*. The fact that this movie was partially funded by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans (which changed its name in 2014 to the nondenominational Thrivent Financial) gave me pause. I had thoughts of Inchon (1981), which was bankrolled by the Unification Church. Religion and history make a bad mix, and though there have been biopics of Luther before this, they tended to be more political than theological in tone. Here it seemed we were going to get propaganda of the Word.
*. It’s actually not as bad as all that, though it’s still a pretty flat costume drama. As you’d expect, Luther himself is a Protestant saint. The film takes us from the thunderstorm (where Luther vowed to become a monk) to the Diet of Augsburg. These were Luther’s heroic years, and that’s fair play. Most biographies of Luther skim over the later years pretty quickly, as he wasn’t as likeable a figure.
*. Joseph Fiennes even looks the part. There’s a popular tendency to think of Luther as being rounder, but during these years he was reported to be so gaunt and almost frail that people thought he was in danger of collapsing. And Fiennes’s face even bears some resemblance to the earliest Cranach portrait. As a performance though it’s pretty limited. Luther is the angry, righteous young man who turns all sappy when love comes to call at the end. I never felt his anfechtungen, or wrestling with demons.
*. As with any such movie you can pick holes in it as history. Apparently pews weren’t in widespread use in churches at the time. We don’t know if Luther ever personally met Frederick the Wise (played here by Peter Ustinov, in his last big-screen appearance). I can cut them slack over things like that. I didn’t buy the attempt to portray Luther as a modern liberal though. Did he really insist on giving a suicide a Christian burial? I know many, if not most of his views were thoroughly medieval. He believed in witches, for example.
*. Well, they were making a movie. It’s not a sermon or a history lecture. But judged as entertainment I can’t rate it that highly. They shot on location and got a big cast done up in period costume but there doesn’t seem like much at stake. I suspect part of that may be our century’s fault. What spiritual demons do we wrestle with?
Alex on Film 
‘I never felt his anfechtungen…’
Save it for the cops, Bunty, I’m sure they’ll believe you.
They have respect for anything German.
Not in my neck of the woods. So how does this relate to the Idris Elba detective show? Sounds like they’ve got a radical take on his back-story….
Sin, redemption. It’s a through line.
So is this a backstory for the down-at-heel detective?
They come from the same place.
Where is Luther season 5 filmed?
The BBC series is both set in London and is also filmed on location all over the capital.
Viewers who are familiar with the city will recognise many of its iconic landmarks in the new episodes.
Some fans may even recognise specific streets and houses where some of the action takes place.
The show is filmed in various locations around Central, North, West and East London.
Locations include the Barbican Estate, Elephant and Castle, Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherd’s Bush, the Renaissance Hotel near Heathrow Airport and Cranbrook Estate in Bethnal Green.
Waterloo station, Holloway, Shoreditch and the Docklands are also used a lot.
This is not my thing, unfortunately. Not a sermon, not a history lecture, not entertainment… what the hell is this film? Oh, sorry, excuse my blasphemy. I’m afraid I’ll be sticking with MASH and Charlie Chan.
This movie is missable. There will be more Chan later this week.
Have you tried the Diet of Augsburg? You eat what you want for two days, and fast for five. Grapefruit and mints for breakfast.
Safer than the Diet of Worms.
Whoo! Charlie Chan! You certainly know how to tantalise your readers, Alex.
I’ve got enough spiritual demons to wrestle with trying to figure out what order these comments are meant to be in….
You should try reading your comment section from yesterday, they’re all over the shop.
That is the nature of art.
Indeed. Well at least we know what went where. I think.
I’ve commented 2 or 3 times on your Underdog post, you’ve even answered one of them, but none of them are showing up in the comment thread. I’m either in your spam folder or you’ve deleted me. Don’t get this kind of treatment on M.deGaul’s blog!
No siree! I do everything by the book.
Comments on th’other site you mention have been erratic, I’ve noticed.
Gremlins mayhaps?
I feel like there has to be a word for a Scottish gremlin.
yes, some sort of wee sleekit, cowrin, tim’rous beastie.
You’d think the cats would catch them. But I think the cats there are maybe too lazy.
They’ll be having a Nana nap.
I can only imagine how hard it is to find a sunny window.
Have to admit I don’t know that much about Luther, this doesn’t encourage me to find out more.
Actually an interesting guy. And very important historically. I would suggest reading just a short pocket bio though.
Yep I’ll wiki him!