A Man for All Seasons (1964 film)
1964 film by William Sterling
A Man for All Seasons is a 1964 Australian television play. It is an adaptation of the play by Robert Bolt.
It was directed by William Sterling who thought the play was "the finest in construction and conception on the large heroic scale to come out of England since the War. Bolt has captured the seething historical background of the period as well as conceiving magnificent character studies of famous people of the time."
Plot summary
Cast
Wynn Roberts as Sir Thomas More
John Gray as The Common Man
Kevin McBeath as Thomas Cromwell
Neil Curnow as Robert Rich
Hugh Stewart as the Duke of Norfolk
Terri Aldred as Alice More
Fay Kelton as Margaret More
Douglas Kelly as Cardinal Wolsey
Terry Norris as King Henry VIII
Bruce Morton as William Roper
John Morgan as Chapuys
Campbell Copelin as Cramner
Barbara Brandon as a woman
Laurence Beck as Chapuys' attendant
Production
The play debuted on stage in Australia in 1962 for the Elizabethan Theatre Trust with Robert Speaght as Sir Thomas More.
The show was shot in Melbourne. Sterling elected not to use "fades" in his production.
Reception
The Age said it "translated convincingly on the TV screen" call it a "production which, though not perfect gave glamor to honesty."
The TV critic from the Sydney Morning Herald thought that "the stage devices" of the original play "were all too evident for the good of its TV adaptation", notably the reliance of one set for all the action, and the use of the device of the Common Man, adding "the black and white directness of television demands less pageant-like solemnity. But it was able to assist valuably when the dialogue came alive with character and force."
The Bulletin said William Sterling is perhaps the most distinctive and stylistic producer in Australian television.
“A Man for All Seasons (1964 film)” enters the record as 1964 film by William Sterling. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Seasons, film and William can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q28840545. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1964 and 1962.
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