A Man for All Seasons - An Inquiry 

"And when 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?"

When talking is elevated to a high art form .

Paul Schofield gave one of the best performances of all time in this production

“Some men think the Earth is round, others think it flat; it is a matter capable of question. But if it is flat, will the King's command make it round? And if it is round, will the King's command flatten it? No, I will not sign.”

This is what owning the stage looks like .

'Then I am not threatened'. Wow, the calm conviction which he spoke that line with brought a lump to my throat. The real hero's are moral men with true hearts.

Thumbs up if this film is in your personal Top Ten!

The screenplay and acting in this movie is breathtaking,in my humble opinion the best in the history of cinema.

The silence of Thomas More speaks more

The Robert Bolt play of *_A Man for All Seasons_* is one of the greatest works of its kind -- and it was the basis for this production. It's been my favorite movie ever since I first saw it.

Sir Thomas More knows being calm is to his advantage. Having been a judge himself, he knows fully well what Cromwell is doing: trying to control the pace of the interrogation and fire pointed questions at him rapidly, to get him to make a slip that can be used against him. More knows his best defense against that is to be calm and collected. He also knows that while Cromwell may speak quickly, he can't control when (or if) More will answer, so More takes deliberate pauses to reduce the tension and choose his words with care.

This is my favorite scene of the movie. I performed it for several Forensics speech competitions (though I had to reduce my role to More, Cromwell and Norfolk). Some of the best dialogue ever written for any movie/play ever, and needless to say, great acting all around.

Justice is what you are threatened with. Then I am not threatened. What a line!!!!

A.K.A: What happens when you vainly try to trick a trained attorney and highly-experienced judge into accidentally incriminating himself.

I wish the this movie were celebrated by the cable networks and scheduled to be aired often. " A Man for All Seasons" and the movie " Shane " to me are both visually and verbally my favorite of all time. Both were shown to me in the 3rd grade in 1976.....just amazing films.

Not being allowed books while imprisoned, wow. I certainly feel his pain!

"Thank you thomas, ive been trying to make that clear to his grace for quite some time"- hilarious!

Thank you for posting this scene, which is a flawless example of great writing, directing, and acting!

These are terrors for children Master Secretary, not for me. What a badass Sir Thomas Moore was.... 😮

Jesus. The incredible talent in that room, working with such a brilliant script. Beyond words.

A master class in eloquence both on page and spoken word- just brilliant

A man of principles though passes away but his/her soul remains alive forever.

I'm not sure I'd have his guts. Not sure at all. It's one thing to admire him, quite another to step into his brave shoes.

3:53 love this moment when the movie predicts the Internet: More makes an argument and the Archbishop immediately replies by interpreting what More said as the exact opposite of what More just said.

It’s interesting to note that the actors are of such stature that John Hurt is a background character…of course, this was early in his career…

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

BRILLIANT. BRILLIANT DIALOGUE.

I performed this scene for a Forensics Speech Competition senior year of high school. Did pretty well too. Thanks for uploading this, it's complete brilliance in writing/acting and brings back a lot of great memories.

The courtier standing in the doorway to the chamber with a dance going on had tried earlier in the film to interest More in supporting him in a case, and was rebuffed.

Brilliant screenplay by Robert Bolt, CBE. When words such as these are given to actors such as those, it is no wonder at the Masterpiece that this is.

Rich is a slimey, I love an actor who can play the cowardly worm.

If only we could have this precision of language from all of our governmental officials instead of the often empty rhetoric now relentlessly and mercilessly inflicted....

Dam this is fire, surprised it's not more popular.

Cromwell just wanted to make Moore's life a living hell....Cause he was wielding power...

This man, Thomas more, sought every legal avenue to avoid his execution, but in the end, man's law is not.long enough for us to keep.within Gods. Thus at the end of all our lives we must choose God's law over mans

The tension between Cromwell and Norfolk is apparent.

They should have asked More about modifying / rewriting the Act, in order to find out which part he was opposed to. Or at least focus on this aspect for a while longer. I doubt it would have worked though

Wow, all three Thomases together!!!

The story of St. Thomas More is truly astounding because it about a man who understood that one's immortal soul has an eternal destiny based upon what he must choose in this life, that is for good or evil. Thomas More refused to sign the Oath of Supremacy of his King because to do so would be to give his approval to King Henry as head of the Anglican Church of England after the break with the Pope in Rome. Thomas More was threatened, imprisoned, and even his own family pleaded with him to change his mind but Thomas More knew that to do what was morally right is all that mattered. If only in this day our modern leaders and politicians would follow the same way that St. Thomas More did!! Pray for us St. Thomas More you truly are a man for all seasons!! 🙏

"some men think the earth is round, some other think it's flat" sadly, this is still true today...

Elites typically suffer at the hands of other elites.

Richard Rich was a toad for all seasons.

It’s strange how some still think that St. Thomas More was a bad man. He was truly a saintly man.

St Thomas More, pray for us

Three Thomases question a Thomas. And even Wolsey was a Thomas! Good job they're not all on first name terms. Could get confusing.

The voice is a wonder, because it isn`t public school. It isn`t sloane ranger, it isn`t BBC, it isn`t posh, it`s not even what folk would call classical. Unique and much missed.

OH JUSTICE IS WHAT YOU'RE THREATENED WITH!!!!!!! Then I'm not threatened....... LOL!!!!! Brilliant!!!!!

All the sycophants surrounding a monstrous excuse for a king. Nothing new under the sun.

I love how Rich is in the background just so they have someone in the room whose name is not "Thomas."

@richo61 Well this is a movie based on a play. It is, of course, going to have a protagonist and be told from a character's perspective--hardly propaganda. It is also misleading to say he executed people for reading the bible in English. His issues were with what he saw as inaccurate translations with the Tyndale Bible. As Lord Chancellor there were six heretics put to death, but this was hardly an uncommon practice for heresy at the time for Protestants or Catholics. Think Calvin.

Oh don't you just hate it when the great ones make it look so easy .

And Cromwell lived happily ever after, serving the King to a very old age and being held in high esteem by Henry till the day he died.

And here, gentlemen, we see the patron saint of politicians doing good service to his position.

Can't be outwitted. Don't even try

3:40 Although it's a great response, I'm surprised More would admit that it's his conscience that's preventing him from signing the Act of Succession. And I'm equally surprised that Cromwell didn't make anything of it.

I love Thomas so much!

Well, that was edifying - now, back to TikTok and ‘’The Kardashians”marathon...

Beauty and grace

Any Person that wishes to vote should watch this Film

The acting and dialogue is suburb

Awesome film 🎥

Norfolk should have said, yes, I'll keep you company there too

I wonder if that short dance tune has a name. I would love to hear it properly.

this particular scene brings mind sir humphrey on YES MINISTER. hIS long monologues. so funny

The individual vs the State. You have the RIGHT to remain silent.

Es una bellísima película solo que m gustaría la traducirán en español felicidades x compartirla gracias

Sign in the name of fellowship! Smarmy.

It is unfortunate Sir Thomas Moore should be so sure of the conditions under which a person could be guaranteed of a place either in heaven or in hell. Because of his surety, many non-believers, under his orders, were burned at the stake. I would like to think that he did ultimately find himself in hell but the entire premise was of course nonsense and despite his beliefs and oratory, he, like everyone, never experienced either. . . .

2:38 the LAW requires that you COOPERATE with the investigation! they want to understand, help them, all else is detrimental to the state

“Find me 11,780 votes”

Rumpole is so much nicer when he's representing the defense.

At the end "the king's conscience" is a euphemism for the Lord Chancellor, i.e. Sir Thomas More.

@richo61 No one from this time was cuddly. When judging the character of a historical figure it is unfair not to consider the times he was brought up in - whether or not brutality and murder was socially commonplace.

Saint Thomas more, pray for us!

@kristina919: Good lord, no! What's with these 16th century Englishmen and their fixation for the name "Thomas"?

Saint Thomas More 🙏for us.

Hola México estraudinaria película pero en México no todos sabemos inglés nos gustaría doblada al español ya que es una vida ejemplar para padecer x nuestra patria mexicana y como hijos de Dios gracias x subir el vídeo

Will you come with me for fellowship?

The Priest in red was the white guardian in Dr Who...

No educated person in Christendom thought the Earth was flat. But we can forgive anachronisms in such fine writing.

More at one point uses an outdated analogy - surely no educated person in his day still thought the earth could be flat (if educated people ever believed that).

First mistake Thomas made... by stating he had books...

What was that awkwardness at 1:21?

Thomas More was executed in 1535 . And now , it is 2024 , Thomas More is more beloved today , than ever before That screams volumes.

Vaccines now what comes next

"so weigh a doubt against a certainty and sign"? What does that mean what is he saying?

ALL TRUE SAINTS WHO FULFILL THE 10 DIVINE LAWS AND LOVE COMMUNICATION SINCERELY WITH GOD WE HAVE MUCH TO EARN INCLUDING ETERNAL AND HAPPY LIFE IN HIS HOLY KINGDOM

@AllenbysEyes Didn't realize I'd already commented on this. LOL

Why in gods name would you get into high office if your not.willing to bear false witness

Shame the real man was not as good.

Acting? Plot?? Dialogue??? What kind of a movie is this anyways?

@rrdab1 u r completely mistaken. as usual. Notice how u didnt mention any law he broke. ST Thomas More, patron of politicians, pray for us. FYI i have his picture on my wall at home. peace

To my ear, Paul Scofield’s accent sounds very much like Stan Laurel’s.

Deute. 18:10-14, 1 Timothy 1:9-10,

Apart from Henry VIII, we only know of one other man who was as devoted to his principles, and he lost his head for it. The Lesson: there is no loyalty worse than being a king's man.

Rather than have More executed, why couldn't Henry simply have had him imprisoned for a certain number of years, after the controversy surrounding the Act of Secession had calmed down or been settled? Okay, imprisonment for life, had Henry opted for that. It seems to me, however, that exiling More from England permanently would've been sufficient, unless the king feared the Chancellor's going to the pope & causing additional havoc. Would More have given-in had Henry threatened to wipe-out his once-loyal servant's entire family? Surely, Thomas knew Henry was fully capable of such a heinous act, had the threat been made. Perhaps the monarch feared that allowing More to live, even if imprisoned, would inspire others to resist, I don't know. As I've said before, the man was brilliant, brave, pious, & heroically moral but to what end? Yes, I know what Catholic theology teaches, and More was nothing if not a devout Catholic, a highly-educated man of Scripture, I just think he ultimately was selfish---again, regarding his family. He easily could've communicated with his God, knowing the Supreme Being would know his true feelings on the subject but, for his family's sake, he had to sign. In short, God knew where More stood. If the latter still was troubled by this, he could've prayed for forgiveness privately for the rest of his life. This was the route you should've taken, Thomas, good man that you were, in my opinion.

That little punk in the corner is thinking about trading his soul for wales

Oo how religion destroys all

Excellent propaganda - but Thomas Moore also had people executed for owning or reading the bible in English. Google "Tyndale Bible"

Still a great movie, still compelling but perhaps not as impressive as it once seemed. Sir Thomas More, as portrayed by Mr. Scofield, is rather annoying in his stubborness & obstinacy. Although he demonstrates the conviction of his morals, the issue-in-question now comes-off as much-ado about nothing. He should've signed the Act of Succession, plain & simple. Despite More's professed-loyalty to both God & his own personal-conscience, it wasn't worth his being-executed for them. Of course, the man performed nobly and heroically but his actions changed neither English-history nor King Henry's crimes & destructive, duplicitous, murderous path not one-whit. And More brought such anguish to his loving wife & family, leaving them distraught & devastated. Oh, Thomas, Thomas, why did you have to be so perfect?