Luthor: A Great Movie
When you first think of historical drama films, a phrase often comes to mind—“low-budget.” Thankfully, when we watched the modern revamp of the classic film “Luther,” we were not disappointed in this aspect. On the contrary, we were enthralled by the excellent manner in which the characters were portrayed, and the ways in which the historical details of this period were presented. As we watched the film, we were able to feel as though we were really there, alongside Luther, with all his trials and experiences.
For those who have not had an opportunity to study in depth the events and characters surrounding the Reformation, the movie gives the watcher a great scope of the events in history. It also shows how the Catholic Church treated its members in those days, and hence, Luther’s actions in response. The acts of the Catholic Church including the selling of indulgences and the hypocrisy of its leaders were historically accurate as far as we can tell.
In the film, it was easy to see Luther’s malice towards the Catholic Church, which in his mind had strayed far from righteousness in many aspects. By the way the character of Luther was portrayed, we could see why this great man acted the way he did, in spite of possible consequences such as imprisonment, execution, or excommunication. The movie did an excellent job of portraying the actual character of Martin Luther, his feelings, experiences and thoughts, as well as showing the historical accuracy of the events in his life. Luther was shown being a man of great integrity, who did not stand by as he watched the clergy of his church take advantage of the general ignorant population. Interestingly, Luther, being the main actor, was not glorified in the way that is typical for many characters to be in many Hollywood films of our day. He instead was portrayed as the humble servant of God that he strived to be his entire life; yet, the facts and truths about his personal shortcomings and inner spiritual struggles, accented by the perilous circumstances in which he found himself, were not hidden from the viewers of this film.
A film such as this one stirs something inside of a man, and drives him to ask the question, “If I were to be in that situation, would I have had the courage to act as this man did?” We can all hope so.