Add the handsome biopic Luther -- the story of the German monk Martin Luther who inspired the Reformation -- to the parade of religious themed movies of the new millennium.
Luther is not an entirely satisfactory film -- filmmaker Eric Till often layers in soap opera elements that are designed to manipulate and not enlighten -- but it is remarkable for its historical detail and for its layman's explanation of what would become Protestant theology in the 1500s.
So it is reasonably accessible, regardless of your own religious value system. Treat it as an entertaining, well-crafted primer on one of the most important Christian leaders since Jesus Christ.
Because it shows so vividly the violence and bloodshed that ensues during a fundamentalist religious upheaval, the film also has currency as insight into today's divisive world.
A note on language: Luther is a 2003 German production, but was shot in English and Latin with English actor Joseph Fiennes (Shakepeare In Love) as the title character.
Daring to be quiet and reflective or fiery when necessary, Fiennes does an excellent job of tracing Luther's arc. He goes from law student to Augustinian monk to obsessive crusader for reform of what he and sympathizers believed was a corrupt Roman Catholic Church run by Rome as a crass business venture.
This depiction of the Catholic Church has prompted some to label Luther, the film, as anti-Catholic and even racist. I suspect that is somewhat missing the point, given the historical context for the story. But Till and screenwriters Camille Thomasson and Bart Gavigan clearly played this as a sympathetic portrayal of Martin Luther, so hard-core Catholics might be predetermined to find the story loathsome.
Till -- a journeyman British-Canadian filmmaker now in his 70s -- even seems almost as fervent about his subject as Mel Gibson was about his in The Passion Of The Christ, although Luther has more story, more personal intellectual exploration and a lot less in-your-face pain and gore.
Unfortunately, there are also disjointed sections in the film that harm the storytelling, along with that overt sentimentality problem. But strong performances from support players such as Alfred Molina (as the Pope's money-collecting emissary), Bruno Ganz (as Luther's mentor) and an effective if obviously ailing Peter Ustinov (in his last film role before his death in March) help to give Luther an epic sweep and a solid base of evocative characters.
Filmed on location in Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic, Luther is also a gorgeous widescreen spectacle. It was photographed by Robert Frazier, who worked on Jean-Jacques Annaud's visually arresting Seven Years In Tibet.
Just as crucial was the beautiful way the filmmakers evoked the period, sometimes with special effects that created the ancient gates of Rome. The more effective the setting, the more believable the story as living history.
(This film is rated PG)
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