A movie about Martin Luther, who started the Reformation in Europe.

Martin was a well-educated monk, who had a revelation of God's love. He was observant and thought about what he saw in relation to the Bible, and questioned what was being done by the Church hierarchy. He made a visit to Rome, and saw how the ordinary people were being fleeced in the name of salvation from hell.

He preached fluently about the love of God, salvation through Jesus Christ, and loving one another. He preached against buying 'indulgences' - paying money to buy one's own or a deceased loved one's reduction in torment in the after-life. The common people loved him, and so did the elderly Prince of that region, who called him his 'little monk'.

The Church clerics challenged Martin challenged about his teachings, and accused him of speaking against the Pope. This led to him writing out his list of statements of faith, which he nailed to the church door for all the people to read. He wrote books on various topics, and all his writings were printed on the newly-invented printing press, and distributed widely among the people.

This led to Martin being tried in the court, and ordered to renounce his teaching, under threat of excommunication. The separation of the church in Germany from that in Rome ensued, with huge loss of life in the civil uprisings. Luther was in hiding, using his time to translate the New Testament into German. He went out of hiding, at risk to his own life...

This movie has all you want in a good story: action and danger, fervour and fanaticism, hatred and romance. The setting seems authentic to the time - 1500s - to my uneducated eyes. The ordinary people wore clothes in earthy colours; only the rich, ie the church clerics and the nobility, wore bright, expensive, clothes. Luther is portrayed as having compassion for the people, yet with doubts and fears shaking him at times. There are people who support him, knowing that they too will risk the anger of the church.

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Created Jul 20, 2005 at 6:27pm • Submit your own review...