Review of A Man for All Seasons (1966) by Craig C — 11 Nov 2015
I finally saw Fred Zinnemann's "A Man For All Seasons," which won six Oscars in 1966, including Best Picture, Director and Actor. It won all these Oscars for the same reason that "How Green Was My Valley" bested "Citizen Kane" and "Forrest Gump" bested "Pulp Fiction.
" Hollywood prefers to honor formula over innovation. "A Man For A Seasons" boasts immaculate production values, a deeply moral script and a letter perfect cast lead by an unknown British stage actor that originated the role.
Like Ben Kingsley as Ghandi, the role of Thomas More would define Paul Scofield, who won the Best Actor Oscar over Richard Burton in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" Scofield had internalized the role, but Burton lived his, and acted circles around Scofield.
But Hollywood prefers to honor heroes and martyrs over deeply flawed individuals. Oscar's snubbing of director Mike Nichols and Richard Burton showed that Hollywood could not handle the Truth. Robert Bolt's screenplay may stand as a flawless morality play, but it's still Golden Age Hollywood, with real emotions buried under Victorian manners and layers of costuming.
It won because it was expected to win, just as all the Merchant & Ivory films won because they were expected to. But that does not mean it deserved to win.
This review of A Man for All Seasons (1966) was written by Craig C on 11 Nov 2015.
A Man for All Seasons has generally received very positive reviews.
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