Hacker Cinema
A Man for All Seasons
1966 · Film · 120 min
Directed by Fred Zinnemann
A depiction of the conflict between King Henry VIII of England and his Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas More, who refuses to swear the Oath of Supremacy declaring Henry Supreme Head of the Church in England.
4 positivefrom 4 commenters
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5 comments on Hacker News
> we are now a culture built on lying.
Are now? I mentioned Thomas More to show that this exact same thing happened 500 years ago. The whole point of the movie A Man For All Seasons is to show that this is always how it has been throughout human history, and that only a few people stand out as putting the truth higher than their own interests, such as Thomas More and Joan of Arc, which deeply impress even non-religious people like Robert Bolt and Mark Twain.
Generally none, the DA must choose to pursue perjury charges, which basically never happens. In reality, nearly everyone commits perjury. Thomas More would not approve. Both versions (1966 and 1988) of A Man For All Seasons are highly worth watching several times and practically memorizing. "Would you benefit England by populating her with liars?" [edit] in retrospect, there is one inescapable consequence of lying under oath: your word now means nothing to honest people.
If violating or diminishing constitutional rights for the purpose of obtaining a prosecution is on the table then there's not really much to the constitutional order to begin with. Robert Bolt, one of the great playwrights of the 20th century, recognized this in "A Man for All Seasons". There's a brief excerpt of the film on Youtube that resonates particularly well today:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUqytjlHNIM&ab_channel=CrassHeretic
And the story is both touching and devastating, whether or not you're watching from a religious point of view.
The same is true for the earlier Robert Bolt film, too: A Man for All Seasons.
This mind-set is depressing.
If you're accused, you're guilty. Damn the facts!
That's worked out well in the past. /s
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/kill-a-mockingbird-1962-film-867767
One of my favorite quotes is from "A man for all seasons":
William Roper: So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!
Sir Thomas More: Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?
William Roper: Yes, I'd cut down every law in England to do that!
Sir Thomas More: Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
Denying the rule of law to "get" a bad person is called "lynching".