MovieChat Forums > A Man for All Seasons (1966) Discussion > Not the way I remember the dialogue!

Not the way I remember the dialogue!

posted 11 years ago by craighenderson-925-318178
3 replies | jump to latest

Am I losing my memory?? I turned to my trusted "Website For All Seasons," IMDB, to look up one of my most favorite of all movie lines. Under "Quotes" and on the discussion board I find a reference to More's admonition to William Roper about Roper's willingness to cut down every law in England to get to the devil.

My recollection is of a much more well-worded exchange with his wife, who scolds him by saying, "You'd let the devil himself hide behind the law!" I don't remember exactly how the response was worded, (That's why I came to IMDB to look for it.) but it was something like ,"Yes I would let him hide behind the law! Because if you chase the devil, removing his hiding places one by one, he will turn to the law as a last resort. And if you remove that last hiding place, that's when he'll turn on you. And God help you, because you'll have no place to hide. You will have removed all the hiding places. And then where will you turn?"

C'mon, not even I can dream up dialog like that. That's what God created Bolt for. Did I see a different print of the same Scofield movie? I'm certain it was the Scofield portrayal, not one of the other movie versions of the play.

[–] film-collector 10 years ago

... "YES. I give the devil benefit of the law for MY OWN safeties sake"

In the frozen land of Nador they were forced to eat Robins minstrels. And there was much rejoicing.

[–] cajundancr 10 years ago

This is one of my favorite scenes in the film. Richard Rich departs the More residence after failing to secure Sir Thomas' patronage, leaving Sir Thomas More, his wife, daughter Margaret, and William Roper. The complete dialogue follows:

Lady Alice: Arrest him!
Sir Thomas More: For what?
Lady Alice: He's dangerous!
William Roper: For libel. He's a spy!
Margaret: Father, that man's bad.
Sir Thomas More: There's no law against that.
William Roper: There is, God's law.
Sir Thomas More: Then God can arrest him.
Lady: While you talk he's gone!
Sir Thomas More: And go he should if he were the Devil himself until he broke the law!
William Roper: So, now you give the Devil 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!

[–] hachmom-1 8 years ago

And that whole scene is pretty much word for word from the play.