I’ve always felt that religion is a topic that films should deal more with. But studios are always scared of upsetting people or alienating a section of the potential audience. That’s why we get Christmas movies without a single mention of Christ. So it’s refreshing to find a film that discusses theological issues so frankly and openly as this film does.
As one might infer from the title, the film follows the life of Martin Luther (Joseph Fiennes, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE), who was a German Catholic monk, who rebelled against the corruption he saw and ignited the Reformation, leading to the formation of Protestantism and the translation of the Bible from Latin into common languages.
As the movie portrays, Luther came to be a monk with little faith and possibly a bit of schizophrenia, having visions of demons around him. He finds great guidance in his mentor Johann von Staupitz (Bruno Ganz, DOWNFALL). After moving to Wittenberg, he grows in faith and becomes a theological teacher, posting his 95 Theses, which address the problems he saw in the Catholic Church, especially with the Church’s pushing of indulgences, which were purchased to buy one less time in Purgatory. Luther believed that only faith in Christ could win salvation and that the Church was not needed for one to be saved. He wanted to free the restraints of an institution that had become greatly hypocritical and corrupt.
Fiennes gives a wonderful performance as a man torn by guilt, anger and an idealistic view of right and wrong. Another part of the film that I loved is that one man can have a revolutionary idea, but it takes help to start a revolution. Prince Frederick the Wise — played amazingly by Sir Peter Ustinov (SPARTACUS) — was a believer in indulgences, but came to admire his university’s best teacher and helped support him along his way.
The film does feel like it’s rushing things toward the end and doesn’t deal with Luther’s controversial writings on why Jews will not convert, but as a chronicle of a complicated man who changed the world the film works wonderfully. You don’t have to be religious to love this film, because religion cannot be removed from history. It played a major role in the way the world operated in the late 1400-early 1500s as it still does today. I highly recommend this film.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
