Luther
Short description
Luther is a historical drama about Martin Luther, the sixteenth-century Augustinian monk who challenged the practices of the Catholic Church. After a close brush with death, he abandons his law studies and enters a monastery, where close reading of the Bible leads him to question established religious practice. His objections focus on the sale of indulgences, and he sets out his position in the Ninety-Five Theses, which he posts at the church in Wittenberg. Refusing to recant, he is declared a heretic and excommunicated, and he goes into hiding, where he translates the Bible into German. The film is set in Germany during the early 1500s, and its cast includes Joseph Fiennes in the title role, Alfred Molina as the indulgence preacher Johann Tetzel, Claire Cox as Katharina von Bora, Bruno Ganz as Johann von Staupitz, and Peter Ustinov as Frederick.
Eric Till directed the film, the fourth of his feature credits, from a screenplay by Camille Thomasson and Bart Gavigan. It was produced by Brigitte Rochow, Alexander Thies and Christian P. Stehr, and made in Germany and the United States with a budget of about 30 million dollars. Its worldwide box office take came to roughly 29 million, less than its production cost.
On IMDb, the film holds a rating of 6.6 from around 17,000 votes, while on TMDB its rating is 6.5 from roughly 342 votes. A film critics' rating stands at 5.5 from 61 reviews, slightly below the audience scores. The 123-minute film is classed as a drama and a history.
What's left behind the scenes
- This was the last film Peter Ustinov appeared in. He died the following year (2004).
- When Tetzel appeals to people to buy indulgences, he puts his hand into the fire. A moment later, fire comes from his hand.
- In the film, Luther indicates the chapter and verse when quoting the Bible, whereas the Bible was not divided into chapters and verses until 1546, and even then this division was not universal.
- It is said about Albert of Brandenburg that he was the archbishop of two German dioceses and wanted to acquire a third. In reality, he was archbishop of only one diocese before receiving the archbishopric of Mainz.
- In the film, the name “Junker Georg” is given to Luther before his departure from Wartburg Castle. In reality, he lived under that name in the castle.
- In the scene of the Augsburg Diet, all the nobility, including the Electors, decided to defend the new doctrine. In reality, the majority of the Electors remained Catholic. Only two of these seven Electors were expected to support it: John the Steadfast, Elector of Saxony (as shown in the film), and the Margrave of Brandenburg. Three Electors were Catholic archbishops, and another, the King of Bohemia, was Ferdinand, brother of Charles V.
- In the film, the Golden Rose is given to Frederick the Wise as a bribe to hand Luther over to the Pope. In reality, the Golden Rose was sent to him earlier.
- In the scene of the conversation between Cardinal Cajetan and Girolamo Aleandro after the election of Leo X, Cardinal Cajetan states that he was made a cardinal by Pope Alexander VI, when in fact he was made a cardinal by Leo X in 1517.
- The film shows that Leo X made Girolamo Aleandro a cardinal, which is incorrect; he was made a cardinal by Paul III.
- At the end of the film, Luther presents his translation of the Bible to Frederick the Wise. In reality, they never met.
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