Wednesday, April 22, 2009

A Man for All Seasons

Greetings, fellow geeks! I have recently finished re-reading one of my favorite plays, Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons. This is one of the two non-Shakespeare plays that I actually like. It is interesting to note that the author was not a Catholic or even a Christian; he was an agnostic, which is a wimpy athiest. However, he is still able to portray Catholicism accurately and fairly.
The play's setting is probably familiar to most of you. It is sixteenth century England, and King Henry VIII wants a divorce from his wife, which the Vatican refuses to allow. This sets the stage for Thomas More's epic struggle with Cromwell and the King, who try to get him to go along with the divorce. More is ultimately martyred for his refusal. Through this struggle, Bolt portrays More as the ultimate man of conscience, who remains true to his beliefs and to himself no matter what the circumstances.
The play is incredibly entertaining, with vivid characters and an efficient narrative. There are no boring parts in this play. Most of you should be able to get through it in maybe two or three days.
If you want to see a movie version, there's a great one from 1966 that won the Academy Award.

3/5 Recommended.

7 comments:

  1. Very nice review! Sounds pretty interesting, I'll be looking for the film.

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  3. The film is absolutely amazing. I have never read the book/play, but there is always a first time. Oh, and to Lady Arwen: I am sure that you will be posted as to who will write a review.

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  4. I saw the movie and it was Amazing! O'tool did a wonderful job.

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  5. I do enjoy this movie much. I am so happy that I found this blog to follow. J

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  6. Nicely written, Tini!! I really want to see that movie.

    -froggy

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