The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-09-06
German Film Producers To Make
Movie Based On Life OfLntber
Picture Will Be :
Made At Site Of
Luther's Home

village Oh hamDdcn, OeTHldnys Oh
August 4th, movie camera and
sound recorded the first scenes Of
the dramatic motion picture being
made by the Lutheran churches of
America on 1.-THE Life of Martin
Luther"
Farmers, townsmen, and tourists
gathered from a wide area to watch
the Lutheran film group open its
production work with prayer and
scripture reading and then proceed
to film such episodes as Luther'S
journey to the great debate with
Eek at Leipzig and the abduction
Of Luther by the knights of Duke
Frederick.
The film, tentatively titled
martin Luther, is being made
by Lutheran Church Productions,
Inc, company formed for the
project by the National Lutheran
Council OF U.SA. and five Lutheran
Church bodies of America: The
American Lutheran Church, Angus
tana Lutheran Church, Evangelical
Lutheran Church, The Lutheran
Church Missouri Synod, and the
United Lutheran Church in Amer
lea.
The decision of the board of dir
ectors was to make the film in
Germany, so that, as far as pos
sible, scenes might be photograph
ed where Luther lived and worked.
Where such places have been des-
troyed by bombing or were located
behind the Iron Curtain which
splits Germany, appropriate chur-
ches, castles, houses, and streets
have been selected in other areas
of West Germany.
Most Of the episdes of the Luther
story will be filmed in the mon
astaries and towns of Maulbronn
and Eberbach and the cities of
Rothenberg, Regensburg, and Eli
vile. Other scenes are being made
in the AFIFA studios, Wicsbaden,
where the Pope's chambers, Lu-
theirs room at the Wartburg, and
rooms in Luther's home have been
reconstructed. A two-month's shoot
ing schedule has been planned. 1t
is expected that the film will be
released in America early next
year.
TO produce the film in Germany,
Lutheran Church Productions, with
the cooperation of the Lutheran
Church film group in Germany,
formed a German nonprofit cor
poration, Luther Film G.M.B.H., to
handle the project under the direc-
ton Of a board of managers con-
sisting of DR.. Oswald Hoffman,,
secretary of Lutheran Church Pro-
auctions; Henry EndresS, executive
secretary; and DR.. Paul Kollmer,
a German representative from Hill
fSwerk. DR.. Johannes Schumacher,
executive secretary of Matthias
Films, was appointed executive
secretary of Luther Film GMBH.
DIR. Hoffman, is director Of pub
lie relations of the Luther
an Church Missouri Synod and En-
dress is secretary of stewardship
Of the Lutheran Laymen's Move
Church in America.
Production work itself is being
handled for Lutheran Church pro-
auctions by Louis deRochemont
Associates. Lothar Wolff, producer
assigned to the project by Mr.. de
Rochemont, has provided Luther
Film GMBH with a cast and crew
consisting mainly Of German per-
sonnet. While the head camerman.
Joseph Brun, for example, is an
American. his entire crew of as
sistants is made up OF German
technicians. The electrical, art cos
tune, and construction department
consist whilly of German person.
mel.
The film director. Irving Pichel,
Is the well known American who
made The Moon is Down. Allan
Sloane, script writer, is serving as
diologue director. Charlotte Wanna
maker, wife of the well known A
merican stage actor director, pro-
Queer, Sam Wanamaker, is serv-