Martin Luther

This film is about Martin Luther, a simple monk who was able to have a greater impact on human history than anyone of his time. After years of serving as a monk, Luther's scholarship and questioning led to his realizing that many of the Church's practices were wrong (most notably the horrid practice of selling indulgences). How his questions posed in his 95 Theses is truly amazing, as his ideas snowballed.

I loved this PBS biography of Martin Luther and felt it did a great job of bringing a sense of greatness to the man. Using dramatic music and exceptional interviews, the director really did a first-rate job in conveying the message. I would have given the film a 10 but there was one big problem and one itty-bitty one. While there were lots of interviews with what appeared to be protestant clergy and historians, there was no modern Catholic view on the man. Despite what many think, many within the Church today actually have a lot of favorable things to say about the guy, as his writings later led to a Catholic revival--when they FINALLY agreed changes were needed--though this was long after Luther's death and way too late, as the Reformation was all but complete! I also wish the film had briefly discussed the chaos that followed Luther's death and this schism in Europe resulted in the amazingly bloody 30 Years War. Still, perhaps this was just too much material for the time allotted to the life of Luther.