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A Man for All Seasons

A Man for All Seasons

Drama · History · 1966

A depiction of the conflict between King Henry VIII of England and his Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas More, who refuses to swear the Oath of Supremacy declaring Henry Supreme Head of the Church in England.

Movie details

A Man for All Seasons

“...a motion picture for all times!”

1966 Drama · History 2h 0m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.3 / 10

Community rating

A depiction of the conflict between King Henry VIII of England and his Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas More, who refuses to swear the Oath of Supremacy declaring Henry Supreme Head of the Church in England.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over A Man for All Seasons?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Romero

Romero

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Cromwell

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Drama · 1970

Disgusted with the policies of King Charles I, Oliver Cromwell plans to take his family to the New World. But on the eve of their departure, Cromwell is drawn into the tangled web of religion and politics that will result in the English Civil War.

The Two Popes

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Frustrated with the direction of the church, Cardinal Bergoglio requests permission to retire in 2012 from Pope Benedict. Instead, facing scandal and self-doubt, the introspective Pope Benedict summons his harshest critic and future successor to Rome to reveal a secret that would shake the foundations of the Catholic Church.

Munich - The Edge of War

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At the tense 1938 Munich Conference, former friends who now work for opposing governments become reluctant spies racing to expose a Nazi secret.

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In 1415, in the midst of the Hundred Years' War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France.

Mary, Queen of Scots

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Radium Girls

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Young women toiling in a factory are exposed to hazardous material which takes a disastrous toll on their health.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Fred Zinnemann

Written by

Robert Bolt

Paul Scofield

Paul Scofield

Thomas More

Wendy Hiller

Wendy Hiller

Alice More

Leo McKern

Leo McKern

Thomas Cromwell

Robert Shaw

Robert Shaw

King Henry VIII

Orson Welles

Orson Welles

Cardinal Wolsey

Susannah York

Susannah York

Margaret More

Nigel Davenport

Nigel Davenport

The Duke of Norfolk

Court is in session

Put A Man for All Seasons on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.