The dramatization of Sir Thomas More's historic conflict with Henry VIII—a compelling portrait of a courageous man who died for his convictions and a modern classic that "challenges the mind, and, in the end, touches the heart" (New York Times).
Sir Thomas More—the brilliant nobleman, lawyer, humanist, author of such works as Utopia—was a long-time friend and favorite of Henry VIII, ascending to the position of Lord Chancellor in 1529. Yet he was also a staunch Catholic, and when Henry broke with the Church in 1531 after the Pope had refused to grant him a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, More resigned the Chancellorship. In 1534, Parliament passed a bill requiring all subjects to take an oath acknowledging the supremacy of England's king over all foreign sovereigns—including the Pope. More refused, was imprisoned, and finally was executed in 1535.
ROBERT BOLT (1924–1995) was distinguished as one of the most successful British writers of his generation. Bolt was an English playwright who earned a degree in history from Manchester University in 1949 and intended to be a school teacher after serving in the Royal Air Force. The incredible success of his first play, Flowering Cherry (staged in 1957/1958), drove Bolt into becoming a full-time playwright. Robert Bolt is best known for his most successful play, A Man for All Seasons (staged in 1960), which won five Tony Awards, starring Paul Scofield on Broadway. Bolt himself wrote the film version, adapted in 1966 for director Fred Zinnemann. The motion picture received six Oscars, including an award for Best Screenplay.
