending the Tudors at all.

Even for adults, its sexual content is overdoing it. Though if you can find the elusive PG-13 cut of the series I will salute you. I've been looking for that for years. The sad reality is, I think, the show is ultimately a deeply moving and thought-provoking character study on one of the world's most empathetic monarchs (refer back to my definition of empathy). Henry VIII was a real person, and if he did do the things he did, I'm sure he would have been an extraordinarily broken man.

Hurt people, hurt people.

I found A Man for All Seasons to be deeply meaningful, thought-provoking and visually enthralling. I hope in some way you do too.