A Man for All Seasons (1988 film)

1988 television film directed by Charlton Heston

A Man for All Seasons is a 1988 American made for television drama film about St. Thomas More, directed by and starring Charlton Heston. It is based on the play of the same name by Robert Bolt, which was previously adapted in the Academy Award winning 1966 film A Man for All Seasons. It was the first made for television film produced on behalf of the TNT (Turner Network Television) television network. The film stars Heston as More, Vanessa Redgrave (who had a small cameo in the version from 1966) as his wife Alice More, Sir John Gielgud as Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Martin Chamberlain as King Henry VIII, Richard Johnson as the Duke of Norfolk (historically, Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk), and Roy Kinnear as the narrator, "The Common Man", who was cut from the previous film. (The "Common Man' functions in the manner of a Greek chorus throughout the play, appearing at crucial moments and seeming to comment on the action.) The film follows the original stage play more literally and runs half an hour longer than the 1966 film, and could be considered "stagier" than that film, which divided the Common Man into several more realistic characters and omitted portions of the play.

King Henry VIII wants to divorce his wife, and seeks the approval of the aristocracy. Sir Thomas More is a man of principle and reason, and is thus placed in a difficult position: should he stand up for his principles, risking the wrath of a corrupt King fond of executing people for treason? Or should he bow to the seemingly unstoppable corruption of King Henry VIII, who has no qualms about bending the law to suit his own needs?

The film received generally positive critic reviews.

Warner Bros. released a DVD in 2011.