As is the case with many films who swept up a bunch of Academy Awards including Best Picture, you might feel compelled to watch A Man for All Seasons. However, if you are bored to tears and wonder how anyone could stay awake the entire time, you're not alone. With so many other exciting period pieces made during the 1960s, why did this one sweep the Oscars? Preceded by Becket and succeeded by The Lion in Winter and Anne of the Thousand Days, it paled in comparison to either. Yes, the costumes and set designs were lovely, but the direction was slow, the characters tough to root for, and Paul Scofield's Oscar-winning performance was lackluster. He'd originated the role on the stage; didn't he have enough practice to give an exceptional performance for the camera? Just imagine how wonderful Richard Burton or Peter O'Toole would have been instead. It just grates on the nerves that neither of those actors ever won an Oscar (even though they were nominated for the aforementioned similar period pieces) but Scofield won for saying his lines in a monotone to match his deadpanned expressions.
If I ever were to sit through this lengthy period piece, it would be for the supporting cast. Wendy Hiller plays Paul's long-suffering wife, Susannah York is their sweet, beautiful daughter. Leo McKern is Cromwell, and Orson Welles came out of the woodworks to play Cardinal Woolsey. I always like to see Nigel Davenport, and Robert Shaw has a great commanding presence as King Henry VIII. Had another actor played Thomas More, I probably would enjoy watching it over and over again, like I do Anne of the Thousand Days.
If I ever were to sit through this lengthy period piece, it would be for the supporting cast. Wendy Hiller plays Paul's long-suffering wife, Susannah York is their sweet, beautiful daughter. Leo McKern is Cromwell, and Orson Welles came out of the woodworks to play Cardinal Woolsey. I always like to see Nigel Davenport, and Robert Shaw has a great commanding presence as King Henry VIII. Had another actor played Thomas More, I probably would enjoy watching it over and over again, like I do Anne of the Thousand Days.