A Man for All Seasons (1966) - Because I Believe Scene (3/10) | Movieclips

A Man for All Seasons - Because I Believe: Thomas More (Paul Scofield) explains his morality to the Duke of Norfolk (Nigel Davenport).

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FILM DESCRIPTION:
When the highly respected British statesman Sir Thomas More (Paul Scofield) refuses to pressure the Pope into annulling the marriage of King Henry VIII (Robert Shaw) and his Spanish-born wife, More's clashes with the monarch increase in intensity. A devout Catholic, More stands by his religious principles and moves to leave the royal court. Unfortunately, the King and his loyalists aren't appeased by this, and press forward with grave charges of treason, further testing More's resolve.

CREDITS:
TM & © Sony (1966)
Cast: John Hurt, Nigel Davenport
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Screenwriter: Robert Bolt

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[emiliotorres]

"I trust I make myself obscure." The charisma on this man lol

[OCMOOO]

I love the character of Norfolk
He's nobility but down to earth and a good friend (and hilarious)

[zhongwa]

More was not only clever, but a good friend.

[LPJack]

RIP Paul Scofield (January 21, 1922 – March 19, 2008), aged 86
And
RIP Nigel Davenport (May 23, 1928 – October 25, 2013), aged 85
You both will be remembered as legends.

[fredo]

"This isn't Spain you know, this is England!" Brilliant.

[steeevealbright]

this is the best movie i've ever seen

[jimluebke]

"This isn't Spain, you know. This is England."
"I show you the times"

Disturbing for America and for these times, too.

[bradfordmiller]

Mis-titled. The title should be "Ye Lay Traps for Me" The beauty of the scene is in the lines:

More: "Have I your word that what we say here is between us two?"
Duke of Norfolk: "Oh, very well."
More: "And if the King should command you to repeat what I may say?"
Duke of Norfolk: "I should keep my word to you."
More: Then what has become of your Oath of Obedience to the King?"
Duke of Norfolk: "Ye lay traps for me!"

This movie is full of More's wit, from beginning to end.

[garychu]

Thanks Fandango for outlining so many beautiful clips for us. Highly hope your scope will cover not only the best moments or scenes of each movie but also mingle with BGM - background music - film score if possible!?? How about obscure one like ANNE of 1000 DAYS, INTERLUDE, THE DAY of THE DOLPHIN, Thanks for considering. Cheers!!

[Russell_Huston]

I love that line and think of it often. "This isn't (fill in the blank) ya know....this is (fill in the blank)!"
It can be unpleasantly appropriate pretty often these days.
"This isn't some banana republic ya is America!" Yikes.

[gerardmackay]

This was set in the 1530s before the great ‘vowel shift’. I love Nigel Davenport’s Norfolk but he would NOT have had a ‘Sarf London/Estuarine’ accent because it simply didn’t exist back then. The accent of Henry viii and his noble subjects was a lot more ‘Ant and Dec’ than ‘Towie’

[ngqabuthomafu]

"Not that I believe it but that I believe it I trust I make myself obscure" I'm clueless he is certainly being unclear but that doesn't mean he doesn't have clarity on the matter. If so what is he really saying or what would he say if he really trusted the Duke or what would he say if he was a fool like the duke and didn't understand the consequence of telling him the truth in such treacherous times.

[LtColwtf]

“This isn’t Spain, you know?” “This is England.”
Time passes and nothing changes. They still fancy themselves somehow unlikely to engage in the kind of despotism they deride on the continent, yet they in turn are invited - and then duly accept the invitation - to prove the contrary and teach the world a thing or two, in the process. How sad.

[souloftheage]

For all the power negotiations around the English monarch this one line always rings true:
"Power lies at the end of a gun barrel" aka MIGHT makes RIGHT.
A completely different tjme when kings set about conquering foreign lands to make themselves appear powerful, and "God's will on Earth" for if we can be for God, who can be against us?:

How far humanity has come in but a few short 400 year period.

What incredible dreams await us in space and beyond in the next 400 years!.

[annemcquade]

God Bless your dignity, courage, worth, sacrifice and Truth, Saint Thomas More.
Enjoy Heaven and please pray for us.
Amen Glory to God in the Highest level of Love forever. ❤❤❤

[zlkimagenX]

Can someone explain to me the historical context of these scenes?

[valentinr.dominguez]

Spain - the main financier and contributor to the cause of the great Battle of Lepanto which defeated the Ottoman forces. If it had not been for their defeat at this battle, Christian Europe would have been overrun.

[xylfox]

Norfolk is right. England is not Spain

[sartoresartus]

Absolutely awful, what happened to Fred Zinnemann there? Like a school production.

[valentinr.dominguez]

Spain - the site of the first parliament. The Cortes of León or Decreta of León from year 1188 was a parliamentary body in the medieval Kingdom of León. According to UNESCO, it is the first historically documented example of a parliamentary system. After coming to power, King Alfonso IX, facing an attack by his neighbours,  Castile and Portugal, decided to summon the curia regis or king's court/royal council to the Basilica of San Isidoro, León. This was a gathering of the nobility and the higher clergy called to advise the king, used in numerous countries during the Middle Ages. Because of the seriousness of the situation, Alfonso IX also called in representatives of the wealthy merchants and tradesmen from the most important cities of the kingdom, thus uniting the three Estates of the Realm in one council.