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Luther
Review by Mike Furches (Mike's bio)
Directed by Eric Till
Written by Camille Thomasson and Bart Gavigan
Joseph Fiennes . . . Martin Luther
Alfred Molina . . . Johann Tetzel
Sir Peter Ustinov . . . Prince Friedrich
Bruno Ganz . . . Father Staupitz
Jonathan Firth . . . Girolamo Aleandro
Claire Cox . . . Katharina von Bora
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for disturbing images of violence.
With recent headlines about The Passion by Mel Gibson and comments regarding anti-Semitism, one would have to wonder where all of the hoopla has been regarding the release of Luther, starring Joseph Fiennes as Martin Luther. After all, the Christian church has had its own history of not getting along, and this film helps rekindle those memories. Despite this film trying to cover too much territory and leaving out important historical facts, it is still worthwhile.
Left out is the fact that other individuals had issues with the Roman Catholic Church and its need for reform. Also left out is the fact of Luther's own mandates against fellow believers, such as those led by Menno Simons, and his decree that those who followed Anabaptist theology (adult and believers' baptism) should be declared heretics and issued a third baptism, which led to the drowning of thousands of Anabaptists. The unfortunate fact is that many of the martyrdoms during the Reformation took place at the direction of Martin Luther; yet the movie never addresses this issue of his humanity. These things said, the importance of his teachings and writings neither can nor should be ignored. Luther is well worth seeing, even for an Anabaptist like me, who is well aware of the history of our martyrs (i.e., Foxes Book of Martyrs).
This film starts out quite interestingly, covering the calling of Luther into the church, and adequately shows his later conversion to follow Jesus Christ. I certainly appreciated the fact that the movie covered this issue, which is the difference between following the teachings of the church and those of Christ. In one poignant scene his mentor, Father Staupitz (played wonderfully by Bruno Ganz) places a crucifix into Luther's hands and tells him essentially to follow Jesus and turn his life over to Christ. It is an important moment in the film, one wonderfully portrayed.
What we see, and what I appreciated in this film, is the humanity and conviction of the man Martin Luther. He has serious issues with the relics being offered by the church, relics that included, for example, 18,000 nails used to nail Christ to the cross and thorns that had been in the crown of thorns used to pierce the head of Christ. Luther's passion on this issue comes about after he observes and feels compassion for individuals who purchase indulgences from the church to obtain salvation for themselves and/or their loved ones. Luther knows that salvation comes only through Christ and differs early on with the teachings of the church. Another matter that Luther takes on is the importance of getting the Word of God into the hands of everyday people in language they can understand. It was this facet of the movie that most moved me.
The work of Luther to get the Bible into the hands of everyday people and the recollection of the time that the Bible was not readily available makes this movie not only worth seeing, but also in many ways a must for individuals to see. The reality of it is that people, including Luther, went through a great deal of persecution, sometimes even death, to get God's Word into the hands of people so they could interpret the Bible for themselves. This significant fact regarding Luther is undeniable, and in many ways he was an original rebel fighting for the rights of the common person.
Luther was avid about certain facts like not including James in the Holy Scriptures, another fact that the movie conveniently ignores. After seeing the movie, while not agreeing with his belief, I can understand his reasoning for being so insistent that the Book of James not be included. With all of the inconsistencies in the church at the time, and its emphasis on earning one's way into Heaven, one can better understand why it was that Luther was so concerned that the message of Christ's grace was emphasized. Grace and relationship with God was essential for all people. Luther fought for that understanding at a great cost, and this movie helps illustrate those facts and realities.
From a movie-making perspective, the reality is that too much of a time period was covered, and as a result character development and plot suffer. Without an understanding of the role of Luther in history, one seeing this movie might easily get lost. I will also disagree with many recommending that children not see this movie. The truth is that there are some graphic scenes in the movie, but for many those were not scenes but realities in life. While much of that persecution was at the hands of the “Church” and at one point of time actually endorsed by Luther, the messages of our own nasty history will do more harm if we cover it up than it will if we discuss it from an early onset. While I would not recommend the movie for smaller children—they will get bored—I would recommend it for those who can discuss the issues. I have known of some 10-year-olds who can and then I have known of some 20-year-olds who can't. The topics and messages are definitely worthy of discussion, though.
One example of how character development suffers is in several that I would have personally liked to know more about and who were portrayed in a powerful way. Those characters included Hanna and Grete, a mother and daughter who lived in poverty and were a part of the Wittenberg church, and Luther's wife, Katharina von Bora (played beautifully for what short time she was onscreen by Claire Cox). I must also comment on the character Prince Friedrich the Wise (played brilliantly by Sir Peter Ustinov). Here we see a character that, despite his own beliefs, allows himself to be moved by conviction and truth. In many ways this character had the most to lose by Luther's teachings, yet was the first and most willing to give up the things that he held in high regard. While I have been wrong in the past about my predictions, Ustinov will at the very least have to be considered for a supporting role come award time.
The truth is that while the film takes some liberties, it is still worth seeing for the historical relevance. I don't believe it has enough to draw the interest of those outside of the Christian community, and that is a shame. It is a shame because Luther is a well-done movie with enough historical accuracy that we can easily see how much of an impact he had on our world. We see his passion, his madness, and his convictions. We see a human being who was led by a risen Christ and was thus able to make a difference to the world around him, even with all of his shortcomings.
On a scale of 1 –10, Luther is a deserving, religious 7.
Copyright 2003, Mike Furches. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
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About Mike Furches: Mike is the senior pastor of United at the Cross Community Church in Wichita, Kansas. The church, located in the inner city of Wichita has a unique ministry to former gang members, drug addicts, prostitutes and others often neglected by the church. Mike also is involved in freelance writing and speaks nationally. Check out his web page for more information: http://www.furches.org/ E-mail Mike |
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