Ok, my wife and I, my pastor and his wife, and a few others went to see this movie yesterday. We each read Here I Stand before attending the movies as well. <br><br><ul>1. The movie is in color [img]http://www.the-highway.com/w3timages/icons/clapping.gif" alt="clapping" title="clapping[/img]<br>2. Much in the movie was fictionalized, but what does one expect. [img]http://www.the-highway.com/w3timages/icons/sad.gif" alt="sad" title="sad[/img]<br>3. The combo of re-reading the book and watching the movie works, as the book fills in many missing details, corrects some errors, and also assists one in understanding the progression of the movie.<br>4. The movie received a standing ovation by many in the theater.[/LIST] I think you will enjoy it. May God bless.<br><br>PS. the popcorn was good [img]http://www.the-highway.com/w3timages/icons/grin.gif" alt="grin" title="grin[/img]
The editorial I've seen basically tears the movie to shreds! (This ran in my local newspaper too, but for some reason there is no link to it on its website)<br><br>http://u.whittierdailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,215~24355~1655716,00.html<br><br>By the way, was Luther anti-semitic? I actually don't remember learning about this, but my dad says he's heard Luther wanted to ship all the Jews out of Germany.<br>
True godliness is a sincere feeling which loves God as Father as much as it fears and reverences Him as Lord, embraces His righteousness, and dreads offending Him worse than death~ Calvin
Joe,<br><br>I've heard reviews on a local Christian radio station. They praised the quality of the film compared to some Christian films and they said it had some good actors. It sounds as if you recommend it with reservations. When you use the term fictionalized do you mean it strays from the facts?<br><br>It's only showing at limited theaters so I'll have to watch out for it in my area. OBTW I'll have to have a large buttered popcorn. [img]http://www.the-highway.com/w3timages/icons/grin.gif" alt="grin" title="grin[/img]<br><br><br>Wes
When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, my richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride. - Isaac Watts
I saw the second showing of it the day it came out right after class, and I thought that the movie was excellent. When people left the theater after I saw it, though, there was dead silence and everyone walked out and waited until outside the doors to talk. It was like it had brought us into a time of worship. All that was needed was a good sermon to follow it and we'd have been in church.
Don't forget the offering too...[img]http://www.the-highway.com/w3timages/icons/grin.gif" alt="grin" title="grin[/img]<br><br>My pastor preached on offerings and stewardship while he has going through II Corinthians. He said that "Offerings and tithes aren't how God raises money; they're how He raises children."<br><br>He also told about an African-American church he went to where, upon hearing their preacher announce the offering, they all started clapping and saying "Amen!"
True godliness is a sincere feeling which loves God as Father as much as it fears and reverences Him as Lord, embraces His righteousness, and dreads offending Him worse than death~ Calvin
Oh we had an offering. The theater it is playing at here charges at the evening $7.75 a person. I got in for $5.50 cuz I went before 4. But we payed our due. lol
In reply to:[color:"blue"]By the way, was Luther anti-semitic?
Short answer to this perennial question: Not in the post-1930 sense. Slightly longer answer: Luther apparently made his infamous statement(s) upon frustration that the Jews whom he attempted to win to Christ were largely unresponsive. Similar in my mind to Moses' striking the rock: understandable frustration, but not a response of faith. His statements should be weighed against the balance of his correspondence, and that of his generation, in which hyperbolic invective was employed to degree we seldom see today. His words on this subject were referenced as authoritative by the Nazis, to his shame; but no case can be made that Luther himself would have desired the actuals horrors that occured. Should he have kept his mouth shut? Yes. Was he anti-Semitic in a racial sense? No.
This has been discussed by my Jewish wife and myself. It took her a long time and study to get to the point where she could accept Luther's place in the history of the church, but she was eventually able to .
Others will have to provide a biblio for you on this.
Ha! Back home we have to pay $9.00 now for the theatre. Of course, the movie had to come out in my first month of the school year, and no place around here is playing it, but it's playing at home!
Kyle
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified.
When you watch it you will see some drama in the movie that I have not been able to account for. One such issue is a woman and her crippled child that Luther cares deeply for in the movie, but as of yet I do not recall reading any such thing in the history books. Luther did care for the poor greatly and I believe they used this piece of drama to reveal this, though again its accuracy is in question. At some other places it moves very rapidly and unless you know some of the history it may be unclear what is happening.<br><br>
Joe,<br><br>Rarely, or should I say almost never, do films present the message as well as books. In the video presentation there's always that effort to make it more interesting by developing characters people can connect with and relationships which may or may not be fact. However from what you and others have said I think the Luther film is worth seeing.<br><br><br>Wes
When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, my richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride. - Isaac Watts
I believe you are in for a treat. It is worth the money and the popcorn [img]http://www.the-highway.com/w3timages/icons/grin.gif" alt="grin" title="grin[/img]
I saw the movie Saturday afternoon with my wife, son, and future daughter-in-law. I believe the portrayal of the corruption re: indulgences was likely very accurate, as well as the money grubbing corruption of the pope along with his bishops and cardinals.<br><br>The cinematography was very good and the movie gave you a taste of what life was like in that century.<br><br>I thought the Diet of Worms scene was great! and you could sense the pressure that Luther was under at that time.<br><br>The Prince Frederick character was a hoot! Everyone in the theater was laughing.<br><br>Knowing Reformation history, I think the movie fell quite short in giving one a sense of the timing of events in Luther's life. There were obviously quantum leaps in time, and Luther did not seem to age, or gain weight. A lot of events were seemingly thrown together in the remaining minutes of the movie: Luthers marriage, the Augsburg confession etc. And were those Luther's own children at the end of the movie?<br><br>What I would have liked to see were the ensueing debates that Luther engaged in shortly after the posting of his 95 theses so that one could get an even better idea of the issues he was addressing.<br><br>In spite of inaccuracies, I still think the movie was worth the $6 I paid to see it. The producers of the movie probably took quite a risk in broaching the subject. And my hat's off to them for their efforts.
<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>[color:"blue"]A lot of events were seemingly thrown together in the remaining minutes of the movie: Luther's marriage, the Augsburg confession etc. And were those Luther's own children at the end of the movie?</font><hr></blockquote><p> It is amazing what they can throw up in a screen in 5 minutes. They wrapped up the last 16 years of his life with a statement on the screen. That is one reason why I stressed reading Here I Stand in the initial post..the movie moved rapidly at places so if you did not know the history of what was going to happen it could have been unclear. If it could have been about 30 minutes longer they could have moved a little slower and put many of the details you mentioned.<br><br>I do not think those were Luther's children in the last scene, if so he paid very little care towards them as he thought he was going to "die"..., thus I think those were orphans he was teaching, but.... I guess, I should have stayed for the credits as they should have said something like Luther's Children or ....Luther's orphans...<br><br>All this aside it was still good!<br>
I agree that there is things that get glossed over in this film. The 1953 B&W film does a much better job of depicting Luther's theological development.<br><br>Another big difference is the posting of the 95 Theses. In both films someone walks up to read it. In this film a couple of items are read, which leaves the impression (also noted in the still on the web site) that the 95 Theses was in German. (Wrong!) In the 1953 film the man sits back down and says it is Latin. But I did appreciate the scene where the 95 Theses are taken down and the cut away. <br><br>On the kidnapping scene, my wife leaned over and said that she was glad she knew what was really happening.<br>
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