I showed "Luther" to my class last night and I must say it is a pretty decent flick. From the perspective of a history teacher, it does a good job of encapsulating the important events in Martin Luther's life. From a film snob's point of view... well, it doesn't score as many points. Character development is somewhat lacking, cinematography is interesting but not spectacluar, and acting is hit and miss. Joseph Finnes does a fine (ha ha pun I'm freakin hilarious) job as Luther. He definately tones down ol' Marty's infamous obnoxious personality a tad, though.

On a more visceral (favorite overused word) level, the film portrays the process of disillusionment with the religious institution. Luther's epiphany comes as he climbs the stairs in Rome with a horde of other pathetic pentitents in an attempt to free a dead relative from purgatory. All at once the futility and absurdity of the scene hits him like a slap in the face. His doubt has been growing since he arrived in Rome; now it has all come to the forefront. After his Rome experience Luther was never the same.

I've had plenty of my own "Rome experiences" over the last few years. They have come in both religious and non-religious settings. The noble thing about Luther is that when faced with the reality of the dark side of Christianity, he did not cast his faith aside. He instead fought to reclaim what he considered to be its true heart. Good advice today for those who are left feeling disgusted and distruaght by what they have seen.

This entry was posted by 141NYC, on Friday, March 03, 2006. You can leave your response.