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Martin Luther (1953)
Great story about Martin Luther and Protestant Reformation
"Martin Luther" film was released in 1953 and told biography of Martin Luther, a German priest, and the initiator of Protestant Reformation and about the movement itself. The film shows how Martin Luther based on his understanding of the Bible unintentionally found a new schism of Christianity. Also, it shows how the Protestant Reformation movement grew and explains what Catholic religious traditions were different from Protestantism. In general, this film effectively explains the main aspects of Protestantism, and of Catholicism as well.
Firstly, Martin Luther's path from being a usual catholic priest to becoming the leader of the Reformation is depicted. Here we can see what religious practices need to be accomplished by people to become a priest, which included education and dedication to God through self-discipline. In addition, the film depicts how closely religion and education were related, as religious representatives could become teachers and professors, as Martin Luther became the Doctor of Theology in addition to being a priest. Thus, the early years of Martin Luther showed some aspect of Catholicism.
From the beginning of the religious path of Martin Luther, he felt like something was missing. Even after becoming a priest and the Doctor of Theology he was still not satisfied with his life and felt like his actions are not meaningful. After a thorough examination of the Bible, he started questioning many aspects of Catholicism, which were not in the Bible. Thus, he started believing in ideas like "Sola Scriptura" and "Sola Fide", which mean believing only in Scripture and Faith. In the film, Martin Luther says that "Man only needs Jesus Christ" to hold onto his faith. From that moment, these ideas became the main concept of Protestantism.
Martin Luther started actively opposing major Catholic traditions, like veneration of holy relics, which give forgiveness of sins and time in purgatory. Luther stated that venerating such relics and symbols replaced the true meaning, which is itself lost. Furthermore, Luther's active opposition was seen when Pope Leo 10th bankrupted the Vatican and ordered a wider sell of indulgences to get money and replenish the Vatican's treasury. This indulgence in turn was promised the forgiveness of all sins and no confession necessary. As no indulgences were ever mentioned in Holy Scripture, Martin Luther objected to them by writing his 95 theses. They were widely spread due to the printing press and became very popular. As Luther gained more and more followers, especially in Wittenberg, his ideas became dangerous for Rome.
Pope tried to discredit or even kill Martin Luther. Here we can see that unlike other religions, the Catholic church was very powerful and independent of secular leaders. On the contrary, it could influence German nobles. However, Martin Luther was saved and not burned, as his ideas were appealing to influential people of Germany, who wanted to become more independent of Rome and the Church. In the film, this is shown through the help and protection given by Duke Frederick. He let Luther preach, protected him as his subject, and kept safe in exile. However, the full motives of the German nobility were not completely shown, as this film is more about Martin Luther. But in the end, when the movement was quite big, the Dukes of Germany signed a document by stating their beliefs and higher independence from the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire.
One more religious tradition of Protestantism depicted in the film is the reduction of 7 sacraments to only 2, which were Baptism and Communion. Other sacraments, as they were not mentioned in the Bible were canceled by Martin Luther. These changes included the celibacy of priests. Besides, many monks and nuns left their monasteries to serve inside the community, as monasteries were useless in the ideology of Protestantism. This is clearly shown in the film when Martin Luther being a priest marries a nun, who left the monastery and needed assistance. Thus, the film shows one of the major differences between Catholic and Protestant Churches.
Last but not least, Martin Luther's pacifism is effectively explained in the film. When one of his followers urges people to revolt against the law, Martin Luther criticizes him, saying that only faith and love can help people, not force. This corresponds with the German Peasants' War, to which he responded with horror. This shows that Martin Luther and his movement initially were not against the law and order. He did not want to form a new Church, but rather reform the Catholic Church according to his beliefs and the Scripture, as well as his predecessors and followers of reformation, did.
To summarize, the film "Martin Luther" effectively depicts and explains the main aspects and ideas of Protestant Reformation, and what Catholic religious traditions were criticized by this movement. This film is a good source for people who study the history of the Protestant Reformation and the role of Martin Luther in its formation.