The setting is probably the most oft-told story in English history: that of Henry VIII's break with the Pope to form the Church of England, divorce Catherine of Aragon, and marry Anne Boleyn. The focus, however, is not on that tempestuous monarch but on his Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas More, statesman, philosopher, and devout Catholic, whose refusal to endorse Henry's move leads inexorably to his beheading. The brilliant actor Paul Scofield infuses More with wit and integrity, so that despite a supporting cast including Robert Shaw, Orson Welles and Wendy Hiller, all eyes are on him throughout. A skillful adaptation of Robert Bolt's stage success, A Man for All Seasons isn't director Fred Zinnemann's most personal film, but the lure of Bolt's play is easy to see, for from High Noon through From Here to Eternity to Julia, the characteristic Zinnemann protagonist has been a prisoner of conscience holding out against the brutal pragmatists of this world.