Martin Luther (1953)
Martin Luther is a feature film about the life of Martin Luther from 1953, directed by Irving Pichel and also played the role of Gregor Brück . The main and title role played Niall MacGinnis .
action
The film begins with the entry of Martin Luther to Erfurt Augustinian monastery in 1505 and ends in 1530, the year in which the Lutheran Confession, the Augsburg Confession , Emperor Charles V was presented. In between lie the most important events in the life and work of Martin Luther: his doubts and his struggle with himself, his subsequent Bible study, during which he discovered the grace of God in the Letter to the Romans of the New Testament ( Rom 1.17 LUT ) , his theses and the the following arguments with the papacy , his speech at the Reichstag in Worms and the climax of the film, the words he said there: "Here I stand, I can't help it, God help me, Amen.", his kidnapping at the Wartburg , his translation of the Bible , his intervention in the riots of radicalized citizens in Wittenberg and finally his endeavors to permanently strengthen the still young evangelical movement. The finale of the film is the singing of Luther's congregation, the singing of the Luther song “ A strong castle is our God ”.
background
The film, financed by US Lutherans, was produced by Louis de Rochemont and the RD-DR Corporation in collaboration with Lutheran Church Productions and Luther-Film-Gesellschaft MBH, making it the first American-German co-production after the war The film is directed by Hollywood director Irving Pichel , who made his name through horror films and b-westerns. A written remark at the beginning of the film reads: "This film adaptation of a decisive period of history is the result of careful research into events and conditions in the 16th century, as conveyed to us by the historical sources." This research was by the church historian Theodore G. Tappert and Jaroslav Pelikan , who thus supported Allan Sloane and Lothar Wolff .
The film was shot in West Germany at the Afifa Film Studios in Wiesbaden , Hesse . Other locations in Eltville in Hesse, where, among other things Eberbach Monastery and the Monastery Maulbronn in Maulbronn , Baden-Wurttemberg . The film was also shot in Rothenburg ob der Tauber , Bavaria . The music was composed by Mark Lothar and played by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra . Fritz Maurischat and Paul Markwitz created the film structures, Lothar Wolff , Louis de Rochemont and Kurt Hartmann took over the production management.
The film premiered on May 8, 1953 in Minneapolis , USA. The film was then dubbed for Germany by Ultra-Film GmbH, Berlin, in 1953 and found its way into film theaters through Europa-Filmverleih. The German premiere took place on March 4, 1954 in Hanover . In October 1954 the premiere took place in Sweden followed by the firsts in Denmark and Finland. Nowadays the film is often shown on Bible TV every year on Reformation Day .
Awards
The film was nominated for two Academy Awards . On the one hand for the best camera (black and white) ( Cinematography (Black-and-White) ) and on the other hand for the buildings and the decoration ( Art Direction / Set Decoration ) ( Fritz Maurischat , Paul Markwitz ). The film was also nominated for Best Written American Drama at the Writers Guild of America, USA ( Allan Sloane , Lothar Wolff ). The National Board of Review drew Martin Luther than the "fourth best film of the year 1953".
The FBL awarded the film the title valuable . It was recommended by the Evangelical Film Guild as “best film of the month” (March 1954).
Reviews
A Catholic film review ruled at the time:
"Idealizing drawing of Luther, one-sided representation of the Reformation, insufficient description of the Catholic Church by exaggerating abuses and an unclear, therefore incomprehensible representation of Catholic teachings and church life."
Another criticism judged:
"Historically not always correct (...) The attempt to make it clear that Luther by no means wanted a split in the church (...) is remarkable."
See also
Web links
- Martin Luther in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Martin Luther at filmportal.de
References and comments
- ↑ Evangelical Church in Germany: Martin Luther in the 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.
- ^ Internet Movie Database - Company credits for Martin Luther and opening credits of the German film version
- ^ Alfred Bauer: German feature film Almanach. Volume 2: 1946-1955 , pp. 447 f.
- ^ NY Times: Martin Luther . In: NY Times . Retrieved November 13, 2009.
- ^ Internet Movie Database: Awards for Martin Luther
- ↑ National Board of Review of Motion Pictures: Awards for 1953 ( Memento of the original from September 29, 2007 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.
- ↑ 6000 films. Critical notes from the cinema years 1945 to 1958 . Handbook V of the Catholic film criticism, 3rd edition, Verlag Haus Altenberg, Düsseldorf 1963, p. 294
- ↑ Short review on filmportal.de ; Retrieved December 7, 2014
