Martin Luther (1953)
May 8, 1953Release Date
Plot.
Where to Watch.
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Streaming in:🇺🇸 United States
Cast & Crew.
Niall MacGinnis
Martin Luther
John Ruddock
Vicar von Staupitz
Pierre Lefevre
Spalatin
Guy Verney
Melanchthon
Alastair Hunter
Carlstadt
David Horne
Duke Frederick
Fred Johnson
Prior
Philip Leaver
Pope Leo X
Heinz Piper
Dr. Eck
Leonard White
Emissary
Egon Strohm
Cardinal Alexander
Annette Carell
Katherine von Bora (as Annette Carrell)
Alexander Gauge
Tetzel
Irving Pichel
Brueck / Director
Lothar Wolff
Producer / Writer
Joseph C. Brun
Cinematography
Fritz Stapenhorst
Editor
Joseph Braun
Cinematographer
Mark Lothar
Music
Allan Sloane
Writer
Robert E. A. Lee
Executive Producer
Henry Oscar
Media.
Details.
Release DateMay 8, 1953
StatusReleased
Running Time1h 45m
Filming LocationsBavaria, Germany
Genres
Last updated:
This Movie Is About.
Wiki.
Martin Luther is a 1953 American–West German 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 Louis de Rochemont and 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 Oscars, for Best Cinematography (Black-and-White) (Joseph C. Brun) and Art Direction/Set Decoration (Black-and-White) (Fritz Maurischat, Paul Markwitz). The music was composed by Mark Lothar and performed by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. It was filmed at the Wiesbaden Studios in Hesse in West Germany.
A notice at the beginning of the film characterizes it as a careful and balanced presentation of Luther's story: "This dramatization of a decisive moment in human history is the result of careful research of facts and conditions in the 16th century as reported by historians of many faiths." The research was done by notable Reformation scholars Theodore G. Tappert and Jaroslav Pelikan who assisted Allan Sloane and Lothar Wolff.
The film was commercially very successful.