IMDb > Luther (2003)
Luther
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Luther (2003) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   5,429 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 26% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Eric Till
Writers (WGA):
Camille Thomasson (written by) and
Bart Gavigan (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Luther on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
30 October 2003 (Germany) more
Tagline:
Rebel. Genius. Liberator.
Plot:
During the early 16th Century idealistic German monk Martin Luther, disgusted by the materialism in the church, begins the dialogue that will lead to the Protestant Reformation. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
4 wins & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Joseph Fiennes Ready to Go 'Flash Forward'
 (From BuddyTV. 3 September 2009, 11:00 PM, PDT)

Oscar Winner Peter Ustinov Dies at 82
 (From WENN. 29 March 2004)

User Comments:
Can't stop this thing we started more (98 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for disturbing images of violence.
Runtime:
123 min
Country:
Germany
Language:
English | Latin
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Company:
Eikon Film more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
There are many instances when actual quotes are used by the characters. This includes Friar Tetzel's "Coin in the coffer rings a soul from Purgatory springs" as well as Luther's "Here I Stand" speech. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The film takes place over the course of three decades. However, none of the characters show any signs of aging, including Luther and the youthful German emperor. more
Quotes:
Martin Luther: That day when you sent me out so boldly to change the world, did you really think there wouldn't be a cost? more
Movie Connections:
Version of Martin Luther (1953) more

FAQ

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38 out of 59 people found the following comment useful.
Can't stop this thing we started, 24 October 2004
Author: livewire-6 from Ottawa, Canada

The title of Bryan Adams' song "Can't Stop This Thing We Started" aptly describes this 2003 retelling of the story of Martin Luther. The film basically depicts Luther as a good Catholic, loyal to the Pope but horrified by the scandals and corruption that plagued the 16th century Church. He is even more horrified when his effort to reform the Church gets out of control, is co-opted for political purposes, and becomes a popular revolution with the attendant carnage and bloodshed. I suspect Luther has been highly romanticized here. For one thing, the film follows him from age 34 to 50, yet (as embodied by the angelically handsome Joseph Fiennes) he never ages a day. His relationship with Katharina von Bora seems astonishingly chaste -- no struggle with the lusts of the flesh for this pious monk! His demons are of a different kind. We see scenes where Luther seems plagued by demons, thrashing about in his cell, hearing unseen voices. (I know Luther was manic-depressive, but I hardly think he was a madman.) The film provides a good summary or outline of the major events of Luther's life and times: the selling of indulgences, the Ninety-Five Theses nailed to the door of Wittenberg Church, the Diet of Worms (a council presided over by Emperor Charles V), the Confession of Augsburg. The costumes accurately reflect historical reality. If I have any quarrel with the film in this regard, it is that it does not adequately mirror a key factor in the struggle between Germany and Rome: the principle of "cuius regio, eius religio". In other words, local princes and kings imposed their own religious beliefs on the peoples they governed. The cast is a constellation of stars, veritable luminaries, including Sir Peter Ustinov in one of his last roles as Frederick of Saxony. The actors are uniformly excellent in their roles, and the dialogue is well written. The photography is somewhat static, leading me to believe this film was made with television in mind -- albeit of the highbrow kind, in the Masterpiece Theatre tradition. Still, if anyone asked me if I recommended "Luther", I would reply as he did at the Diet of Worms: "Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me."

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