Martin Luther, Heretic (1983 film)

Martin Luther, Heretic
Directed by	Norman Stone
Produced by	David M. Thompson
Written by	William Nicholson
Starring	Jonathan Pryce Maurice Denham Hugh Dickson John Nettleton Clive Swift
Music by	Roger Limb
Cinematography	Keith Hopper
Editing by	Pauline Dykes
Distributed by	British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Family Films Concordia Films
Release date(s)	November 8, 1983 November 10, 1983
Running time	70 min
Country	UK/US
Language	English

Martin Luther, Heretic was a film made in 1983 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther. It was released on November 8, 1983 in the United Kingdom, two days before the 500th jubilee on November 10. It starred Jonathan Pryce as Martin Luther. Maurice Denham reprised his role of Johann von Staupitz that he played in the 1973 American Film Theater film Luther. The time frame of the film is 1506-1522: the beginning of Luther's monastic vocation to his return from exile at the Wartburg in 1522. A medieval dramatic troupe's performances of mystery plays provide the unifying motif for a parallel telling of the story of the film. When Luther's carriage en route from the Wartburg to Wittenberg it is shown passing an actor wearing a devil's mask. When this scene is revisited at the end of the film, the actor slips this mask off his face.

Historical inconsistencies

• In early 1522 when Martin Luther returned to Wittenberg he is portrayed as approving of the radical changes instigated by Andreas Karlstadt the year before, while, historically, Luther opposed some of the changes as well as the rashness of the changes he did approve of. He preached his "Invocavit Sermons" against this radical reform in Wittenberg, and he had some of the changes rolled back.

External links

• Martin Luther, Heretic (1983) at the Internet Movie Database