Product: Luther [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Germany ]
Rating: 2.0
Deeply Flawed Film
This film boasts excellent acting, sets, and photography. But its account of the life of Martin Luther suffers from historical inaccuracies and a patently obvious bias that ignores Luther's shortcomings. One of these shortcomings, for example, was his expressed hatred of Jews, whom he called "miserable, "accursed," "stupid," and "senseless." Nowhere does the film even hint at this flaw.Financed in part by a Lutheran financial institution, the motion picture also depicts Roman Catholics according to stereotypes that have no basis in fact. For example, through the destruction of statues and a crucifix by Luther's supporters, the film suggests that Catholics worshipped religious objects, including paintings, monuments, statuary, and so on. This is an egregious distortion. The fact is, according to Catholic teaching, religious images have always been intended to memorialize what they represent-and generate respect and admiration-in the same way that the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, Mount Rushmore, and busts of Socrates, Shakespeare, and Luther himself are intended to inspire onlookers.While rightly calling attention to abuses in the Catholic Church in Luther's time, the film makes no attempt to present the views of Catholic reformers-such as Desiderius Erasmus. Nor does it acknowledge the good works of other Catholics living humble, heroic lives. Instead, Luther takes center stage as an idealized paladin of truth, justice, and piety.Too bad. Luther was a good man with daring, revolutionary ideas. But he was also human and subject to error, just like the clerics he criticized. Luther could have been an excellent film for all Christians if it had told the truth. Instead, it chose to propagandize and proselytize.