Luther (2003 film)
Encyclopedia
Luther is a 2003 biopic about the life of Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...

 (1483–1546). It was an independent
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...

 biopic and was partially funded by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is a Fortune 500 financial services organization with dual corporate headquarters based in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Appleton, Wisconsin...

, starring Joseph Fiennes
Joseph Fiennes
Joseph Fiennes is an English film and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayals of William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love, Sir Robert Dudley in Elizabeth, Commisar Danilov in Enemy at the Gates, Martin Luther in Luther, Merlin in Camelot, and his portrayal of Mark Benford in the...

.

The film covers Luther's life from his becoming a monk in 1505 to the Diet of Augsburg
Diet of Augsburg
The Diet of Augsburg were the meetings of the Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire in the German city of Augsburg. There were many such sessions, but the three meetings during the Reformation and the ensuing religious wars between the Roman Catholic emperor Charles V and the Protestant...

 in 1530.

Plot

The film begins during a thunderstorm in 1505 as Luther is returning to his home. For fear of losing his life in the storm, Luther commits his life to God and becomes a monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...

.

In the next scene it is 1507 and Luther is a monk in Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...

. During his time at the monastery, he is constantly troubled by viewing God as a God of hate and vengeance. Martin is encouraged by Johann von Staupitz
Johann von Staupitz
Johann von Staupitz was a theologian, university preacher, Vicar-General of the Augustinian Order in Germany who supervised Martin Luther during a critical period in that man's spiritual life. Martin Luther himself remarked, "If it had not been for Dr...

, an older monk who is his supervisor and mentor. Staupitz tells Luther to look to Christ instead of himself.

Later Luther delivers a letter for Staupitz to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

 where he becomes troubled by the wicked lifestyles of those in the city. He also views the skull believed to be that of John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...

 and purchases an indulgence
Indulgence
In Catholic theology, an indulgence is the full or partial remission of temporal punishment due for sins which have already been forgiven. The indulgence is granted by the Catholic Church after the sinner has confessed and received absolution...

. It is during this time that Luther begins to question the veracity of indulgences.

Returning to Germany, Luther begins to teach his congregation that God is not a God of hate, but a God of love. Luther begins to emphasise the love of God instead of his judgment.

John Tetzel then comes close to Luther's town where he scares the people into buying indulgences. (The proceeds were shared to build St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...

 in Rome and to recover the Hohenzollern bribes to the Holy See, advanced by Fugger, for the investiture
Investiture
Investiture, from the Latin is a rather general term for the formal installation of an incumbent...

 of Albert of Mainz.) Luther in his church denounces the indulgences, calling them "just a piece of paper." He then posts 95 theses
95 Theses
The Ninety-Five Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences , commonly known as , was written by Martin Luther, 1517 and is widely regarded as the primary catalyst for the Protestant Reformation...

 on the door of the church, calling for an open debate regarding the indulgences. For this act, Luther is called to Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...

 where he is questioned by the church officials.

After his excommunication, Pope Leo X
Pope Leo X
Pope Leo X , born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, was the Pope from 1513 to his death in 1521. He was the last non-priest to be elected Pope. He is known for granting indulgences for those who donated to reconstruct St. Peter's Basilica and his challenging of Martin Luther's 95 Theses...

 orders Luther to be delivered to Rome, but Frederick the Wise of Saxony protects him. Frederick and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...

 decide that Luther will be tried at Worms
Worms, Germany
Worms is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River. At the end of 2004, it had 85,829 inhabitants.Established by the Celts, who called it Borbetomagus, Worms today remains embattled with the cities Trier and Cologne over the title of "Oldest City in Germany." Worms is the only...

.

After his trial at Worms, Luther is forced into hiding with Frederick the Wise, while his former professor, Andreas Karlstadt
Andreas Karlstadt
Andreas Rudolph Bodenstein von Karlstadt , better known as Andreas Karlstadt or Andreas Carlstadt or Karolostadt, was a German Christian theologian during the Protestant Reformation. He was born in Karlstadt, Franconia.-Education:Karlstadt received his doctorate of theology in 1510 from the...

, starts getting the peasants to revolt against the oppressive nobles. Luther, shocked by the revolts, encourages the princes to put down the rebellion. Meanwhile, Luther translates the Bible into German.

After Luther marries Katharina von Bora
Katharina von Bora
Katharina von Bora, referred to as "die Lutherin", was the wife of Martin Luther, Germanleader of the Protestant Reformation. Beyond what is found in the writings of Luther and some of his contemporaries, little is known about her...

, Charles V summons the elector
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...

s of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...

 to Augsburg so he can force them to outlaw Protestantism, the German Bible, etc. The nobles refuse and Charles is forced to allow the nobles to read their confession of faith
Augsburg Confession
The Augsburg Confession, also known as the "Augustana" from its Latin name, Confessio Augustana, is the primary confession of faith of the Lutheran Church and one of the most important documents of the Lutheran reformation...

.

The film ends with the following words:

What happened at Augsburg
Diet of Augsburg
The Diet of Augsburg were the meetings of the Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire in the German city of Augsburg. There were many such sessions, but the three meetings during the Reformation and the ensuing religious wars between the Roman Catholic emperor Charles V and the Protestant...

 pushed open the door of religious freedom. Martin Luther lived for another 16 years, preaching and teaching the Word. He and Katharina von Bora enjoyed a happy marriage and six children. Luther's influence extended into economics, politics, education and music, and his translation of the Bible
Luther Bible
The Luther Bible is a German Bible translation by Martin Luther, first printed with both testaments in 1534. This translation became a force in shaping the Modern High German language. The project absorbed Luther's later years. The new translation was very widely disseminated thanks to the printing...

 became a foundation stone of the German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

. Today over 540 million people worship in churches inspired by his Reformation.

Historical inaccuracies

  • In the film, Luther refers to Bible passages by the book, chapter, and verse. However, the Bible was not divided into verses until 1551, and even then the divisions were not ubiquitous until the Geneva Bible
    Geneva Bible
    The Geneva Bible is one of the most historically significant translations of the Bible into the English language, preceding the King James translation by 51 years. It was the primary Bible of the 16th century Protestant movement and was the Bible used by William Shakespeare, Oliver Cromwell, John...

    . (It can be assumed that this was done in order that discerning viewers might easily locate the text to which Luther refers.)
  • Albert of Mainz
    Albert of Mainz
    Cardinal Albert of Hohenzollern was Elector and Archbishop of Mainz from 1514 to 1545, and Archbishop of Magdeburg from 1513 to 1545.-Biography:...

     is described as being archbishop of two German territories before acquiring Mainz. In real life, he was Prince-Archbishop of Magdeburg and Prince-Bishop of Halberstadt prior to gaining Mainz.
  • Luther is shown hammering his 95 Theses to the doors of Castle Church in Wittenberg, which are immediately read by by-standers, taken and printed. In reality, the common people would not have been able to read the theses, which were originally written in Latin, but were translated into German and spread throughout Europe within two months.
  • During the Augsburg Confession
    Augsburg Confession
    The Augsburg Confession, also known as the "Augustana" from its Latin name, Confessio Augustana, is the primary confession of faith of the Lutheran Church and one of the most important documents of the Lutheran reformation...

     scene, all of the nobles, including the elector princes
    Prince-elector
    The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...

    , stood up to Charles V. In real life, most of the princes were still Catholic. Only one (or maybe two) of the seven electors should have made a stand, the Duke of Saxony
    John, Elector of Saxony
    John of Saxony , known as John the Steadfast or John the Constant, was Elector of Saxony from 1525 until 1532...

     and the somewhat conciliant Louis V, Elector Palatine
    Louis V, Elector Palatine
    Louis V, Count Palatine of the Rhine ; a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty was prince elector of the Palatinate....

    . Three other electors were Catholic archbishops, e.g. Albert of Mainz, and two more secular electors sided with the Catholics, the King of Bohemia, Charles' brother Ferdinand
    Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
    Ferdinand I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1558 and king of Bohemia and Hungary from 1526 until his death. Before his accession, he ruled the Austrian hereditary lands of the Habsburgs in the name of his elder brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.The key events during his reign were the contest...

    , and Joachim Nestor of Brandenburg, Albert's brother.
  • The film stated that Luther and Spalatin went to law school together. In reality, they did not meet until much later.
  • The film implies that Frederick of Saxony is given the Golden Rose
    Golden Rose
    The Golden Rose is a gold ornament, which popes of the Catholic Church have traditionally blessed annually. It is occasionally conferred as a token of reverence or affection...

     as a bribe: to coerce him into delivering Luther to Rome. In real life, he was awarded the rose before, most likely to make him run for emperorship against Charles.
  • Alexander addresses Cajetan as cardinal in his first appearance, which apparently takes place shortly after the papal conclave that elected Leo X in 1513. In reality, Cajetan did not become a cardinal until four years later.
  • The film makes only brief mention of Luther's problems with constipation during his time at Wartburg (he makes a brief reference to the fact that porridge will do little to help his bowels). In reality, Luther suffered greatly from this, and other aliments.
  • Andreas Karlstadt
    Andreas Karlstadt
    Andreas Rudolph Bodenstein von Karlstadt , better known as Andreas Karlstadt or Andreas Carlstadt or Karolostadt, was a German Christian theologian during the Protestant Reformation. He was born in Karlstadt, Franconia.-Education:Karlstadt received his doctorate of theology in 1510 from the...

     is herein depicted as radically distorting Luther's views while Luther is in seclusion at Wartburg
    Wartburg
    The Wartburg is a castle overlooking the town of Eisenach, Germany.Wartburg may also refer to:* Wartburgkreis, a district in Germany named after the Wartburg* Wartburg , former East German brand of automobiles, manufactured in Eisenach...

    , insisting on being addressed as "Brother Andreas." Though the reforms which were actually orchestrated by Karlstadt were more peaceful, they were too radical for Luther (including vernacularization of the Mass), and Luther began to undo or slow them. Karlstadt also did not renounce his title of professor until after Luther's return.
  • In the film, Luther returns to visit Wittenberg incognito (at the urging of George Spalatin) with a modest growth of beard and under the title "Knight George." Luther actually had grown a beard "sufficient to deceive his mother" and under the name "Junker George" [Roland H. Bainton, "Here I Stand", pp. 194, 205]
  • Shortly before Prince Frederick convinces Charles to give Luther a hearing at the Diet of Worms
    Diet of Worms
    The Diet of Worms 1521 was a diet that took place in Worms, Germany, and is most memorable for the Edict of Worms , which addressed Martin Luther and the effects of the Protestant Reformation.It was conducted from 28 January to 25 May 1521, with Emperor Charles V presiding.Other Imperial diets at...

    , the Emperor introduces Aleander to him as a "new cardinal" and Aleander's dress supports this. Aleander would in fact not become a cardinal for another 15 years.
  • Pope Alexander VI is said to have had five children. In real life he had more than that.

Cast and crew

Joseph Fiennes
Joseph Fiennes
Joseph Fiennes is an English film and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayals of William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love, Sir Robert Dudley in Elizabeth, Commisar Danilov in Enemy at the Gates, Martin Luther in Luther, Merlin in Camelot, and his portrayal of Mark Benford in the...

Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...

Alfred Molina
Alfred Molina
Alfred Molina is a British-born American actor. He first came to public attention in the UK for his supporting role in the 1987 film Prick Up Your Ears...

John Tetzel
Jonathan Firth
Jonathan Firth
Jonathan Firth is a British actor best known for his roles in such noted British television productions as Middlemarch, Far from the Madding Crowd, and Victoria & Albert.-Early life:Jonathan Firth was born in Essex, England...

Girolamo Aleander
Claire Cox
Claire Cox
Claire Cox is an English film, television and theatre actor. She was nominated for the Ian Charleson Awards in 2001 for her appearance Julius Caesar at the RSC. She appeared in 2010 as Margaret Thatcher in the play Handbagged, shown at the Tricycle Theatre in London as part of its Women, Power...

Katharina von Bora
Katharina von Bora
Katharina von Bora, referred to as "die Lutherin", was the wife of Martin Luther, Germanleader of the Protestant Reformation. Beyond what is found in the writings of Luther and some of his contemporaries, little is known about her...

Sir Peter Ustinov
Peter Ustinov
Peter Alexander Ustinov CBE was an English actor, writer and dramatist. He was also renowned as a filmmaker, theatre and opera director, stage designer, author, screenwriter, comedian, humourist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter...

Frederick the Wise
Bruno Ganz
Bruno Ganz
Bruno Ganz is a Swiss actor, known for his roles as Damiel in Wings of Desire and Adolf Hitler in Downfall.- Early life :Bruno Ganz was born in Zürich to a Swiss mechanic father and a northern Italian mother. He had decided to pursue an acting career by the time he entered university...

Johann von Staupitz
Johann von Staupitz
Johann von Staupitz was a theologian, university preacher, Vicar-General of the Augustinian Order in Germany who supervised Martin Luther during a critical period in that man's spiritual life. Martin Luther himself remarked, "If it had not been for Dr...

Uwe Ochsenknecht
Uwe Ochsenknecht
Uwe Adam Ochsenknecht is a German actor and singer.-Work:Films Uwe Ochsenknecht has starred in include Schtonk!, Das Boot and the TV miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune.-Personal life:...

Pope Leo X
Pope Leo X
Pope Leo X , born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, was the Pope from 1513 to his death in 1521. He was the last non-priest to be elected Pope. He is known for granting indulgences for those who donated to reconstruct St. Peter's Basilica and his challenging of Martin Luther's 95 Theses...

Mathieu Carrière
Mathieu Carrière
Mathieu Carrière is a German actor.Carrière grew up in Berlin and Lübeck; he attended the Jesuit boarding school Lycée Saint-François-Xavier in Vannes, France, a school which had previously been attended by the director of Carrière's first major film, Volker Schlöndorff. In 1969 Carrière moved to...

Cardinal Cajetan
Benjamin Sadler
Benjamin Sadler
Benjamin Sadler is a German actor who was born in Toronto, Canada, the son of a German graphic designer and a British teacher. He lived in Canada until he was five...

Spalatin
George Spalatin
Georg Spalatin was the pseudonym taken by Georg Burkhardt , an important German figure in the history of the Reformation....

Jochen Horst
Jochen Horst
Jochen Horst is a German/English Film, TV and Theater actor.Jochen Horst finished at the state College in Graz, Austria, the Music Academy of Performing Arts with "summa cum laud" in 1986...

Professor Karlstadt
Andreas Karlstadt
Andreas Rudolph Bodenstein von Karlstadt , better known as Andreas Karlstadt or Andreas Carlstadt or Karolostadt, was a German Christian theologian during the Protestant Reformation. He was born in Karlstadt, Franconia.-Education:Karlstadt received his doctorate of theology in 1510 from the...

Torben Liebrecht Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...

Maria Simon
Maria Simon
Maria Simon is a German actress.- Family and background :Simon is the sister of the actress Susanna Simon. She was born and brought up in the former East Germany but moved to New York in 1990 to live with her father, a computer expert with the UN, and sister Dalena Simon...

Hanna
Lars Rudolph Melanchthon
Philipp Melanchthon
Philipp Melanchthon , born Philipp Schwartzerdt, was a German reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, intellectual leader of the Lutheran Reformation, and an influential designer of educational systems...

Marco Hofschneider
Marco Hofschneider
Marco Hofschneider is a German actor known for his biographical portrayal of Solomon Perel in the 1990 acclaimed World War II film Europa Europa...

Ulrich Zwingli
Christopher Buchholz von der Eck
Johann Eck
Dr. Johann Maier von Eck was a German Scholastic theologian and defender of Catholicism during the Protestant Reformation. It was Eck who argued that the beliefs of Martin Luther and Jan Hus were similar.-Life:...

Timothy Peach Karl von Miltitz
Karl von Miltitz
Karl von Miltitz was a papal nuncio and a Mainz Cathedral canon.-Biography:He was born in Rabenau near Meißen and Dresden, his family stemming from the lesser Saxon nobility. He studied at Mainz, Trier, Cologne , and Bologna , but his deficient Latin reveals that he was not especially learned...

Tom Strauss George of Brandenburg
Gene Reed John of Saxony
John, Elector of Saxony
John of Saxony , known as John the Steadfast or John the Constant, was Elector of Saxony from 1525 until 1532...

Anian Zollner Philip of Hesse
Johannes Lang Albert Archbishop of Mainz
Albert of Mainz
Cardinal Albert of Hohenzollern was Elector and Archbishop of Mainz from 1514 to 1545, and Archbishop of Magdeburg from 1513 to 1545.-Biography:...

Jeff Boyd
Jeff Boyd
Jeff Boyd was a Canadian Football League receiver for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Toronto Argonauts who, in a 9 year career from 1983–1991, caught 69 touchdown passes. He won two Grey Cups, 1984 with Winnipeg and 1991 with Toronto.-References:...

Prior
Jeff Caster
Jeff Caster
Jeff Caster is an American film and television actor. He has had appearances in many films and television series of both Europe and Australia...

Matthew
Hussi Kutlucan Blacksmith
Michael Traynor Hans Luther
Joost Siedhoff Old Monk
Anatole Taubman
Anatole Taubman
Anatole Taubman is a Swiss actor, who has appeared in many films, such as a henchman in the latest James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace and as the monk Remigius in the TV miniseries The Pillars of the Earth.-References:...

Otto
Lena Krimmel Teresa
Doris Prusova Grete
Jindrich Fajst Thomas
Robert Russell
Robert Russell (actor)
Robert Russell is an actor. He played Dr. Wellington Yueh in the Sci Fi Channel's 2000 miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune.-Selected filmography:*Doom - Dr. Carmack*Anne Frank: The Whole Story - Mr. Keesing...

Gravedigger
Felix Klare Student 1
Florian Panzner Student 2
Jens Winter
Jens Winter
Jens Winter is a German film and theatre actor of British descent. He has resided in Berlin, Germany since 1987 and performs in German and English language productions...

Fugger auditor
Alexander Kendzia Dominican friar 1
Cesare Cremonini
Cesare Cremonini
Cesare Cremonini [IPA: 'tʃεzare kremo'nini] is an Italian singer-songwriter.Cremonini was the leader of Lùnapop, a successful and popular Italian pop band between 1999 and 2002. In 2002 Lùnapop was disbanded. He has since pursued a successful solo career...

Dominican friar 2
Martino d'Amico Dominican friar 3
James Babson
James Babson
James Babson is an American actor who studied at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama. Notable screen appearances include the roles of Rudolf Hess in Hitler: The Rise of Evil and Agent Moss in Hellboy.-External links:*...

Dominican friar 4
Franco Mirabella Vatican monk
Maurizio Luca Hawker
Carlos Valles Elderly monk
Thomas Dehler Tradesman
Jan Nemejovsky Albert's secretary
Jiri Maria Sieber Executioner
Martin Faltyn Carmelite monk
Herb Andress
Herb Andress
Herb Andress was an Austrian film and television actor, known particularly for his roles in the Rainer Werner Fassbinder film Lili Marleen and the same director's TV series Acht Stunden sind kein Tag .Herb Andress later played in the television...

Gunter
Jirina Mencakova Ex-nun
Mathias Engel Common man 1
Ekkehard Schwarz Common man 2
Oliver McGillick Kid
Jaroslav Novotny Kaspar Sturm
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