A Man for all Seasons - Clip 1 of 3
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- Опубликовано: 23 мар 2008
- One of the best historical movies ever made (1966). Directed by Fred Zinnemann and based on a play by Robert Bolt, it tells the story of the last years of Sir Thomas More, the best Englishman of his time --perhaps of all times --, brilliant intellectual and politician, author of "Utopia", a martyr for free conscience and a Catholic Saint. He is played by Paul Scofield. The action takes place in 1529-35.
In this scene, he talks to Cardinal Wolsey, High Chancellor of England, played by the extraordinary Orson Wells. Bolt so describes this character: "Old. A big decayed body in scarlet. An almost megalomaniac ambition unhappily matched by an excelling intellect, he now inhabits a lonely den of self-indulgence and contempt." 
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Orson Welles as Wolsey is one of the great casting decisions of all time.
Yes, this is... sublime acting. Holy shit, he's awesome in this.
@@oneandy2 I had thought of a young OJ Simpson....but you are correct Sir! Welles was a triumph!
The acting in this scene is off-the-scale brilliant. I keep watching it over and over in complete awe.
Me to
Of course it is; it's Orson Welles. Did you expect any less than brilliance?
Two of the all time giants of acting playing off each other like a fiddle and a bow. Best scene ever? Perhaps. Ranks right up there.
Absolute masterpiece of a scene.
Another film with phenomenal acting and dialogue exchanges is 1964's BECKET starring the legendary actors Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole.
We couldn't agree more. This scene resonates through the decades.
ruclips.net/video/Rck5mtuceEk/видео.html
The dialogue, the acting, the plot - absolutely superb!
I agree, great scene. I wonder how much was scripted and how much was improv. Those two could have done the whole scene without a script.
I love the little details. "I give you my word, there's no one here," he says, glancing directly at the door, knowing someone is eavesdropping on the other side...
But does Wolsey know that Cromwell is eavesdropping? Or More?
They both do silly
@@JemHadar422 There conversation even leads them to tell each other who it is who is eves dropping.
He says "You should have been a CLERIC." That's why it's so funny when More retorts "Like yourself, Your Grace?"
Many should be better clerics than they are today
Mwaaaah, the King! The King has always been celebrated for his potency.
You, sir, are a man of taste
😂
Even the candle flame in this scene hands in a great performance.
🤣🤣🤣 great observation.
Right?!
correct ; no other film scene can hold a candle to this.
Wells's acting here is amazing.
ruclips.net/video/Rck5mtuceEk/видео.html
Paul Scofield was one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of the 20th century. His work in King Lear was peerless.
A Man for All Seasons was my introduction to Paul Scofield. Some years later I saw a late night showing of Lear at an arts cinema. I will never forget my walk home afterwards trying to begin to comprehend what I had just seen.
@@michaelboyd4233 Thanks for sharing your experience. I also learned about Paul Scofield by watching A Man for All Seasons. "But for Wales." is perhaps one of the most beautifully spoken lines in that film. It was originally intended to be delivered as a snarky outburst ("But for WHALES!!????"), ridiculing Sir Richard Rich one last time for being such a dim-witted negotiator. However, Scofield, in a moment of improvisational brilliance, delivered those words completely differently. He spoke them with a delicate and soft cadence . . . going into a such a deep baritone register at the very end of the line that you can barely hear him say Wales. In doing so, Scofield transformed what would have been a forgettable punchline about Richard's desperation to be important into a profound expression of grief/pity (even pathos) for the tragic the loss of Richard's most prized possession--his soul. That line alone, deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as a late Rembrandt painting. ✌🏽
...also as the French King in Henry V.
@@BradBrassman Never seen it, that has to change 👍
Shockingly succinct in everything. Not a single missed tone or inflection. The marriage of the writing and the acting is perfect.
OMG! Orson Welles and Paul Scofield were both brilliant here but Welles so totally *_nailed_* it! as Wolsey!
Yes and a first class attempt at an English accent too. Great performance.
Every moment and movement of his eyes and jowls was magnificent.
@@chariotreign yes, exactly
He so totally pulls off the cleric quietly desperate to fulfill the will of his King. Magnificent job by Wells.
@@georgeorwell4534 Yes, absolutely amazing performance of Welles.
This is my favorite movie of all time. It is excellently acted, filmed, etc. it is just the best; Paul Scofield was a very under appreciated actor. And the story is fantastic - it is a shame we have no statesmen like Thomas More today. “I am the king’s good servant, but God’s first”. This is a memorable sentence and one I’ll never forget. And the sentence, “Well, I think that when statesmen forsake their own private conscience for their public duties they lead their country on a short route to chaos.” is one our current politicians should take to heart!!!!!
i used to like this movie until I learned the true record of Thomas More who burned and tortured people who disagreed with him.
@@SRV2013 Exactly ! Henry was so right, in getting rid of the Church, bad as he was , he was every bit as able to head a church as the pope was or is. We still have to suffer the catholic church and its unworkable policies.
@@SRV2013 It is said that King Henry VIII executed up to 70,000 people during his reign. Probably, more Protestants when he was a Fake Catholic, and more Catholics when he was a Fake Protestant, than anyone in History! Really a disgusting human being!
@@SRV2013England (and the rest of Europe) was Roman Catholic at the time. There was also the Inquisition in Spain going on at the time.
Also happening in Europe: the Reformation (Martin Luther).
@@gidzmobug2323 I know this, and so what? What sort of saint burns people at the stake? And why does this film valorize More?
Despite their differences, you can tell that Wolsey likes Thomas More.
Everybody liked More, that's why they were so exasperated with him when he wouldn't bend. Even the tiniest bit of submission and they would have saved him, but he wouldn't
@@NYCZ31 Cromwell and Rich wouldn't have saved More.
@@NYCZ31 Is this right, it has been some time... "And you a "Lawyer's Son", We are the Nobility! We are supposed to be the Proud Ones! I tell you man, it is Disproportionate." and as to saving him, I will never forget, "And if you are sent to Heaven for doing your conscience and I am sent to Hell for Not doing mine, will you come with me, for Fellowship's sake?"
God bless.
@Art Ellis I was so looking forward to the part, "May I have more books?" But thank you from the bottom of my heart for loving this all as much as I do. My hands are crippled, but I will find a way to repay you. :) ("Somewhere, a bitch got over the wall!" - Norfolk swings as More intended.)
The greatest screenplay ever spoken here by two of the greatest actors ever. It simply does not get any better than this
The only other screenplay that could rival this is Casablanca.
@@brandonallen3808 I agree another absolute gem
Agreed
All authentically cast..... great film and actors... unlike today's somewhat comedic castings and scripts for so-called historical dramas....how we've fallen..!!!!!!!
The cinematography is so excellent here. At 0:20 just the scene of Wolsey sitting at his desk surrounded by official documents, lit softly as if by candlelight, looks so much like a Holbein portrait. Reminds me of the beautiful camera work in "Barry Lyndon" where Kubrick figured out how to use special cameras in order to actually shoot a movie using only candlelight.
Two words: Red Room.
@@gregoryjenkins8645 An allusion to Bergman?
It's why I got a used D4 a low light Ninja. $1000.
When new it was $6000
For impeccable cinematography: Polanski's "MacBeth".
Photography by Ted Moore, South Africa's first Oscar winner 😊🇿🇦
That parting shot at the end..that was pure burn 🔥
St. Thomas More was a savage 👊💙
There is some powerhouse acting here. It's always a pleasure to watch two experts
I think A Man for all Seasons is my most favorite film of all time.
Without a doubt. Simply a masterpiece in every way.
One of the best scenes in recent cinematic history.
A lesson for all politicians: 5:13 ..."WHEN STATESMEN FORSAKE THEIR OWN PRIVATE CONSCIENCE FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR PUBLIC DUTY, THEY LEAD THEIR COUNTRY BY A SHORT ROUTE TO CHAOS". Sir Thomas More 🏵️
Now western politicians forsake their personal consciences for the filthy lucre hosed over them by corporate globalists.
Well he's not wrong.
private conscience should inform public duty.
Which explains the state of politics in America, to say the least. American politicians have been forsaking their own private consciences in the name of public duty and political expediency for decades now....and behold the carnage.
whoa Wells looks like a late renaissance painting here
A total tribute to Hans Holbein the Younger. You can feast your eyes on his portrait of St. Thomas More at the Frick in NYC.
Welles*
Writer writing, actors acting. This makes for greatness. And a contrast with too many movies now
Cardinal Wolsey was a great man too. This was such a masterpiece of a movie - putting the wills of these great men against each other.
Wolsey had many at Court who hated him. Many of those were of the nobility--including the Duke of Norfolk (uncle to Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard).
@@gidzmobug2323 As he says to Cromwell in Wolf Hall, "You may be the only man here more lowly born than myself."
Watching two fantastic actors together is really a treat .
An age when actors must have Voices. Makes today's entertainers seem like to children.
The 1930s “Age of Radio” established solid foundation for future movies & TV.
Today people babble incoherently, with unsound grammar and, well, weird sounds. No elocution, articulation, or projection. Can one imagine a public figure speaking with the measured cadence and literate delivery as Schofield does in his portrayal of Saint Thomas More. This English is lyrical. Like spoken music.
Finally i have one person to back me up. I mean a lot of people appreciate facial expression and body gestures while neglecting the most important aspect of acting which is the voice.
In the age before green screens, effects and hand picked beauty pageants. There was stage actors.
True! Today's actors are fluff and no substance, looks and no brains, being political socialists instead of being thespians.
Orson could command the whole screen and the entire scene of any performance. Love him!
Paul Newman said every scene he was in with Orson was Orsons scene …
Every scene was orsons scene …Paul Newman
A man for all Seasons is a Classical 🌟
An excellent film. I suggest people watch it.
One of what should have been three oscars for Robert Bolt - arguably one of the greatest screenwriters that ever lived. A Man for All Seasons is brilliant from start to finish. The acting and story have few equals - except for maybe The Godfather.
You were correct to begin - it has no equal!
Yes it was and is a great movie, and deservingly so. It's a moving portrayal of an ancient story that so much rings down to now.
The best movie of 1966. I can imagine the st. Thoma's real personality through Paul Scofield's great interpretation.
Only 1966?
The movie John Ford wished he had made and his favorite film.
The good the bad and the ugly?
I first saw this in junior high. In school! Outstanding then, now and forever. Paul Schofield should get an Oscar of the Century.
The film won an amazing six Academy Awards, including best picture, while Scofield took the award for Best Actor.
Scofield*
LOLS. He's no doubt one of the best. But I don't think Scofield would care about getting any more accolades. I mean this is the man who rejected knighthoods thrice!
"I have summoned you here for a purpose."
"Nobody _summons_ More."
_"Then it pleases me to be the first...."_
You're bargaining posture is highly dubious.
Hah! Nice.
Laughing out loud.
EDIT: I have a feeling I might be misread. This is sincere.
@Art Ellis It's a reference to the last role of Orson Welles, in a _very_ different kind of a movie.
@@andrewmihovich4252 😂Unicron?.. I love him anyway and always... champagne commercials and all. A true Master of Arts.
This film should be shown in every Law School. The final scenes in the House of Commons is a testament to the brilliance of an exceptional lawyer, which Sir Thomas/ Saint Thomas was
Orson Welles, he was a big man who had a big presence.
A giant.
Paul Scofield and Orson Welles two under-rated actors both giving a superb performance in this short scene.
Odd comment. Underrated by whom? Everyone knows they are two of the greatest ever
@@profaneangel0842 'Underrated' is the most overused and misused term on the internet.
Listening to Well was like listening to a virtuoso playing. It was too riveting and complex to understand fully and it was easy to accept that I could never do that.
This was my very first introduction to Messrs. More, Wolsey, Cromwell and in the 60+ years since, how many more interpretations have we seen of this mad story? And it just remains a top story waiting for each generation's top acting talents.
Such a great film.
This IS one of the greatest films of all-time. 1st time I saw this, I was just in awe ; what is there to say ? Flawless acting, a perfect script & story. a Classic British story, but it resonates all over our globe. The age old dilemma : to live with your conscience, or, your convenience. Today, in our America, it is more important, then ever. Who do we choose, to be ? As a man raised in the 50's & 60's, I STILL choose to be in the America of 2022 ! More diverse-------more freedoms------more basic rights-----more open-----& a guiding light, to the rest of this world, torn by war, hate, & the divisions of religion & politics. I Pray, we will endure. -------------------------------WolfSky9, 75 y/o
a classic British story.......met thinks not , as Britain did not exist at this time in history.
Orson wells incredible as always as cardinal wolsey . I have so much respect for it’s Orson WElls as he was offered Caligula with a huge pay cheque yet refused as he said it was appalling, he said I needed the money yet I refused to have anything to do with such a ludicrous project
Really doesn’t get any better then this.
This movie is the G.O.A.T.
Put so many great actors in one place and you get great theater!
Ever seen Casino Royale?
@@johnsrabe yes
Man I wish Orson could have played the Baron Harkonnen! He would have been perfect! I don't necessarily wish that the film be made by Jodorowsky, but man Orson would have been great as the Baron.
Or leo mckern!
Indeed. Kenneth McMillan's portrayal of the Baron was definitely the weak link in David Lynch's Dune. The Baron in the novel is far more subtle and three dimensional. One of the key principles in acting or writing when portraying an evil character is that no one, not even the most wicked is pure evil. There is always some glimmer of goodness even in the worst of people. Otherwise, they're just cartoon characters.
A great scene, to be sure - but this movie is chock full of great scenes and witty lines, from beginning to end.
This film should be shown in schools as an important part of their education and understanding of great film making, great dialogue and great acting. It still annoys me that apart from Stanley Kubrick and a few others the majority of the film making industry was and still is so utterly bereft of talent.
This has always been one of best films of all time. I well remember being bored to death when taken to see it by my school, and didn't see it again till my 40s. When I saw it after so long, it was a profound experience. Scofield has to be one of the greatest actors ever, in the UK.
Mute the sound and watch and it's still a perfect silent picture scene, or, turn off the picture and listen and it's a riveting radio drama.
(5:13) 'I think that when statesmen forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their public duties, they lead their country by a short route to chaos.'
Incredible! You know, So many years ago I could have seen Orson Welles portraying the role of Henry VII in his later years! It would have been phenomenal!
Except it wouldn't have been in A Man For All Seasons...
@@califgirl101 Sorry, I was being deliberately pedantic.
I'm sure it was just a typo when you mentioned Henry VII.
Believe it or not, I would like to have seen Welles play Father Christmas around the time he gave this interview:
ruclips.net/video/a8B5lCOBUis/видео.html
I think he would have found a new generation of fans and I'm sure he would have accepted the role if it had been offered to him.
“If I had served my God half so well as I had served my king, then he would not have let me die in such a place.“
"Rosebud!"
"Pardon, Your Grace?"
"Nothing. I was thinking of something else."
cuckoo clocks
one of the best movies ever made
Orson's Captain Quinlan is a Shakespearean character. And his performance was oscar worthy.
The writing for this film and play was of the highest order. More gives two speeches, one on the purpose of law and one on God's intention for creation which are the best accounts I have heard.
I found those two speeches:
Listen, Meg. God made the angels to show Him splendour. As He made animals for innocence and plants for their simplicity. But Man He made to serve Him wittily, in the tangle of his mind.
Cut a road through the law to get after the Devil? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned on you... where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted with laws from coast to coast. Man's laws, not God's, and if you cut them down do you really think you could stand upright in the wind that would blow then?
Great scene.
More you should have been a cleric. - Like yourself your Grace. Great writing.
Perhaps the most brilliantly written and acted scene of all times. Every word, every glance, and every gesture is significant.
Wolsey was right. No heir might mean war. Best screen play of all time.
Their every sentence has a deep meaning! Great play, great players.
Right on that the movie was selected as the best picture of the year for 1966. Paul Scofield and Orson Welles at their best in my estimation. Among the top five men in history whom I admire, Thomas More is among those five. I admire him for standing up for his beliefs, even though I disagree with some of the issues he believed in. Standing up for one's beliefs is something that can't be said when it came to the majority of those around him.
The single greatest scene ever committed to film.
A rich interplay of two Thespian Titans..
It's a very good scene but the greatest scene ever?
Bullshit.
Welles needed the money for this and Casino Royale the following year. Still he managed to wind up and unnerve Peter Sellers who could not get the measure of Welles.
Leo McKern was great as Cromwell.
Then McKern started a eastern religious cult and was stopped by The Beatles
The best ever game of table tennis between two gigantic comedians
Two giants of the acting profession - Paul Scofield and Orson Welles, in a superb motion picture drama.
Scofield played the role of Sir Thomas More on stage; then effortlessly made the transition to film.
Orson Wells a master!
wonderful stuff
"Like yourself, Your Grace?"
Burn of the century. XD
A Masterclass in acting .. and Masterpice of a film.
Orson serves up the look of death on his face at the end.
"More, You should have been a Cleric." - Cardinal Woolsey "Like yourself, your Grace?" - Sir Thomas More
"There are precedents." True, but rare. Eleanor of Aquitaine had King John when she was 46.
I think he’s referring to the Virgin Mary.
@@RedSpartan32no, he's referring to Sarah the mother of isaac, to Hannah the mother of Samuel, and to Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist. All were well past childbearing age, and this is a reference to Katherine of Aragon's age.
Mary wasn't
One of my fave movies!
"When statesman forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their public duty, they lead their country by a short route to chaos."...Fast forward to 2021...
You mean 2016 - 2020
God bless St. Thomas More.
More has also been made a Saint in the Anglican faith, something I suspect he finds of note. Welles was a man who was an Irish Catholic, who became a believing, but nondenominational, Christian in later life.
Infamous Cromwell!
The caholic principle a truth prevailed!!!
Awesome Welles.....
This film made me aware of the fact that Henry VIII wasn't the lustful oath I assumed him to be as teenager, but in fact a very intelligent and gifted man, who was haunted by the thought of future and the fate of his dynasty. And that this future depended on the absolute necessity of a male air. On the fateful and bloody Moloch altar of this dynastic idolatry he sacreficed and slaughtered 2 women, as well as destroying himself, fysically as well as mentally.
An oath is a promise or affirmation. I think you meant "oaf".
Air is the substance our atmosphere is comprised of. I believe you meant "heir".
I am not aware of alternate spellings or meanings for "sacrificed" and "physically", however.
@@whiteknightcat I understood what Walter meant. Don't nit pick over spelling. English may not be his first language anyway.
It is worth remembering that while Kings and Queens required a (male) heir there was naturally a 50% chance each birth of a female. Much bloodshed could have been avoided if an heir was any gender as long as it was a royal progeny.
@@stephendoherty8291 Two of his daughters did end up ruling England.
Henry VIII was trying to be what everyone thought a young man as a king should be - athletic, virile, aggressive, testing his limits, a leader of men. The memory of Edward IV - who was all this and more - was still fresh in everyone’s minds.
Watching in 2020 suffice to say nothing has changed about human nature since the 16th century
Awesome orson!
True, one of the greatest historical movies of all time. made in 1966. I preferred Carleton Heston's performance, though, Paul scofield, an Oscar for his. my favorite scene/line is"yes, I would give the Devil the benefit of the law, for m y own saftey's sake!"
Thanks.
@SatiricalTruth three legendary, titanic actors: welles, mckern and scofield.
Leo McKern was a very good actor.
But he wasn't legendary.
The cinematographer was Ted Moore, the same man who photographed many of the James Bond films. He won the Oscar for best color cinematography for this 1966 Oscar winner for best picture. I await your reply.
Absolutely fascinating exchange, with Boult's inimitable dialogue.
Bolt*
How can Kevin Smith LOVE This movie so much, and still write such crappy dialogue in his own films??
The way his chain of office binds him.
@hartmut1164 Uh no. More just wanted to be left alone. But they insisted he approve of something he felt was wrong and killed him because he wouldn't. If everyone stuck to their principles like More did, the world would be a better place.
I realize the movie conveniently overlooks the fact, but you do realize he was a prolific hunter of heretics and very enthusiastic about burning them at the stake, right? More didn't die in the name of freedom of conscience. He died for the right of the Catholic Church to dictate what your conscience should say.
No, not necessarily. Principles, like powerful handguns, can be a very dangerous thing in the wrong hands.
@@Guitcad1 To him, they were one and the same.
Of course, I don't mean that to say he was treated fairly. No, he was the victim of straight-up judicial murder.
@6:00 this was a pivotal moment in English history as only church men had been chancellor (King's conscience) prior to Cromwell.
Wolsey really looks unwell in this, which is fitting considering his position. Managing England with Henry VIII for his master - especially at this point in his reign - could hardly have been a stress-free job, and it's clearly taken a toll on him.
Kind of odd to see a Prince of the Roman Church as a highly-powerful official in a secular court, no?
@@gidzmobug2323 Now . . . not then . . . .
@@JohnMinehan-lx9ts You are saying that it would be an unusual sight now, but not so much in Tudor times?
@@gidzmobug2323 Yes.
More was the first layman to be Lord Chancellor (although some previous Lord Chancellors, like Thomas A'Beckett, had been minor clergy rather than Cardinals, bishops or even Priests). It was not just England, considering Cardinal Richelieu in France in the 17th Century..
@@JohnMinehan-lx9ts I forgot about Richelieu.
The cinematography is something from a Dutch Old Master
It was strikingly like a painting from the period, or maybe a little later. Especially the opening scene with Wolsey at his desk.
Typically Henry viii let everyone do his work & most died in the process ie out os sight out of mind . Cardinal Wolsey was incredibly hard working and came from humble origins & was incredibly intelligent & worked his way up . Cardinal W was treated as a escape goat he worked so hard to ensure the Tudor dynasty which was on the basis of such a thin basis . Henry Tudor had killed Richard 111 yet the Plantagenets had a much stronger claim Henry Tudor married a Plantagenet Elizabeth a true line from king Edward . So Henry viii who wasn’t born king his brother Arthur was & died married to Catherine of Aragon.
The Baby eating Bishop of Bath and Wells in Blackadder makes sense now!
What a pair of actors.
Unrelated but seeing Orson Welles shaved and playing an antagonist-like role only makes me think of how he would've played the Baron Harkonnen in the cancelled Dune, which would have been filmed and released around the exact same time!
My top 10 movies of all time as of today:
1. Lawrence Of Arabia
2. Farewell My Concubine
3. A Man For All Seasons
4. Aguirre Wrath Of God
5. Dangerous Liaisons
6. Princess Mononoke
7. Doctor Strangelove
8. Jaws
9. Andrei Rublev
10. Snow White
A very good list, sir
Touch of evil Wells other masterpiece
Ahem ... One more, if I may add... "Far From the Madding Crowd". With Julie Christie and Olivier... Damn I just forgotten his other name. Hah. But they were equally good ... Hah...
That quill pen at the beginning looked like it had a ballpoint hidden in it. It was held at the wrong angle as well.