Product: Luther [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Germany ]
Rating: 4.0
Strong but not perfect
Overall, this is a fairly strong movie. It suffers from the failures of most historical movies. On the one hand, it is forced to simplify a very complex movement to a short movie, which means that there are a number of simplifications. On the other hand, what does show up can be confusing without the larger context.Luther can be a very difficult person to deal with. Like any other human, he is a mixture of good and bad. Obviously, his anti-semitism cannot be condoned. However, the other issues are more complex than many treatments would make you think. Especially in regards to the Peasant's Revolt (by the way, the movie makes a complete and total hash of the events of the Revolt). Make no mistake the revolting peasants were not a mass of Ghandi-esque passive resisters, and he'd already issued two calls for them to bring the revolt to a peaceful end before he finally endorsed the Princes taking control by force.I truly think that watching this movie and then watching the 50's B/W treatment gives you the best overall perspective. They both have their weak and strong points.