Martin Luther (Helga Schütz)

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Movie
Original title Martin Luther
Country of production GDR
original language German
Publishing year 1983
length unknown number of minutes
Rod
Director Lothar Warneke
script Helga Schütz ,
Christel Graef
occupation

All roles were still vacant:

Martin Luther was the title of a planned DDR - movie , the 500th birthday of Martin Luther to be built in 1983 and its book by Helga Schütz appeared in the said year.

The published story by Helga Schütz consists of two parts.

action

Part 1.

The narrative begins with a prologue or with a planned opening credits :

On November 10, 1483, one day before St. Martin's Day , a midwife walks through the snow-covered streets and alleys of the town of Eisleben to the house of the miner Hans Luther. There she is waiting for the heavily pregnant Margarethe Luther . That night Margarethe Luther gave birth to a child with the help of the nurse. The father Hans Luther declares, upon seeing his newborn son, that he will become a lawyer. A neighbor, one amateur - astrologer , who also is in the house and from there with his telescope previously observed short nor the stars explains defensively to the Father that he would call him Martin. Hans Luther agrees with the name and immediately declares that his son will certainly become a scholar. His name would be Doctor Martin Luther.

Many years later, on February 18, 1546, Martin Luther, meanwhile old, lies dying in a bed in a house in the city of Eisleben. Magister Cölius , the servant Ambrosius, Justus Jonas and Luther's sons, the fourteen-year-old Martinus and the thirteen-year-old Paul have gathered by his bed . Martin Luther dies that day. Shortly afterwards Paul finds a note that his father wrote. It says: " Nobody can understand Virgil's poems about agriculture ... Nobody thinks that they have tasted the Holy Scriptures enough, because he has ruled the community with prophets and apostles for a hundred years [...] we are beggars, that's true . "

In a village school, a teacher stands at his desk in front of his class, which consists of children of all ages. He announced that Martin Luther had died and immediately asked who Martin Luther was. But the children know little about Martin Luther, and so the teacher explains to the children that they can learn letters and morals through him. Because the school is his work.

After the prologue or the planned opening credits, the actual narrative follows:

About thirty-five years before, the young monk Martin Luther went to Wittenberg to at the local university to teach. An important point of attraction of the city of Wittenberg at this time is the reliquary collection of the Elector of Saxony, Frederick the Wise . When viewing the relics exhibited in the castle church , the viewer is waived 1443 years of purgatory . In addition, the indulgence preacher Tetzel hangs around the area to sell papal indulgences, which the elector does not like. The elector wants money to stay in town. Even the small children know the trade in indulgences. For example, in front of the painter Lucas Cranach's house, some children play a game they call “indulgences”, in which they simulate the indulgence trade. Martin Luther is just introducing himself to the painter Lucas Cranach in the house. Martin Luther tells of his trip to Rome , which he had made on behalf of his order the year before and where he took the opportunity to acquire indulgences, which in the end became too much for him. He explains that he fled Rome because of excessive forgiveness. Lucas Cranach, who takes this opportunity to inquire about the artists Michelangelo and Raffael , has to tell Luther that he does not know them.

Shortly after the interview, Martin Luther was awarded his doctorate and began teaching at the university. He reads about the Psalms and the interpretation of Paul's letters . But Luther doubts his calling as a teacher. Martin Luther remembers his childhood when his father repeatedly impressed on him that he should become a lawyer and scholar, and he hears his father's voice explaining that this is what God wanted from him. But it turned out differently. Martin Luther remembers that too. One day he got into a terrible thunderstorm near Stotternheim . When the violent thunderstorm raged over him, he remembers how he shouted: “Holy Anna, help, help, holy Anna, I swear that if I get over the mountain alive, I will become a monk.” Martin Luther shares his thoughts his father of choice, the monk Staupitz . The two are sitting under a pear tree. Martin Luther explains that he does not believe in any prayer or practice to be justified before the Lord. His sins are too great. But Staupitz sees it differently. He should not turn every little thing into sin, and he declares that Martin will find justification. He is called.

Time goes by, and one day Luther is sitting with one of his students, who is supposed to write a letter for him, in his living room and study in Wittenberg. However, Luther suddenly sinks into thought and begins to explain to his student Paul that buying indulgences is useless. They would not lead to the forgiveness of sins before God, for works cannot be separated from faith. Only faith given by God leads to the forgiveness of sins. This can be read in letters of the Apostle Paul .

In October 1517 Luther wrote letters to the Bishop of Meißen , the Bishop of Brandenburg , the Bishop of Zeitz and the Bishop of Merseburg , requesting that the abuse of indulgences stop. In the same month he wrote 95 theses and sent them to Archbishop Albrecht of Mainz . On October 31st, he will stick it to the gate of the castle church in Wittenberg, hoping that this will lead to a disputation among experts. Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Mainz forwards the matter to Rome. Meanwhile, Luther's theses are spreading among the people through the invented printing press . Luther, who in the meantime is still busy with lectures, tells his students that a Reformation is necessary.

Luther was invited to the Diet of Augsburg in 1518 ; he should revoke there before Cardinal Cajetan . Luther sets out, he goes to Augsburg on foot. Arriving in Augsburg, Luther, in an interview with Cajetan, doubts that the Pope's extravagant would approve the indulgence and does not revoke it. Cajetan, angry, breaks off the conversation. Luther secretly fled from Augsburg back to Wittenberg, even if one of his escape helpers advised him to flee to France. At home in Wittenberg, he met the new professor of Greek named Melanchthon . In the summer of 1519, Luther went to Leipzig with his colleagues Melanchthon and Karlstadt to have a dispute with the Pope's representatives. But the Ingolstadt theologian Eck , as a representative of the papacy, argued irreconcilably against Martin Luther in the presence of Duke Georg and other listeners. The Leipzig disputation ends without an agreement.

After the disputation, a bull threatened to ban the Pope ( Exsurge Domine ) arrives in Wittenberg . Luther burned them publicly in the presence of his students. Luther wrote his three much-printed writings To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation , On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church and On the Freedom of a Christian .

Two friars from Zwickau arrive in Wittenberg and are received by Luther. They tell him about the work of Thomas Müntzer , who once received a letter of recommendation from Luther. Thomas Müntzer argues with the Franciscans and preaches following the cross. Supporters of Müntzer want to build a state of God . This should be built from the front, new and from below. Luther is shocked when he learns that the people of Zwickau are referring to his three recently published books, and says that this song is too high for his voice. During the night Luther again sinks into doubt. He dreams badly, but still sticks to his theology.

Luther, who was declared a heretic by the Pope , was summoned to the Diet in Worms in 1521 . There the recently elected Emperor Charles of Spain wants to decide on measures against Luther. During the trip to Worms, Luther was greeted and cheered on by people everywhere. Luther takes up quarters in a hostel in Worms. On the same day Luther stands in front of the emperor at the Reichstag. There he should withdraw. Luther asks for time to think it over, which will be granted. The next day he is heard again. This time Luther gives an answer and declares that he cannot and will not withdraw. He speaks the words: "Here I stand, I can't help it, God help me, amen." The emperor leaves in a hurry and gives the imperial herald Kaspar Sturm the order Luther should be taken away. So Luther travels back to Wittenberg with his friends. The horse escort under Reichsherold Kaspar Sturm keeps more and more distance from the car and finally stays behind. Suddenly the car is stopped by strange riders. Luther is grabbed for them and taken on a horse.

In Antwerp, Albrecht Dürer sighs : "Oh God, is Luther dead? Who will tell us the Holy Gospel so clearly from now on ? Oh God, what else could he have written us in ten or twenty years."

Part 2.

The second part also begins with a prologue or a planned opening credits . In this the concerned Albrecht Dürer appears again.

Lucas Cranach learns that Luther is still alive. By the Edict of Worms , the imperial ban was pronounced over Luther. To protect him he was kidnapped and taken to the Wartburg . There he poses as a junker named Jörg for protection. There he uses the time to translate the Bible into German. He is disturbed by nuts rolling off the table and other noises. Luther sees the devil at work in this noise. Nevertheless, he does not allow himself to be dissuaded from his endeavors to translate the Bible. A noble boy and a soldier from the bodyguard believe that they have recognized the missing Martin Luther in the Junker. You ask him. But Luther denies his identity. The two tell him about Luther, whom he claims not to know. For his translation of the Bible he needed a lot of German words, for example for the word eunuch . So Luther temporarily leaves the Wartburg and visits a butcher in Eisenach . There he can be explained exactly what the individual body parts of a mutton are called. He is recognized, however, and the pastor of Eisenach see him. He tells him that Karlstadt married a fifteen-year-old, celebrated an evangelical mass, introduced a common caste and the churches were being plundered. Melanchthon would no longer have the situation under control. Luther must return. Luther is startled and immediately returns to Wittenberg. There he preaches in the town church. In his sermon, he implores the church to keep peace. He also takes action against Karlstadt's work at the university. He expelled Karlstadt himself from the city. But in the country, including in southern Germany, things are still boiling. Even Cranach's journeyman Tratschmacher is disappointed in Luther after Karlstadt's expulsion. Luther now has his New Testament printed in Cranach's workshop, translated at the Wartburg . The prints are quickly sold out. Katharina von Bora , who fled the Nimbschen monastery with eight other nuns , is taken in by the Cranachs. Shortly after arriving, she announced that she wanted to marry Luther. Soon after, the two are together.

Peasants, under the influence of Thomas Müntzer , take up arms and riot. But they suffer a defeat at Frankenhausen in May 1525 . Thomas Müntzer is captured, interrogated and beheaded together with his supporter Pfeiffer . Luther, who had previously written the text Against the robbery and murderous gangs of the peasants , now writes the text "A letter from the hard book against the peasants" and at the same time the text On the unfree will (De servo arbitrio) . While he was writing, Luther passed out and, in a feverish dream , Karlstadt appeared to him and accused him. But even this difficult time is over. Several children are born to Luther. Luther's wife Katharina takes care of the household and also sets up a hostel in the house, with which the tight household budget is replenished. One of the guests, his name is Appelfäller, reported one day to Katharina von Bora about the Sacco di Roma and expressed the assumption that all of the chopping and stabbing was Luther's work. Luther went to Marburg and tried to come to an understanding with Ulrich Zwingli about the doctrine of the Lord's Supper . But the two reformers cannot come to an agreement and the Marburg Religious Discussion fails. Six months later, waiting Luther, who is still under an imperial ban and thus Saxony can not rely on the Veste Coburg constantly for news of Melanchthon, who on the Reichstag in Augsburg a confession that the Augsburg Confession is known presents. The writing, approved by the Protestant rulers and the Protestant cities, is presented to the emperor on June 25, 1530.

On November 6, 1535, Luther was visited by the papal legate Vergerio because of a planned council , whereby the legate believed that Luther was possessed by the devil. Two years later, Luther was already marked by a number of diseases. Appealers who are still in town staggered through the town apparently drunk and spoke to Luther, asking him whether it would go against the Turks, Catholics or Jews. He, Martin Luther, wrote a very good book: About the Jews and their lies . Luther appeases the appeal feller, who may just pretend to be drunk to express his questionable opinion, and leads him home. At some point afterwards, Luther preached at the university against the fornication that had spread among the students.

In 1542, Luther's daughter Magdalena, known as Lenchen, dies. In 1544 Luther inaugurated the first new Protestant church. In 1546 Luther traveled to Eisleben with his sons to settle an inheritance dispute between the Counts of Mansfeld. Martin Luther dies there, in his hometown Eisleben. His body is transferred to Wittenberg. The funeral speech is held by his companion Phillip Melanchthon: "If you accuse Luther of having been too tough and rough at times, we say with Erasmus : Because of the size of the disease, God sent a sharp doctor ..."

background

The DEFA Studio for Feature Films was planning because of the upcoming 1983 500th Birthday of Martin Luther, a movie about his life. The scenario for the film was written by Helga Schütz . Christel Gräf acted as dramaturge . Lothar Warneke was intended as a director . However, the film project was finally canceled in 1982. It is believed that it failed for various reasons. On the one hand, the scenario by Helga Schütz, who was one of those DEFA authors who were thought to have ideological problems , had not yet been reworked into a script until 1982 . On the other hand, in addition to the aforementioned feature film, the GDR has already produced a television film called Martin Luther in the DEFA studio for feature films. This production showed good progress. The shooting of this production for television in the GDR in 1982 was already in full swing. At the same time, the studio would certainly not have been able to produce a second historical film about Martin Luther.

Despite the discontinuation of the film project, the original book for the film by Helga Schütz was published in 1983 by Aufbau-Verlag , with the content shown above, under the title "Martin Luther - A Story for the Film". The story consists of two parts, followed by a script called “per pede apostolorum”. In this copied script, the author deals with the realization of the film project. Here she sets out to recreate Luther's hike from Erfurt to Wittenberg .

On the book's dust jacket you can read some forewords by the dramaturge Christel Gräf: “Five hundred years of temporal distance. Interesting is the image of Luther over the centuries, which is always linked to limits and values ​​from an ideological point of view. Today as well. [...] [Helga Schütz] does not lay claim to a total picture of Luther and the time with her prose for the film. It is 'her' artistic engagement with this important historical personality [...] The narrative art of the author consists in the unobtrusively clever, meaningful amalgamation of poetry and truth [...]. "

Even though the film was not made, the NDR produced a radio play by Helga Schütz about Martin Luther in 1983, called It's wonderful that nobody thinks of Bohemia , with a game length of around fifty minutes. The radio play nestles between the first and second parts of the film's book and is designed as a kind of interlude. It primarily deals with Luther's stay in the Wartburg, which is presented in the published book for the film much shorter and in other words. The kidnapping of Luther to the Wartburg, which was already described at the end of the first part, can be found at the beginning of the radio play. As in the second part, Luther is looking for a German word for eunuch as well as descriptive words for the body parts of a mutton. Since the events in the radio play are primarily presented from the perspective of the secret agent Heinrichs, through readings of his diary , his letters and presentation of his conversations, there is basically no overlap with Helga Schütz's book for the film. The radio play ends with Luther's return and his sermon on peace in the city church in Wittenberg, as can be found for once in the second part of the book of the film. If the people are confused and silent in the second part, the people articulate themselves in the radio play, confused and upset, and in part Luther's A strong castle is our God singing. The role of Luther was spoken by Gerd Wameling . Other speakers were: Jörg Hube as Heinrich, a secret agent, Helmut Zierl as his assistant Paul, Joachim Baumert as Johannes, a mail rider, Ruth Kähler as hostess of the Black Bear, Günther Dockerill as Hans von Berlepsch, Manfred Schermutzki as one of the bodyguards , Helmut Bock as the coachman, Joachim Kuntzsch as Luther's companion, and Gerhard Hinze and Gerhard Meister . The director took Ursula long skirt . The radio play was on Sunday, 31 October 2010 at 18 o'clock again MDR Figaro sent.

criticism

Siegfried Steller explained in his literary criticism, which appeared in the GDR magazine Weimarer Posts : “[...] A film narration is a strange hybrid. It puts into words what is to become an image and an action. [...] No biography [...] she wanted to create a parable, to awaken understanding for the size and limits and contradictions of this mighty figure. This works largely and convincingly. The question should be asked whether Müntzer should not have been more clearly included as the weighty opponent in the revolutionary process. Just as Friedrich Wolf 's Müntzerstück and - film suffered from the fact that Luther did not get into the picture. so here the dimension is reduced because Müntzer is only reported; and with the exception of the report on Frankenhausen only marginally. [...] "

In the Federal Republic of Germany, Helga Schütz's Martin Luther was largely ignored.

Historical inaccuracies

  • The portrayal in Helga Schütz's story for the planned film that Martin Luther's father had already declared when he was born that his son should become a legal scholar or scholar has not been handed down. In the later years, around 1505, when Luther obtained his master's degree in the arts, his father actually hoped for his son's career as a legal scholar. As a scholar of theologians, Luther's father definitely did not want to see his son.
  • Martin Luther apparently comes to Wittenberg in 1511 and shortly thereafter receives his doctorate. However, both events actually took place in 1512.
  • A student explains that the council and the guilds have built a new bridge over the Elbe in Wittenberg. As a result, traffic between Halle and Leipzig should have become more fluid. It may be that a Wittenberg bridge made a journey from Wittenberg to Halle or Leipzig easier. This may also have been the case in the opposite direction. But the traffic from Halle to Leipzig and vice versa will not have improved with a new Wittenberg bridge. The said statement is at least extremely misleading.
  • The Wittenberg children speak Saxon . Other people, such as farmers and artisans, etc. do not seem to do it. At that time, however, Wittenberg belonged to the Low German language area. Today's Saxon has not yet been spoken there.
  • Luther often had a scribe write down his thoughts in order to then publish them. Luther actually wrote his writings, for example On the Freedom of a Christian Man , by hand.
  • In one scene, Luther claims that some of his claims can be verified through the apostle Paul's letters to the Romans. In truth there is only one letter from Paul to the Romans and it should be clear that Luther did not actually say such a thing.
  • In a folk scene, some people are talking about Luther. On the one hand, the conversation apparently quotes from Luther's book Von der Freiheit eines Christenmenschen , which Luther publishes later in the plot. On the other hand, one of them knows the exact political background that a simple person from the people could not have at that time.
  • Luther wrote his three great writings To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation , On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church and On the Freedom of a Christian Man in Truth in the time between the Leipzig disputation and the publication of the bull threatening exsurge domine and not afterwards.
  • Katharina von Bora and Martin get together. The wedding of the two is kept secret.
  • Luther's book On the Jews and Their Lies was published in 1543 rather than 1537.

Similarities and major differences to other Luther films

  • The filming would have started with the birth of Martin Luther and not, as is usually the case, with his thunderstorm experience. In addition, his death would have been staged.
  • As in many other film adaptations, Luther nailed the 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg . However, he is not alone in his act. Luther is accompanied by Nikolaus Amsdorf and Hieronymus Schurff . The scene described has similarities with the corresponding scene from the GDR film adaptation Martin Luther from 1983.
  • A student says that he and other students treated Tetzel. There is a similar scene in the GDR film adaptation of Martin Luther from 1983.
  • Thomas Müntzer remains largely untreated, although he played a special role in the history of the GDR. So the Central Committee of the SED, when creating the already mentioned GDR film Martin Luther , made the stipulation that in the film, attention should be paid to the "harmonious relationship between Luther and Müntzer".

See also

References and comments

  1. ↑ Two parts had been considered. The first would obviously (according to the planned content) have been longer than the second. Carefully estimated, the film would have been more than 90 minutes long.
  2. ↑ Was only considered as a director. See: Horst Dähn: Luther and the GDR. Berlin, 1996: ISBN 3-929161-81-8 , page 102
  3. ↑ a b Horst Dähn: Luther and the GDR. Berlin, 1996: ISBN 3-929161-81-8 , page 102 f.
  4. ↑ See Siegfried Streller: Helga Schütz - Martin Luther - literary criticism. In: Weimar Contributions. Journal for literary studies, aesthetics and cultural theory. 1983 II. 29th year. Luther and German Literature, page 1983
  5. ↑ See Siegfried Streller: Helga Schütz - Martin Luther - literary criticism. In: Weimar Contributions. Journal for literary studies, aesthetics and cultural theory. 1983 II. 29th year. Luther and German Literature, page 1984
  6. ↑ In particular Rom 3,28  LUT and Rom 7,14  LUT
  7. ↑ See Siegfried Streller: Helga Schütz - Martin Luther - literary criticism. In: Weimar Contributions. Journal for literary studies, aesthetics and cultural theory. 1983 II. 29th year. Luther and German Literature, page 1986
  8. ↑ See: WA TR No. 6816
  9. ↑ See each WA 18
  10. ↑ His opinion is explicitly commented on by the author as heretical opinion. (See Helga Schütz: Martin Luther - A story for film. Berlin and Weimar, 1st edition 1983, page 123)
  11. ↑ The author describes the font as a postscript.
  12. ↑ a b c d Cf. Siegfried Streller: Helga Schütz - Martin Luther - literary criticism. In: Weimar Contributions. Journal for literary studies, aesthetics and cultural theory. 1983 II. 29th year. Luther and German Literature, page 1988
  13. ↑ See Helga Schütz: Martin Luther - A story for the film. Berlin and Weimar, 1st edition 1983, page 72
  14. ↑ See Helga Schütz: Martin Luther - A story for the film. Berlin and Weimar, 1st edition 1983, page 88, line 11 ff.
  15. ↑ hoerspieleipps.net radio play program of the 43rd week 25th - 31st October 2010 ( memento of the original from June 21st, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ; Accessed December 23, 2011 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.hoerspieleipps.net
  16. ↑ The wording of the MDR announcer, from 2010, showed similarities to the earlier Wikipedia article, in particular the selection of the quote from Christel Gräf. Thus, the announcement as evidence is rather problematic, especially for the statement that the film script at times the GDR was ideologically criticized, but Helga Schütz did not revise it as a result
  17. ↑ See Siegfried Streller: Helga Schütz - Martin Luther - literary criticism. In: Weimar Contributions. Journal for literary studies, aesthetics and cultural theory. 1983 II. 29th year. Luther and German Literature, page 1987
  18. ↑ See: Helga Schütz: Martin Luther - A story for the film. Berlin and Weimar, 1st edition 1983, page 38 ff. And page 63 and page 10
  19. ↑ Horst Hermann: Martin Luther. A biography. Berlin 2003, page 55 ff.
  20. ↑ Annette Zwahr : Meyer's Large Pocket Lexicon in 26 volumes . Mannheim, 9th edition 2003, under: Luther, Martin
  21. ↑ See: Helga Schütz: Martin Luther - A story for the film. Berlin and Weimar, 1st edition 1983, page 25
  22. ↑ See: Helga Schütz: Martin Luther - A story for the film. Berlin and Weimar, 1st edition 1983, page 38 ff., Page 63, page 68, page 102 ff. Etc.
  23. ↑ See: Helga Schütz: Martin Luther - A story for the film. Berlin and Weimar, 1st edition 1983, page 42
  24. ↑ See: Helga Schütz: Martin Luther - A story for the film. Berlin and Weimar, 1st edition 1983, page 45 ff. And page 63
  25. ↑ See Siegfried Streller: Helga Schütz - Martin Luther - literary criticism. In: Weimar Contributions. Journal for literary studies, aesthetics and cultural theory. 1983 II. 29th year. Luther and German literature, page 1985 f.
  26. ↑ Cf. Norbert Mecklenburg : Der Prophet der Deutschen: Martin Luther im Spiegel der Literatur , Stuttgart 2016, p. 244
  27. ↑ a b see: Helga Schütz: Martin Luther - A story for the film. Berlin and Weimar, 1st edition 1983, page 43
  28. ↑ Friedrich Engels transfigured the peasant wars to pre-socialist events in his book: "The German Peasant War" (cf. Müller, Johann Baptist: Luther und die Deutschen. Stuttgart, 1996, pp. 152 ff. And Schmidt, Michael [uA]: Die Deutsche Geschichte . Volume 2. 1348-1755. Augsburg, 2001, page 246). That is why Thomas Müntzer was considered a martyr of socialism in the GDR .
  29. ↑ EKD - Martin Luther in Film ( Memento of the original from May 17, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ekd.de

literature

  • Helga Schütz: Martin Luther - A story for the film. Berlin and Weimar, 1st edition 1983