A Movie For All Seasons

Once upon a time, we used to produce movies that were edifying—radiating truth, beauty, and goodness. There was a time when the nobility and faithfulness of Thomas More, illustrated in the movie A Man For All Seasons, would be praised by audiences. However, one might think modern “wisdom” would be quick to dismiss More’s steadfastness in Truth as foolishness. A modern viewer might side with the “poor” King who is being denied his “right” to pursue “love” with Anne Boleyn (especially if the viewer is ignorant of the fact that he later has her executed). For the moral relativist, it is the Catholic Church and Her followers who are in the wrong to impose Her teachings on anyone. She is perceived as holding others’ happiness hostage. Don’t we see this in our own day as well? Christians are attacked for not wanting to cooperate in homosexual unions, and the homosexuals are not content with simply choosing another baker or photographer, etc. No, they will tolerate no opposition; they want everyone to validate their decisions so their consciences aren’t bothered.


King Henry VIII had received a special dispensation from the Pope in order to marry his brother’s widow, Catherine. However, she could not produce an heir, and so the King began an affair with Anne Boleyn. He then sought to declare his present marriage as invalid, citing Leviticus for his

purposes. Thomas More, on the other hand, pointed out a verse from Deuteronomy which affirms the validity of the King’s marriage to his brother’s widow. This cherry picking of Scripture, which is so popular today, was a growing problem in the mid-1500s as the Pope and the Church was seen less and less as the authority on Scripture as the Protestant Reformation was spreading. People can choose to see what they want in Scripture, bending it to their own will, or they can be docile to the Truth in conforming their lives to God’s will. The Pope refused to grant the King a divorce because it would go against the Truth. The King put pressure on Thomas More, who was serving as his Chancellor, Parliament, and the Bishops to break with Rome and allow him to divorce Catherine and marry Anne Boleyn.

Thomas More was a respected man of the English court. He was known to be intelligent and honest, living a virtuous life in pursuit of justice. He refused to give a man named Richard a position in the court telling him, “A man must go where he won’t be tempted.” Richard was easily susceptible to bribes and overly concerned with personal advancement. Thomas More looked after the souls of others before all else. He remained silent on the issue of the King’s marriage, but his silence spoke volumes. He never shared his opinions with his wife or daughter so that they could take an oath saying they didn't know Thomas’ opinions without compromising their souls before God or their lives in the hands of the court. He broke his friendship with his dear friend in order to save him any trouble. His friend begged him to just go along with everyone else, and Thomas' retort was, "When you are sent to heaven for following your conscience, and I am sent to hell for not following mine, will you come along with me?" He therefore sought to secure not only his own salvation, but that of those around him as well. Thomas More’s undeclared opinions nagged at the King’s conscience, and this is why he was so adamant to sway Thomas More into giving his blessing.

Cromwell failed to find any real charges to bring against Thomas because he was so innocent. So, Richard, who had been employed by Cromwell, gave false testimony against Thomas. In reality, he was beheaded simply for refusing to swear an oath recognizing the King’s divorcing his wife—Catherine—and marrying his mistress Anne Boleyn. It may seem a small offense should More swear an oath in order to spare his own life. But Thomas More recognized the importance of laws (human and Divine) that exist outside himself for the common good. He even claims at one point that the devil himself should be given protection by the law because once you make one exception, many follow and the order that results from law breaks down and the just man has nowhere to turn for

protection. He understood laws must be upheld in spite of their possible personal inconvenience. There is something about Thomas’ holy nobility and adherence to God’s law that baffles the modern viewer. We, who are so willing to compromise, cannot readily say we would do the same were we in his position. There is an unavoidable attraction in our souls to the true, the good, and the beautiful. God has created us to be naturally drawn to Him, Who is reflected in His creation. And, even the modern viewer, despite his own preconceptions, surely cannot help but be moved by the life of Thomas More. Although, he may deny it and work to correct this movement toward the good after watching the film, for pride keeps us in blindness.

Thomas More was a high example of the harmony between Faith and Reason. The separation of his head from his bosom is an adequate symbol for the times, for henceforth Faith and Reason were indeed divorced from each other. We continue to strive today to mend the tears in the fabric of the Church and humanity that were made almost 500 years ago.