Robert Bolt – how many people recognize the name if they see it? Yet he is probably one of the greatest playwrights and screenwriters of the 20th century. Just look through the films he worked on, and you will see: Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, A Man for All Seasons, and The Mission.
Each of these films are masterpieces, although I have to admit, I’ve really never been able to appreciate Doctor Zhivago. If I had to choose my favorite of his works, it is A Man For All Seasons (the original, 1966 version).
This movie did everything right. The script is top-notch. The actors are superb. Paul Scofield convinces me of the inner turmoil he is going through as St Thomas More. Robert Shaw’s Henry VIII wants to be the life of the party, although you also get a sense of his intellectual achievements and interests, and the pride he had about them, in his dialogue in Latin with Margaret. Leo McKern shines, as he usually does, playing Thomas Cromwell.
Just from its technical achievements, it is understandable why a movie on a Catholic saint achieved so much respect. Only rarely does everything blend together so well. Do you think this alone explains the accolades it received, or do you think that there might be other reasons why this movie received so much praise by people who would otherwise not be interested in a movie about history, or more importantly, Catholicism?
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