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 This video shows you how devious people can be. It is very interesting to watch even though it is not the kind of movie I watch. This movie teaches us about choosing over right from wrong. And how each decision counts.
The story is told against the backdrop of a corrupt Roman Catholic church, and a corrupt king, Henry XIII. Henry, mad, passionate, and lecherous by turn, enters the story as a man without an heir, and interested in dumping his queen for a woman who can produce the next king. The Pope, leader of a corrupt legion of priests, bishops, and cardinals who have more carnal than knowledge, stands firm that no divorce will be allowed, and thus no remarriage. As we meet More, it appears that without his participation to one degree or another, Henry will not be able to switch wives as he had planned. There is a bit of confusion here as Henry at first seeks an annulment, it appears, and then later seeks to gain the blessing of More that his marriage ought to be treated as void ab initio. In any event, the Pope ultimately says no to Henry's plans, and then the pressure is on More, a dear friend of the looney king, to find a way out. More refuses to do anything which might conflict with the will of the Pope, and thus the battle is joined--either More will side with Henry, at the expense of Rome, or he will stand firm with the Pope--putting everything he knows and loves at risk. Here's the ultimate problem--one with the story as much as the film. For as bright and honorable as More might be, his honor leads him to support a church that is corrupt to its core. It also leads him to be intellectually and emotionally brutish and self-deceptive by turns. Certainly, he was a man of principle, but to what end? There is much to admire in him, but just as much to leave you shaking your head and wondering whether he was just a smart guy with a martyrdom complex. This movie has some beautiful cinematography, and some nice acting turns, including by Scofield, who won an Oscar for portraying More. Orson Welles looks like a bloated corpse, but nonetheless provides an nice performance as a thoroughly corrupt Cardinal who is perplexed by More's decision to allow something as silly as private morality guide his public acts. In this regard, it is an especially timely commentary on a church which seems to have changed very little in 500 years.
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I just saw this movie on video. Every actor in this movie delivers a fantastic performance that the people they play in the movie would be quite proud of them. King Henry VIII (not the big, obese Henry, but a younger, happier one) is planning to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon, but his new Lord Chancellor Sir Thomas More (who has replaced the dead Cardinal Wolsey) is wary of the idea. When King Henry follows through with his plan and designates himself head of the Church of England, Thomas More refuses to accept the Act, sending him straight to the Tower. In between, many things happen, including betrayal, scenes of life at Court, and some heated arguments. This movie deserves the 5 stars I gave it, and the Oscars it won. Paul Scofield, although he doesn't resemble the real Thomas More in appearence, delivers a spectacular performance, perfectly capturing Thomas More's personality that is known throughout history. Susannah York is brilliant in her role as Margaret Roper, Thomas More's beloved daughter, and she is quite pretty also. This is a must-see for any enthusiast of Tudor England
