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Joseph Fiennes is one of those rare actors who look so much better in period garb than in modern-day duds that one wonders if anyone recognizes them on the street in T-shirt and jeans. He’s in top costumed form here as Martin Luther, the rebellious priest who risks everything to defy the Roman Church and spearheads the Protestant Reformation. This picturesque biographical film follows Luther from his early career as a law student, through his religious awakening following a near-death experience, to his days as a brilliant Augustinian monk who becomes disillusioned when he visits Rome and witnesses the political maneuverings and open sale of benedictions by money-grubbing clerics. Upon returning to his native Germany, Luther becomes the prime mover in a revolt against the Church that becomes vicious and bloody. Fiennes plays the reformer as a tremulous neurotic, either unwilling or unable to fully grasp the implications of the movement started by his protests. His Luther is not the paragon of moral certainty normally seen in films like this one, and that redounds to the movie’s credit. Television veteran Eric Till directs, doing a wonderful job of re-creating the period, and elicits sharp performances from a distinguished supporting cast that includes Alfred Molina as a greedy prelate, Bruno Ganz as Luther’s admiring mentor, and the late Peter Ustinov as Germany’s Frederick the Wise. Adapted from a play by John Osborne, Luther doesn’t quite match Fred Zinnemann's similarly themed, Robert Bolt-scripted A Man for All Seasons. Yet, it provides intelligent, literate entertainment in an era dominated by inconsequential fluff -- and for that much we should be profoundly grateful. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

The life of one of the controversial figures in the history of modern religion is brought to the screen in this historical biography. Born in 1483, Martin Luther (Joseph Fiennes) was an intelligent and principled young man who was studying law in early 16th century Germany when a close brush with death led him to follow a spiritual path and join a Catholic monastery. Under the guidance of Johann von Staupitz (Bruno Ganz), Luther became a valued member of the monastery's hierarchy, and as a sign of his trust, von Staupitz asked Luther to join him for a voyage to Rome as part of church business. Luther was appalled by the corrupt practices of the leading church officials, in particular the sale of "indulgences," in which the wealthy could purchase forgiveness for a wide variety of sins. Luther left the monastery to study theology in Wittenberg; a keen student, he later became a professor and won the support of Frederick the Wise (Peter Ustinov), who also recognized the potential controversy of Luther's iron principles. When a new pope, Leo X, assumes the throne at the Vatican, he orders the construction of St. Peter's Basilica. To pay the costs, an ambitious monk, Johann Tetzel (Alfred Molina), was sent out to sell indulgences to both the wealthy and the poor, leaving his audiences with little doubt of the eternal consequences that awaited those who did not empty their purses. An infuriated Luther wrote an angry essay on the corruption of the church entitled "95 Theses," and thanks to the recent invention of the printing press, Luther's words were soon circulated throughout Europe, leading to an angry conflict with Catholic officials which threatened to tear the church in two. Luther also features supporting performances from Claire Cox as Katharina von Bora and Jonathan Firth as Girolamo Aleandro. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 027616906540
• Source: MGM (VIDEO & DVD)
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled
• Time: 2:04:00
• Sales Rank: 2,484

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