Product: Luther [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Germany ]
Rating: 5.0
Luther gets a remarkably sensitive reading in this film as both theologian and man
This important film sticks amazingly close to the trajectory of Luther's life and influence. He is one of the most important figures in the intellectual and political history of modern Western civilization. The hardest part of making it must have been deciding what to omit & what to include. I would have included Luther's insistance, which is at the theological heart of all Protestant denominations, that Christians do not require priests or other intercessors with God. He maintained that the essence of Christianity is a direct relationship with God. Thus he challenged the basic premise of the Roman Catholic hierarchy, as well as drying up their income stream of Indulgences. Joseph Fiennes turns in his usual fine performance in the title role, and Peter Ustinov is sensitive to nuance. Luther's translation of the Bible into German is, in fact, a major intellectual event in Western civilization. It had the effect of standardizing High German. Luther is consistently misrepresented by the Church which he criticized. This film goes a long way toward setting the record straight.