Luther (2003) [VHS]

Comment: An excellent coverage of Martin Luther and his struggle against the Catholic Church. An inspiring movie!

Comment: This is a good movie and a decent portrayal of Luther. The plot is well done for the volumes of information covered, the acting is adequate, and the costumes are outstanding.

Some of the actors' personal beliefs portions of the historical representations and the film is definitely from the perspective of the Lutheran Church. While relatively ballanced, one must still keep the presuppositions of those who created it in mind when viewing the historical material.

The producers could have expounded on some additional elements in the time period that were directly related that might have helped a bit more in keeping the bias level less apparent, but the film definitely falls way short of being the 'Protestant Propoganda' some critics have labeled it.

While not your Saturday Night Date flic, it is most assuredly a well done film and worth watching.

Comment: Fair video, in that all movies/dvd's give the producer's view which is not necessarily the truth of what actually happen as they make film fit their story line.

Comment: This DVD is excellent. Luther is not only portrayed accurately and well, it leaves you with awe of his struggle with the apostasy of the Papists of his day.

Joseph Fennes really does this part with excellence and his ability to be what he is acting is absolutely wonderful. If you love history, and love to see it portrayed accurately, within reason of course, this film will bring to you an edifying visual encounter with the way Yahweh deals with the hearts of men.

Equal with 'Amazing Grace' in accuracy and awe. I strongly recommend this to anyone who wants to enjoy something other than someone's story of what might have been, and revealing what was. You do not have to be Lutheran to enjoy this--the Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians and others I know who have watched it came away knowing that a power higher than the thoughts of men are at work in the hearts of men. You may even tremble at the Word of God as spoken of in Amos 9.

Comment: I recently viewed the film Luther and generally enjoyed it, finding it a worthwhile experience, although I do have some qualms with it. It depicts the rise of Luther from the disenchanted Catholic monk of his early years to the epoch-forming, paradigm-shifting reformer that he would later become. I thought it did a good job of depicting the time period and outlining the major points of Luther's life. My previous knowledge of Luther when I saw the film several years ago consisted of generalities only, and watching it helped me to learn more about him. The early scenes, which convincingly depict the formative experiences that would eventually lead to his later revolutionary ideas, were particularly enlightening. It also inspired me to research his life further after viewing it. In doing so, I discovered that the movie was generally historically accurate - although not 100% so, as it did err on a few points, mostly minor, in addition to engaging in the overly quick, corner-cutting style of presentation that is inevitable in any Hollywood adaptation of an eventful life. I found the acting, by Joseph Fiennes as well as the rest of the cast, to be of an overall high quality.

I did have some problems with the film, though. First and foremost, the movie suffers from an overly intense anti-Catholic bias. This was clear to me, despite the fact that I am neither a Catholic nor a Protestant and actually agree with several of the reforms that Luther pioneered; the movie depicts all Catholics as if they were evil incarnate, which serves to negate its pretensions toward objectivity. Also, several loose plot ends were left dangling at the end of the movie; indeed, the last quarter or so felt rushed, and the ending was somewhat abrupt. Still, despite these flaws, I enjoyed the movie overall and was pleasantly surprised by it, as I had low initial expectations as to its quality.