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Revision as of 17:35, 25 November 2008 by Drboisclair (talk | contribs) (→Cast)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) 1953 USA/West Germany film| Martin Luther | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Irving Pichel |
| Written by | Allan Sloane Lothar Wolff |
| Produced by | Lothar Wolff |
| Starring | Niall MacGinnis |
| Cinematography | Joseph C. Brun |
| Edited by | Fritz Stapenhorst |
| Music by | Mark Lothar |
| Distributed by | De Rochemont/Lutheran Productions |
| Release date |  May 8, 1953 March 4, 1954 |
| Running time | 105 min |
| Country | USA/West Germany |
| Language | English |
Martin Luther is a 1953 film biography of Martin Luther. It was directed by Irving Pichel, (who also plays a supporting role), and stars Niall MacGinnis as Luther. It was produced by RD-DR Corporation in collaboration with Lutheran Church Productions and Luther-Film-G.M.B.H.
The National Board of Review named the film the fourth best of 1953. It was nominated for two Academy Awards, for Best Cinematography (Black-and-White) and Art Direction/Set Decoration.
Plot Synopsis
The time frame of the film is 1507-1530 from the time Luther entered the Augustinian monastery in Erfurt to the presentation of the Augsburg Confession. It recounts Martin Luther's struggle to find God's mercy, his discovery of the gospel in Romans 1:17, his posting of his Ninety-five theses, and the controversy that followed which led to his separation from the church of Rome. It shows Luther's resistance to the forces of radicalism, and his work to establish and maintain the evangelical movement of his day. The dramatic highlight is his "Here I Stand" speech before the 1521 Diet of Worms.
Plot Summary
Narrator John Wiggin begins the film
Cast
- Niall Mac Ginnis as Martin Luther
- John Ruddock as Vicar Johann von Staupitz
- Pierre Lefevre as George Spalatin
- Guy Verney as Philipp Melanchthon
- Allastair Hunter as Johannes Bodenstein von Carlstadt
- David Horne as Elector Duke Frederick the Great
- Fred Johnson as Prior of Erfurt monastery
- Philip Leaver as Pope Leo X
- Heinz Piper as Dr. John Eck
- Leonard White as brother and emissary of Archbishop Albrecht of Mainz
- Egon Strohm as Cardinal Aleander
- Annette Carrell as Katherina von Bora
- Alexander Gauge as Fr. John Tetzel
- Henry Oscar as
- Irving Pichel as
- Ronald Adam as
- Joss Ambler as
- William Abney as
- Michael Maick as
- Wolfgang Oelze as
- Hans LeFebre as
- John Wiggin as Narrator
External links
- Martin Luther page at IMDB