Release Year: 1966

Genre: Biography, Drama, History

Director: Fred Zinnemann

Writer: Robert Bolt

Stars: Robert Shaw, Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller

If you took the claustrophobic political turmoil of Game of Thrones, stirred in some of Oscar Wilde's witty banter and a few Arthur Miller-style stirring speeches, added the period piece awesomeness of The Tudors, and created a starring role that's as stand-up as Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird, you might end up with A Man for All Seasons.

A Man for All Seasons began as a humble radio play written way back in 1954. The author, Robert Bolt, was an agnostic who nevertheless found himself totally in awe of the Catholic saint and martyr, Sir Thomas More. More was a man of principle, willing to take a stand against King Henry VIII's move away from the Catholic Church by refusing to endorse the king's unsanctioned divorce.

Even if his punishment meant divorcing his head from his body.

Bolt adapted his radio play into a stage play in 1960. From there, it became a smash hit both on London's West End and on Broadway. When it came time to adapt a movie version, Bolt wrote a third version: a screenplay. What resulted was an instant classic: A Man for All Seasons won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (for Paul Scofield, who played More), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best (Color) Cinematography.

Not too shabby.

A Man for All Seasons is still a hit with both religious and non-religious people alike: we're talking Catholic theologians and Catholic obscene beardos alike. Seriously—listen to Kevin Smith, director of Clerks and Dogma, talk about why he hearts a movie set in the 1530s:

"People will always compare that movie to The Crucible for some reason. But I never felt the same connection to The Crucible because in that instance John Proctor is just going to great lengths to try to keep his name, whereas Thomas More went to great lengths to keep what he felt was his soul intact. By taking that oath it would've been selling out on his soul, it would've been lying. He couldn't do it and I always found that insanely admirable and the life one wants to emulate to some degree." (Source)

There you have it.

This movie first swept the radio airwaves, then the West End and Broadway circuit, then the Oscars, and finally...Kevin Smith's heart. Whether you're a history buff, a divinity student, a lover of wordplay, or a fighter of injustice—we bet you'll be swept away, too.

True facts—you're not likely to be beheaded for refusing to sanction a king's divorce anytime soon. But chances are pretty close to 100% that there will come a time when you have to make a stand.

Maybe you'll have to choose between shutting some racist down and disturbing the calm of a dinner party. Maybe you'll have to choose between letting some jerk bully your little cousin and keeping your job at that jerk's dad's office. Maybe you'll have to choose between something truly harrowing… like giving Reese's cups out to trick-or-treaters at Halloween or eating the entire bag yourself.

And when that difficult day comes, you'll have to know how to stick to your guns. You'll need a role model—someone who knows what they believe in and won't give an inch. Luckily, you've got a great role model right in front of you: Thomas More from A Man for All Seasons.

We're not saying that you need to have the courage to sass-back King Henry VIII (or remain sassily silent, like Thomas More does). But you do need to know when to put your foot down. You need to know what your principles are. A Man for All Seasons' Thomas More emphasizes the fact that his principles are integral to his sense of self—if he gives them up, he effectively loses his identity.

And you know what else? You need to know how to not only stick up for your principles, but also to do it in style. Again: Robert Bolt's Thomas More is your man. If you need a mentor in the art of deadpan burns, withering sarcasm, or just well-placed wry asides… well, you've come to the right film, grasshopper.