“Please, try to keep your big mouth shut.”Even with this valuable advice, the title character of Luther finds this terribly hard to do. As a result, he is faced with several problems surrounding his monastic life. For example, no one reacts when a local boy commits suicide and a destitute mother has to hide her daughter in the forest because she is believed to be paying for some sin of her ancestors. At the same time, a Catholic priest named John Tzetzel warns the people of eternal damnation on a regular basis. His solution to prevent such punishment is to pay for indulgences, which humorously say that “once the coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs”; as well as suggesting that the giver’s punishment for sin might be reduced also.
When this is joined with what Martin Luther hears in his seminary (such as “There is no salvation outside of the Roman Church”, i.e. all non-Roman Catholics are damned); it is then that the young monk bravely takes matters into his own hands. He nails a long list of religious abuses upon church doors. He speaks openly against just about everything he had held sacred before, such as discontinuing the use of relics and statues in worship. He gets married to a former nun after she escapes the destruction of her convent. Luther even has the nerve to accuse the Pope himself of leading an overly decadent lifestyle, as well as portraying the local Cardinal as a “donkey playing a harp.” Yet in spite of his denouncement by the church as a heretic, Luther is free to become the driving force behind the Reformation, an important period in both church and world history.
Regarding the performances in the film, Joseph Fiennes stands out the most by far; playing the both charismatic and sometimes almost manic founder of the Lutheran church. He exhibits a compassionate personality through the artistically licensed scenes with the poor mother, her daughter, and the young suicide victim; but at the same time vividly shows the darker side of Martin Luther, both during the opening sequence when he is trapped upon the road during a severe storm, and later in his small cell where he is openly tempted by the devil to abandon his cause.
Although Sir Peter Ustinov might not be recognizable to the younger members of the audience, he nevertheless presents plenty of skill and humor through his performance of Frederick the Wise. Add the memorable depictions of Emperor Charles V, John Tzetzel, Pope Leo X, and Catherine von Bora to this equation; and you come up with an enjoyable and educational film.
The movie Luther can be found at Cinema 10, National Amusements, and Showcase Cinemas.