Luther (2003)

During the early 16th Century idealistic German monk Martin Luther, disgusted by the materialism in the church, begins the dialogue that will lead to the Protestant Reformation.

Director:

Eric Till

Writers:

Camille Thomasson, Bart Gavigan

Stars:

Joseph Fiennes, Alfred Molina, Peter Ustinov

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joseph Fiennes	...	Martin Luther
Alfred Molina	...	John Tetzel
Jonathan Firth	...	Girolamo Aleander
Claire Cox	...	Katharina von Bora
Peter Ustinov	...	Frederick the Wise (as Sir Peter Ustinov)
Bruno Ganz	...	Johann von Staupitz
Uwe Ochsenknecht	...	Pope Leo X
Mathieu Carrière	...	Cardinal Cajetan
Benjamin Sadler	...	Spalatin
Jochen Horst	...	Professor Carlstadt
Torben Liebrecht	...	Charles V
Maria Simon	...	Hanna
Lars Rudolph	...	Melanchthon
Marco Hofschneider	...	Ulrick
Christopher Buchholz	...	von der Eck

Storyline

Biography of Martin Luther, the 16th-century priest who led the Christian Reformation and opened up new possibilities in exploration of faith. The film begins with his vow to become a monk, and continues through his struggles to reconcile his desire for sanctification with his increasing abhorrence of the corruption and hypocrisy pervading the Church's hierarchy. He is ultimately charged with heresy and must confront the ruling cardinals and princes, urging them to make the Scriptures available to the common believer and lead the Church toward faith through justice and righteousness.

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Plot Keywords:

prince | church | monk | priest | pope | 

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Taglines:

Rebel. Genius. Liberator.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for disturbing images of violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site Official Site [de]

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English Latin

Release Date:

30 October 2003 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Lutero

Filming Locations:

Bavaria Studios, Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

€21,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,520,012 (Germany) (31 October 2003)

Gross:

$8,330,360 (Germany) (12 December 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eikon Film, NFP Teleart Berlin (I), Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Stephan Schwartz is the German voice of Luther.

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Goofs

When Frederick the Wise is directing Spalatin on how to respond to the summons for Luther from the Cardinal, he talks about letting the "inertia" of the situation take its course. Presumably this conversation takes place on, or around, 1518 (and certainly before the Diet of Worms in 1521), however, the term "inertia" was first used by Johannes Kepler in works published from 1618 to 1621 nearly 100 years later.

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Quotes

Martin Luther: I cannot renounce all of my works because they are not all the same.First are those books in which if I have described Christian faith and life so simply that even my opponents have admitted that these books are useful. To renounce these writings would be unthinkable for that would be to renounce accepted Christian truths... The second group of my work is directed aginst the foul doctrine and evil living of the Popes, past and present... Through the laws of the Pope and the doctrines of men, ...

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Connections

Version of Martin Luther (1953)

User Reviews

Great Emotional Film - One of This Year's Best!

Martin Luther is without a doubt one of the most important figures in Western Civilization. His actions not only reformed Christianity, but also shaped the direction in which Europe developed and opened the door for additional reform and individual freedoms. "Luther" the movie does a fine job at highlighting Luther's actions prior to and during the Reformation.

"Luther" is a very rich movie to say the least. The costumes, scenery, music, acting, and characters all compliment the film nicely. Joseph Fiennes turns in a fine performance portraying Luther and making the audience both admire and feel pity for him throughout the film (the sticklers to realism just have to forgive the fact that Fiennes and Luther do not look very much alike). All the supporting roles were well done as well, especially Peter Ustinov as Prince Friedrich and Uwe Ochsenknecht (say that name three times fast!) as Pope Leo.

Personally as a Lutheran, I was very pleased to see the movie focus mainly on Luther's scriptural interpretations and 95 Theses rather than solely on the secular politics of the time. Thankfully, the creators of "Luther" do not tip-toe around including and expressing Christian messages as to "not offend" non-Christian viewers. If anything, all the direct references to the Bible and doctrine may win people over by showing just how much Martin Luther was a model of Christianity through his love of God and strict belief in only the scriptures (and not unjust rules of men). All that he used to battle the ridiculous man made ordinances and general corruption of the 16th century Catholic Church.

The only things I can really pick apart in "Luther" is the ending - I just wish the ending was slightly more rounded than it is, it seemed that things were sped up in the last 1/4 of the film and then it kind of ended abruptly. Nonetheless, the ending was still very emotional and made me want to stand up and applaud. I highly recommend this film to those wishing to learn more about Luther, the Reformation, or even just basic Christianity. But keep in mind, at times this film is violent. But the violence is used sparingly and only to drive home some important points in the film (such as Luther's despair over feeling responsible for so many gruesome deaths). All in all, this is a very emotional film which works on so many levels and it was a great pleasure to watch.