Produced and directed by Fred Zinnemann, based on the 1960 play by Robert Bolt,
A Man for All Seasons (1966) swept the major Academy Award categories… winning Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor. The story, set between 1529 and 1535, concerns Sir Thomas More's refusal to sign a letter asking Pope Clement VII to annul the marriage of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon… and More's resulting execution on the charge of treason. Naturally, some liberties are taken with the historical facts. Paul Scofield deservedly won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance as the tragic hero, Sir Thomas More. Robert Shaw is powerful as King Henry VIII. The supporting cast is great as well, including Orson Welles as Cardinal Wolsey, Leo McKern as Thomas Cromwell, Nigel Davenport as the Duke of Norfolk, John Hurt as Richard Rich, Vanessa Redgrave as Anne Boleyn, Cyril Luckham as Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, Wendy Hiller and Susannah York.
