When More leaves the building there are a lot of people asking him to represent them in their law cases which shows how Mores reputation has spread over the years and how he must be seen as a honest man. More is scene totally surrounded by people, who are passing him summaries of cases and also possessions, so that he may consider defending them in court.
When More finally manages to get away from this crowd he gets onto a small boat, again we see that water imagery is used, this time we get the impression that the water is not so calm and that there may be hidden currents. Part way through the journey More looks at the cup that someone had handed him, after some time he realises that it was meant as a bribe and quickly throws it into the river. This shows us why More is so highly regarded, he refuses to be bribed and was known throughout the court for the fact. When More throws the cup the boats man quickly retrieves it and says
“That’s worth money” this is the first time we see the common man, he is meant to show the audience just how a normal person would behave, he is out for himself but only as far as he feels safe. I think that his purpose is clearer in the film version, because if it were performed to the stage directions all the times the common man appears it would be the same actor. However in the film the role is taken on by different actors, I feel to a greater effect. This scene is not in the text but again I think it works very well. It shows the audience from an early stage that More already beyond the stage most people would go to for their beliefs. The scene also makes the viewer think what they would do if in a similar situation and it also highlights Mores courage.
The next scene is in Mores house where Rich has been waiting all night for Mores return, so that he can find out what position More had to offer him, Rich is thoroughly disappointed when he finds out that it is a teaching positioned boasts,
“Oh master Cromwell has offered me something.” This shows that Rich is constantly sniffing around whoever he thinks may benefit him. More just wants a quiet life and Rich cant believe that some one who could have access to excess power could not be really ambitious.
The film moves onto a scene between Margate and Roper, they are isolated in a room and More is angry because Roper is at his home again. We now see a slightly different side of More, he openly shows his disgust of heretics, we also see that More is not always cool and calm, this is the only time in the film we see this side of Mores personality.
I think that the key part of this scene is that Meg tries really hard to find out why her farther had been summoned, but More refuses to tell her anything. This adds to the overall image of More as a loving family man, who at all times tries to protect his family at all costs. Margaret and More have a very close relationship and it may be because of this that he will not divulge any information to her, he knows that she would never lie on oath and he doesn’t want to compromise her in any way. This shows Mores knowledge and respect for the law, although it may also show that he is has a slight child like nature to his character in thinking that if he abides by the law he will be safe.
The film goes on to show the Duke of Norfolk riding over a hill on horseback, this shows a serge of power and the huge force available at Henrys request. The camera then focuses on Wolsey who is lying as if dead, the Duke of Norfolk reads him his ultimatum. Wolsey has displeased Henry because he failed to get More to sign the oath. In this scene I think we get an idea of why Henry was so powerful, I think that he would have been the type of character who could change their opinion of you very easily, and if he disliked you he had the power to have you imprisoned, or even killed, with absolutely no evidence. To me henry comes across as an unreliable and greedy character.
In the next scene we see More, who is given the chain indicating that he is now the chancellor. This shows us just how highly More is regarded by Henry. I think that it also reminds you throughout the play, that Henry doesn’t just want More to sign the oath because he knows the public highly regards More, but also because he classes more as a friend. In my opinion would never have wanted More to end up the way he did.
The camera now pans to a river scene, this time the river is calm and the sun is shinning brightly upon the river. I think that this shows that even though all seems calm at this time there are still the underneath currents just waiting to take over. I think that it reflects the current situation, More has just received the position as chancellor, and so far there is little for him to be worried about. What More may however not realise is that, the longer he refuses to sign to the act the stronger the currants will get, and eventually they take over entirely.
We now see Henry who is on his way to see his friend, Sir Thomas More. This is the only time that Henry would appear in a stage performance, which may be better because it would further show how although he appears for a very short amount of time his actions influence the whole play. Henry is not travelling alone, but with a large group of people. In the film there is an effective extra part to Henrys arrival scene, when the boat he is travelling on arrives at Henrys house the boats man cannot sail up to shore so stops the boat near the grass verge, Henry very confidently jumps out of the boat and the finds himself knee deep in muddy water, all is then silent in an air of anticipation as to what response Henry would make to this. Henry starts to laugh and on some sort of magical cue so did everyone else. This shows just how careful every one was around Henry, they all knew that one false move could send them to jail or worse. This also shows the contrast between More and Henry. This is the only scene in which we hear henry speak yet he influences the whole play.
In the film Henry is dressed entirely in gold, this shows him as a huge golden blob almost like the sun, all-important, and the world revolves around it. Henry is surrounded by and aura of power, there is also a connection to Edward 1v who’s logo was the sun in splendour. From this we can tell that at the time Henry was still a very much beloved king.
The camera again pans to Comwell who is dressed all in brown, he looks at More as if to say
“Why are you here?” this shows that Cromwell is becoming more powerful.
Next there is a scene between Henry and More, Henry is desperate for More to sign the act and is determined to take More with him. Henry greatly respects More and wants to keep their friendship, but underneath the friendship More and Henry both know the threats are still there. Henry tells More that he wants him to sign more than anyone else which I think must have put More in a very compromising situation because he always tried to uphold his loyalty to Henry. More refuses to sign the act, but Henry still implies that if More doesn’t actively protest against him then they can stay friends. After this Henry selfishly leaves without eating, this shows us that Henry was used to getting his own way and when he didn’t become anti-social. During the scene we see a side of Henry which may somewhat explain his power, When Henry arrives at Mores house he talks to Margaret about her intellect. The pair begin a conversation in Latin and when he thinks there may be a chance of her being more advanced than him he ends the conversation and asks her,
“And can you dance?” When her reply is negative he is pleased and feels he has come out of the conversation on top. It is clear that Henry loves to be the centre of attention and absolutely hated being upstaged.
Henry leaves the meeting because Anne Boelyn likes to dance in the evenings, This shows us just how involved Henry had become with her in a short amount of time. It shows again that Henry is probably of an unstable temperament and can fall in and out of love easily.
In the next scene we see Roper, Alice and More with the left over food, Roper congratulates More on his argument with Henry but More is quick to point out that Roper should be careful over what he says, especially about the king. This shows Mores personality and intelligence, he already knows that he has to be cautious over what he says and also that if Henry cant influence him then he may go after his family or friends.
Rich is constantly backing away from the trouble surrounding More because he knows that it may displease the King if he is scene to be associating with More. I think that this sums up Rich’s character extremely well, because although More has always been there for him, and supported and attempted to find him a job, Rich doesn’t seem to find it difficult to turn his back on More. During the conversation Margate comments that Rich should be put in prison, but again showing his understanding and respect for the law More says that to his knowledge Rich has never actually broken the law and therefor should not be put in prison. More also comments that even the devil himself should not be put in prison if he had not broke the law. Throughout the film the audience sees this turn against More because he never breaks the law but is imprisoned and killed.
The next scene I feel is important because it shows Rich going to meet Cromwell, water imagery is again used. This time the water is dark and murky, which gives the impression that forces and opinions are getting mixed up and this is making the future unclear, it also shows that the once stable forces of state are gradually becoming unstable. I think that this scene is the scene in which we learn the most about Cromwell and his techniques. He shows how cunning he is, because he starts off by joking with Rich in a somewhat friendly way, this is an attempt to put Rich at ease with the situation, it is also an attempt to become friendly with Rich so later he will feel more comfortable divulging information to Cromwell. We also learn a lot about Rich because we witness him consciously going along with Cromwell because he thinks he may get something out of him. When Cromwell thinks he has got Rich in a relaxed state he suddenly pounces,
“ A goblet, he gave you a goblet” this shows how powerful Cromwell would have appeared and how he knew how to pick the perfect moment for his questions. I think that this scene was well portrayed in the film, because when you see Cromwell come across in such a strong way it is easy to see why people were intimidated by him. In a way it made me a little more sympathetic with the characters Cromwell did persuaded to give false evidence.
The scene now changes to the convocation of bishops, amongst their conversation the general message the viewer gets is that Henry is overpowering the church, and after being fined for taking so long over their decision they decide to agree to the act. This shows us that it was not only More who was opposed to the act, it also shows us that it was just More who stood for his beliefs.
As a result of the bishops decision More e decides to give up his position as chancellor. The scene in which he does this is very significant and also very well produced in the film. As More goes to take off his chain, Roper walks toward him, in an offer to help More remove the chain, but More turns instead to Margaret who says
“If you like” this shows that although she doesn’t fully agree with what More is doing or even understand why she is willing to help him if he wants her to. When she makes the comment she is also allowing More a little time to reconsider his action. When More doesn’t change his mind Margaret goes on to help her farther remove the chain showing that she is willing to support his stand. I think this scene is very well portrayed by all the actors in the film because the viewer really gets the feeling of how close More is with his family.
Straight after this scene the film moves on to show the consequences of Mores actions, we see More having to part with some of his staff.
Up until this point we have seen Alice as a housewife, pure and simple, but now we get to know her real character, a sharp minded and worldly wise woman. Although she is not well educated she can see things from a perspective that More cannot, she realises that even if More abides by the law fully, if Henry wants him to be found guilty he will be. She shows this knowledge when she says to More
“Poor silly man, do you really think that they will leave you here to fish?” She is saying that henry wont leave More to a quiet life because More has displeased him. More tries to show Alice that he is only doing what he thinks is right and that at the same time trying to protect his family. More asks Alice to put her hand on the bible, and swear she knows nothing of what he is thinking. Alice is an honest God fearing woman and More knows that she would never commit perjury, he therefore thinks it would be better if she knew nothing of what he was thinking.
In the next scene we see Rich and it is noticeable that his clothes have improved in quality, although they may be nicer we also know that he has paid for them with money he made dishonestly.
In the next scene we see the first signs of all the spy networks, lying and bribery starting to be put into action, Cromwell says to Norfolk
“This isn’t Spain you know” Cromwell does this to show Norfolk that he has been listening to what has he has been saying, he quotes a statement that Norfolk made earlier in the film.
We now see a slightly different side of Henry, during his wedding to Anne Boelyn we see him mistake a man in the crowd for More, this shows us that Henry is till hoping, up until the last minute that ore will join him. We know that Henry regards More as a friend and that he really would have liked his fellowship on the act. This scene isn’t in the original text but again I think that it works well because it shows us that Henry is not just a cold hearted monster, and also makes us think that More may have taken the wrong option. I think that a stage version without this scene would portray Henry in a more harsh way and also lose out from not showing the other options More could have taken.
The next scene is in the tower, I think that this is a key part of the film. The setting is sombre grey and cold that symbolises the political climate at the time and at this time More was a social outcast. During this scene we see Cromwell defeated by More, More shows his deep knowledge of the king, which is much to Cromwell’s aggravation, because More proves to know Henry better than Cromwell. More tells Cromwell that Henry will not lie on oath and this annoys Cromwell.
When More leaves for his home he calls for a boat, but on realising who he is all the boats men turn their torches to the river symbolising they are not in service. This shows us the common man’s actions, he doesn’t want to put himself in any danger of displeasing the king. More begins to walk home and on the way he meets up with Norfolk. We now get o see how More looks out for his friends however much they may dislike him as a result. More intentionally picks and argument with Norfolk so that he will no longer associate with him. This shows us that More knows that he is a dangerous person to associate with. We also learn a little about Norfolk’s character, he cannot understand why More wont join them….. for fellowship.
On More’s journey home it is very windy, this shows the forces of state moving against him. More next meets Margaret and she tells him that a new act has been passed through parliament, More immediately asks her what the wording says because he thinks there may be a chance that he can sign it. It is now significant that the words “so far as the law of God allows” have been taken out this is what More could have “legally” objected to but now he has no ground to oppose the act.
The next time we see More he is in the tower of London, he is then taken for questioning by Cromwell. More sits down in front of Cromwell, Cranmere and Norfolk. Again Norfolk shows that he cannot understand why More is opposing them and why he would take such a prominent stand. The actor portrays More very well in this scene, he answers the questions directly and quickly in order to give away as little of his thoughts. We see in this scene that Canmere is the first person to get to More, instead of repeatedly asking More what he is opposed to Cranmere asks,
“Is this what your unsure of?” this is the first time ore has been asked anything other than what he is opposed to. This is the first time we see More hesitate over his opinions.
At the end of Mores interview we see Cromwells true cruelty, when More asks for some more books Cromwell looks at him and says,
“You have books? you shouldn’t have books.” Cromwell knows that More loves learning and reading and thinks that having even one book may be helping More stay strong. This shows Cromwell’s cruelty and also his knowledge of human weakness especially Mores. It also tells us a little about More whose love of learning can get him through almost anything, this shows us that he has a truly strong soul.
In the following scene we see Rich’s cruelty and selfishness Rich says to Cromwell
“Rack him”. This must of totally shocked More when a man whom he had welcomed into his home offered jobs to and befriended could in return be so cold hearted to him. More and the audience also know that Rich is only saying this because he thinks it may be what Cromwell wants to here. Rich is quickly corrected and told that at this point the king will not allow this to happen.
We next see More in a different cell, during the scene More comments that his cell is damp on account f it being close to the river, this shows us that Cromwell is trying to drain More of both his physical and mental strength. The following part of this scene More receives a visit from his family and I think that this part has a huge impact upon the viewers because it really brings home the consequences of Mores actions. The first thing that I noticed about Mores family was that the quality of their clothes had deteriorated. We see that Mores spirits have been lifted by the visit, until he finds out that Meg has sworn on oath to try to persuade More to sign to the act. Margaret pleads with her father to return home, she understands why he is taking the stand but she wants her old life back, she is intelligent but she is also human. More and Alice under go a role reversal, More initially takes charge by telling his family to leave the country on separate boats from separate ports, this shows us that More knows that Cromwell may go after them. But suddenly More breaks down leaving Alice to become dominant and take control of the situation. I think that if performed on stage this scene would be extremely dramatic and have a massive impact on the audience because the atmosphere would be greater than that created by the film.
The camera moves to a court scene, we see the royal coat of arms, which includes lions and unicorns. We also see Henry, these things together emphasis the force of state and the fact that Henry has won. In contrast to this we see More alone which signifies that it was only More who stood for his beliefs until the end. More asks for a chair and we know that Cromwell has succeeded in draining More physically but not mentally. When the trial begins we see a contrast between Cromwell’s harsh and direct technique and Mores light and humorous touch. During the trial it becomes clear to More and the viewer that the trial has been fixed and More has no chance of winning, we also realise that More had under estimated how far Henry was willing to take the case. During the trial More stays calm and quiet until Rich gives his “ evidence”, More now knows that he has absolutely no chance of winning because Rich has lied upon oath and More refuses to stoop so low. At one point Rich looks at More at the viewer thinks maybe, just maybe Rich will change his mind and not commit perjury. When Rich has given his fake evidence More says to him,
“ In truth Rich I am sadder for your perjury than for my peril” I feel that this statement sums up More completely, he is more concerned that Rich has lied to God than he is about himself being found guilty and being executed. When More finds out that because Rich has committed perjury he has been appointed attorney general of Wales he jokes,
“It benefits a man nothing to sell his soul for the whole world, but for Wales.” this shows Mores humour in the worst situation and also his strength of character.
Once again More shows his knowledge of the law, when the judges set his punishment More says,
“When I was practising law it was customary to let the accused have something to say”. When More does begin to speak Cromwell turns to him and says
“We can clearly see your malicious” this is the point at which the judges do use their authority over Cromwell and allow More to continue speaking.
When More is eventually sentenced he again is shown alone, this makes the audience think that even though he took and amazing stand he ended up alone. This runs parallel to a statement made by a woman she said,
“Even though you were honest you still came to this”.
We then see More with his head in the block and he is about to die, we once again see the common man who this time takes the place of the common man he asks More and God to forgive him.
The film ends in a similar way the way it began. The scene is outside Hampton Court, this shows Henry’s power and the fact that the forces of state are once again returning to normal. A voice over tells us what happened to all the people we saw More come into contact with throughout the film. This part is put in at the end of the film instead of three-quarters of the way through, as in the original text. I think that it is better here because in the text you find out what happened to More before you read the actual event, which for me spoiled the ending. The film version comes to a conclusion in a better way because the sorry is well rounded off and leaves the viewer with something to think about because it is only at the end that we find out that rich was the only one who died in his bed. The message here I think was that even though Rich committed perjury and was generally dishonest he was the only one who died peacefully where as More who was always honest died in a awful way before his time.
The play of A Man for All Seasons is slightly different to the film, obviously the film is able to use more technical equipment to get the desired effects and also has the funding for costumes and make up which makes the overall effect better.
The film uses more dramatic devices, for example the common man is played by a number of different actors, which I think made the overall effect better because it gives the idea that the common man does resemble more than one person. Also it shows us that although people are different, most have the same basic intention to have a successful life as possible but also stay out of trouble.
If the play were performed as a theatre production there would be noticeable differences from the film.
A director making a stage performance of a man For All Seasons would have a lot of different decisions to make than a film director. They would have the advantage of the spontaneity of the live performance but not the comfort that if the scene went wrong they could re-shoot it. The audience would get to know the characters in more depth and probably become more involved in the plot. The filial closeness of Mores family would be felt to a greater extent. At the start of the text it says when the certain rises the set is in darkness except for a single spot of light which descends upon the common man who is stood in front of a large property basket. I think that this would be an effective beginning because although it is simple it is also subtle and in a way dramatic. The common man is later directed to lay a table, which shows how normal he is and allows the audience to relate with him. I think that a lot of the scenes would be done in a more solemn way, but in which the relationships of characters would be allowed to show through. During a live performance the audiences hatred or sorrow for a character would be far stronger than in the film because the audience would be close enough to almost interact with the characters.
During both performances (stage and film) Mores stand would have to be emphasised somewhat. One effective way that this could be done is to allow the audience to get to know the characters who were working against More so that they would build up a picture and dislike for them. Also by doing this, the audience would get to know the characters and their strengths and weaknesses, this would help them to relate with More because they would then appreciate how strong the characters were that More had to face. Another way in which both performances could show Mores stand would be to show Mores closeness with his family, because then the audience realises how hard it would have been for More to take the stand that he did, because he was torn between his love for his family and his love for god. In the film version, on several occasions More is shown alone, this emphasises that he was the only person who took the stand and just how remarkable it was. This could also be done in a live performance. During a stage performance the audience would become involved with More’s life and because of this they would begin to think “has he done the right thing?” and “what would I do?” this helps More stand be seen for the amazing stand it was. This could also be done in the film version but not to such a great effect. The use of the common man is one of the main points that makes More’s stand really noticeable. We are given the common man to act as an average person, much like ourselves, so by looking at the common man’s actions we can see a huge contrast between Mores actions and actions similar to our own. In the film the role of the common man is taken on by a number of actors which enhances the film, it shows us that the common man can be in a number of different places or jobs but still has the same basic instincts.
In conclusion I think that although the stage performance would have a better atmosphere, I think that the film version of A Man for All Seasons would best show how Sir Thomas More stood for his beliefs against all odds.
By Carla Jones 11y October 2002