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.
A Man for All Seasons is a picture that inspires admiration, courage and thought.
– Bosley Crowther,
New York Times,
20 May 2003
rotten:
Orson Welles alone relieves the boredom in a marvellous cameo as Cardinal Wolsey. If only they'd let him loose with the whole sorry history...
– Tom Charity,
Time Out,
9 Feb 2006
rotten:
Robert Bolt's boring historical drama functions best as an anthology of British acting styles, circa 1966.
– Dave Kehr,
Chicago Reader,
13 Dec 2006
fresh:
Producer-director Fred Zinnemann has blended all filmmaking elements into an excellent, handsome and stirring film version of A Man For All Seasons.
– A.D. Murphy,
Variety,
29 Jan 2008
rotten:
There's more than a little of the school pageant in the rhythm of the movie: Though it's all neater than our school drama coaches could make it, the figures group and say their assigned lines and move on.