[REV] Luther

Having just covered the section on Luther in my Modern Church History course I thought it would be fun to watch the movie Luther (2003) starring Joseph Fiennes. So last night Sharon and I sat down to watch this delightful film. The films treatment of Luther was engaging and modern. In fact if I had any complaint it was that they modernised some of the language too much. Also I think they fudged in a few things around Carlstadt seem blurred together and all the dead bodies no longer make sense (wasn't there a plague around that time as well?). Also Martin quoting verses by chapter and verse struck me as odd, IIRC chapter and verse comes much later, but I could be wrong. The movie avoided making Luther into an uber saint which was good. There is much that is questionable in Luther's theology. And I was hoping they would cover some of the debates post Augsburg, but alas those would be of more interest to me as a theologian than the typical movie viewer. Tetzel is done brilliantly, but it is obvious that the actor borrowed from pop-evangelical fervour for this role (he actually confirms this in his interview). All in all it was a very fun movie, a worthwhile view.