Martin Luther (1953)

Director:

Irving Pichel

Writers:

Allan Sloane (researched and prepared for the screen by) and
Lothar Wolff (researched and prepared for the screen by) ...

Release Date:

25 October 1954 (Sweden)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History

Plot Keywords:

Martin Luther | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Niall MacGinnis	...	Martin Luther
John Ruddock	...	Vicar von Staupitz
Pierre Lefevre	...	Spalatin
Guy Verney	...	Melanchthon
Alastair Hunter	...	Carlstadt
David Horne	...	Duke Frederick
Fred Johnson	...	Prior
Philip Leaver	...	Pope Leo X
Heinz Piper	...	Dr. Eck
Leonard White	...	Emissary
Egon Strohm	...	Cardinal Alexander
Annette Carell	...	Katherine von Bora (as Annette Carrell)
Alexander Gauge	...	Tetzel
Henry Oscar
Irving Pichel	...	Brueck

Also Known As:

Martin Luther (West Germany)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:6 | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #16567)

Filming Locations:

Afifa Film Studios, Wiesbaden, Hessen, Germany

Company:

Louis De Rochemont Associates

Movie Connections:

Version of Luther (2003)

School learning brought to life

Of course, Martin Luther is treated in considerable depth at German high schools, but the resulting knowledge consists of a somewhat puzzling series of events and dates. This film shows the atmosphere of the times, the mindset of the people, and particularly Luther's own mental anguish about the condition of the Christian church at that time, and his thoughts and feelings as the driving force of a major religious and political upheaval. Very illuminating is the seriousness with which personal beliefs are taken, not only by the "little people", but by their worldly leaders as well, in contrast to the callousness of the church leaders around the pope. It is also interesting how Luther benefited from the relatively fair and tolerant attitudes and practices of the 16th century, which were completely wiped out a hundred years later.

The acting in the movie is excellent, as are the scenery and costumes, shown in stark black and white photography. The producers spared no expense to present the wide range of political and religious figures with whom Luther interacted. The dialogs are poignant and always clearly understandable over any background music. Unfortunately, my CD exhibits a rather poor video quality, considering that it is based on a post-WW2 b/w movie. Still, the film is fascinating to watch from beginning to end and, if shown in high school, would successfully replace a week of dry learning.