Luther: rebel, genius, liberator (DVD)

Urbane reformer?

LUTHER: Rebel, Genius, Liberator (DVD)

Cert. 12

Director: Eric Till

Running time: 1 hr. 59 mins.

The TV was pretty dire over the summer. There was nothing I wanted to see at the cinema — Snakes on a Plane? I don’t think so.

So I found myself, one evening, watching this DVD on the life of Martin Luther which came out last year. With Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love) playing the great Reformer and Sir Peter Ustinov (was this his last film?) acting Frederic the Wise, and filmed on location in Germany, etc., it turned out to be quite convincing stuff.

I don’t think the production company are explicitly evangelical (they produce films of the lives of other historical greats like Napoleon). That being the case, Luther’s great turning point in understanding the gospel for the first time is not highlighted.

Nevertheless there is enough of the biblical message to encourage a Christian, and the centrality of Scripture before the errors of Rome, including Tetzel’s infamous indulgences, are explained very clearly, along with the excesses of the peasants’ revolt which sadly followed on Luther’s stand.

As a docu-drama its explanation of the beginning of the Reformation owes more to socio-political factors than any acknowledgement of the power of God. However, despite one or two quite gruesome scenes and Luther coming across as rather more refined than history tells us he actually was, it tells the story and is a worthwhile watch.