Luther Summary
Geoffrey Strickland
The movie starts off with Martin Luther trying to escape a severe storm. He promises to become a monk if God lets him live through the storm. He survives and becomes a monk. He goes to Rome to deliver a priests letters and sees how corrupt Rome has become. He buys an indulgence for his grandfather, Hendrick Luther. He is told, "Hendrick will be released from Purgatory and into the gates of heaven." He realizes that things shouldn't be this way and goes back to Germany to talk to the priest. The priest sends him to Wittenberg to do a doctorate in theology. The priest believes that Martin will be able to "change minds, and open eyes" in Wittenberg. Martin often goes to confession and becomes really aggravated with himself. He causes the society to perceive things differently, such as the burial of the suicidal child in the common grounds and he preaches in a church and tells everyone how his views toward god have changed. He lectures in his theology class and makes fun of indulgences and the that the Prince Frederick collects. The Prince's secretary, Spalatin, warns Luther that he should stop embarrassing the Prince because he is the one paying for him at the University. After seeing the effects of the preaching of John, Martin Luther comes up with the 95 Theses and nails them onto the door of the church. Bystanders take the thesis and use the printing press to turn them into books and this allows everyone to have a copy and his ideas spread faster and easier. Pope Leo thinks that Martin is a drunken German monk who will change his ideas when he becomes sober. Spalatin tells Luther that he is threatened with excommunication and is summoned to appear in Rome. Aleander prepares Martin and tells him that all he should say is that he recants in front of the Cardinal but Martin doesn't follow through. Pope Leo sends out for Martin's books to be burned and Luther is excommunicated There, Martin translates the New Testament into German because he believes that the common people need to be able to understand the scriptures. In Worms, Martin is given a hearing and when he is asked if he will recant, he asks for one day to question his answer. That night he goes to confession. The next day he refuses to recant. The Cardinal demands that Martin be delivered to Rome but Prince Frederick doesn't want that so he kidnaps Luther and keeps him in A Castle. When Luther disappears, chaos occurs. The people start to break down the churching, and set it on fire. Luther disguises himself as a knight, and goes to stops all the people from ruining the church. He finishes translating the New Testament into German and dedicates it to Prince Frederick. He meets a nun named Katharina and marries her. Pope Leo dies, 800,000 ducats in debt. The Emperor Charles calls upon all the princes to settle what began at Worms. Luther encourages the princes to speak. He says, "Silence will not save us." All the princes stand up against Charles. Martin was successful.