Western Civilization_ Volume B_ 1300 to 1815 - Jackson J. Spielvogel [104]
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FILM & HISTORY
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Luther (2003)
Luther, directed by Eric Till, depicts the early life and career of Martin Luther ( Joseph Fiennes), largely from a Lutheran point of view. The movie focuses on some of the major events in Luther’s early life, including his years in a monastery; his trip to Rome on behalf of his religious order; his study for a doctorate in theology at the University of Wittenberg; the writing of his Ninety-Five Theses; the subsequent controversy over Luther’s criticism of indulgences, including a scene showing the abuses in the sale of indulgences by Johann Tetzel (Alfred Molina); Luther’s meeting with Cardinal Cajetan (Mathieu Carriere); his dramatic stand at the Diet of Worms, when he refused to recant the ideas in his writings; the meeting of the German princes with Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (Torben Liebrecht) at Augsburg in 1530; and the marriage of Luther to a former nun, Katherina von Bora (Claire Cox).
The movie re-creates these scenes largely based on legends about Luther, rather than on a strict adherence to the historical facts. Although Luther was visibly distressed when he celebrated his first Mass, he did not spill the wine. Historians still debate whether Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses or mailed them to his ecclesiastical superior. Luther did travel to Rome in 1510, but it is unlikely that he encountered Pope Julius II in the streets, although it is true that Luther was appalled by the religious indifference and widespread corruption that he experienced in Rome. The meeting with Cardinal Cajetan is presented as a brief experience with a quickly frustrated cardinal, when in fact the sessions with Cajetan occurred over a number of days. Nor is Luther’s doctrine of justification by faith clearly presented—not that it would be easy to present in a movie. One is left with the impression that indulgences themselves were the chief reason for Luther’s stand against the Catholic Church; the movie does not show clearly that his new theological doctrine of justification by faith alone was the foundation of Luther’s rebellion against the church. The Peasants’ War of 1525 is handled too quickly and too simplistically—it is never quite clear what was at stake or even why the war occurred. The scene of the princes at Augsburg in 1530 is largely fictional. Although some of the princes were no doubt adherents of Luther’s new faith, the movie hardly considers the princes’ political motives, especially in regard to their relationship to Charles V. We also do not know whether Luther ever had a face-to-face meeting with his prince, Frederick the Wise, the Elector of Saxony (Peter Ustinov), or whether Frederick really expressed any thoughts about Luther’s German Bible. Luther’s return to Wittenberg from the Wartburg Castle was done against the wishes of Frederick the Wise, not with his approval.
Luther (Joseph Fiennes) defends his writings at the Diet of Worms.
NFP Teleart/Eikon Film/The Kobal Collection/Rolf Von Der Heydt
Above all, the greatest weakness of the movie is its failure to demonstrate what made Luther a great rebel and what enabled him to continue his rebellion in the face of almost certain martyrdom. Luther did not seek martyrdom, but he was also not that concerned about his personal safety. He was, however, determined to save the cause whose champion he had become, and to that end he was a man with a strong mind, filled with great zeal and conviction, and blessed with unstoppable persistence.
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Emperor Charles was outraged at Luther’s audacity and gave his opinion that “a single friar who goes counter to all Christianity for a thousand years must be wrong.” By