Luther

• Director: Guy Green
• AMG Rating:
• Genre: Drama
• Movie Type: Biopic, Religious Drama
• Themes: Fighting the System
• Main Cast: Stacy Keach
• Release Year: 1974
• Country: US
• Run Time: 112 minutes

Plot

Adapted for the screen by Edward Anhalt from the play by John Osborne, Luther stars Stacy Keach as religious leader and "heretic" Martin Luther. In minimalist fashion, the film traces Luther's disillusionment with the Catholic Church, and his eventual spearheading of the Reformation movement. Over the course of the film, Keach ages from an ingenuous seminarian to a disgruntled, middle-aged firebrand. Director Guy Green does little to cinematize the material, instead favoring a theatrical approach and thus allowing the rich dialogue to be better appreciated. Luther was a production of the American Film Theatre. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Review

Luther is a flawed but still very powerful adaptation of John Osborne's meditation on the 16th century religious leader whose condemnation of certain Catholic Church practices precipitated a revolution both religious and secular. The flaws are those common to many other entries in the American Film Theatre's productions -- mainly, it's an uneasy blend of cinema and stagecraft that falls between the two poles. It's not really satisfying as a straight-ahead filming of a stage play, nor does it satisfy as a cinematic adaptation. The stage-bound nature is perhaps more pronounced in Luther because it deals with a subject that had a profound effect upon the entire world; excluding that outside world from the film negates Luther's impact somewhat and makes him seem a bit smaller than the character warrants. If one can accept this flaw, however, Luther is a richly rewarding experience. Osborne's words have been diluted in a few cases by adapter Edward Anhalt, but they still maintain astonishing power. His portrait of Martin Luther is compelling yet disturbing, a finely detailed portrait that shows a man constantly in conflict with himself, with God, and with the actions he initiates in the name of faith. Stacy Keach's performance in the title role is nothing short of marvelous; he conveys the intense power of this darkly conflicted man yet doesn't resort to showboating. He underplays, he understates, and the character comes across as more powerful as a result. Yet he also lets the depths of his passions surface when necessary, to startling effect. Keach dominates the film, and the character he creates is overflowing with life -- and with bile. He is well supported by an excellent cast, with special mention for a superb Patrick Magee, an excellent Hugh Griffith, and an impressive Leonard Rossiter. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

Cast

Alan Badel - Cardinal Thomas de Vio; Bruce Carstairs - Duke of Saxony; Peter Cellier - Prior; Judi Dench - Katherine; Maurice Denham - Staupitz; John Gielgud; Julian Glover - The Knight; Hugh Griffith - Tetzel; Thomas Heathcote - Lucas; Stacy Keach - Martin Luther; Patrick Magee - Hans; Leonard Rossiter - Weinand; Robert Stephens - von Eck; Malcolm Stoddard - Emperor Charles V

Credit

Joan Bridge - Costume Designer, Elizabeth Haffenden - Costume Designer, Guy Green - Director, Malcolm Cooke - Editor, Mort Abrahams - Executive Producer, John Addison - Composer (Music Score), Peter Mullins - Production Designer, Freddie Young - Cinematographer, Ely Landau - Producer, Henry T. Weinstein - Producer, Bill Kaplan - Supervisor/Manager, Edward Anhalt - Screenwriter, John Osborne - Play Author

Similar Movies

Galileo; Winter Light; Ordet; The Diary of a Country Priest; Agostino di Ippona; Thérèse; The Flowers of St. Francis; Francis of Assisi; Who Never Lived

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