The Luther Tribunal: Ten Days in April (2017)

The Luther Tribunal: Ten Days in April is a historical movie (based on a true story) about Martin Luther and the Reformation. In this movie the focus is not on the year 1517 when the Reformation begins; it is on the year 1521 when a special assembly – a Luther tribunal - is held in the free imperial town of Worms, with Emperor Karl V (Charles V) presiding.

The Luther tribunal takes place in April. Hence the title and the subtitle of the movie. Here is some basic information about this movie which was shown on German television (ZDF) in 2017:

** German title: Das Luther Tribunal: Zehn Tage im April 
** Directed by Christian Trente
** Screenplay written by Friedrich Klütsch
** Historical advisor: Professor Dr Heinz Schilling
** Soundtrack: German
** Subtitles: German
** Released on DVD: 2017
** Run time: 88 minutes

The cast includes the following:

** Roman Knizka as Martin Luther (1483-1546) - reformer
** Kurfürst Friedrich III von Sachsen (“the wise”) (1463-1525) – supports and protects Martin Luther
** Hans Wegener as Georg Spalatin (1484-1545) – Kurfürst Friedrich’s secretary

** Alexander Beyer as Hieronimus Aleander (Girolamo Aleandro) (1480-1542) – papal representative in Worms
** Holger Daemgen as Johann von Eck (1486-1543) – Catholic prosecutor during the tribunal in Worms
** Mateusz Dopieralski as Karl V (Charles V) (1500-1558) – emperor of the Holy Roman Empire 1519-1556

Since this movie is based on a true story, the basic facts are part of the public record. They are not a secret. Therefore I feel free to mention some of them in this review.

While this movie is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a dramatized version of events. Not everything happened exactly as shown here, but the basic storyline is true.

The drama is divided into three main sections:

(1) Before the tribunal
(2) The tribunal in Worms
(3) After the tribunal

From time to time, the drama is interrupted for a brief moment. This happens for one of two reasons:

# 1. A special clip – known as “frozen time” – is used. While this clip is seen, a narrator offers some background information in order to help the viewer understand what is going on.

# 2. A modern expert appears. The expert makes a statement in order to put a modern perspective on the events of 1521.

Three experts are used:

** Elisabeth Gräb-Schmidt (born 1956) - theologian
** Claudia Garnier (born 1970) - historian
** Heinz Schilling (born 1942) – historian

For a brief moment, the movie becomes a documentary film. But once the interruption is over, the drama continues as before. That is why this product is described as a drama-documentary. If you ask me, it is a good idea, because it makes it easier for the viewer to understand what is going on.

Back in 1517, Martin Luther had criticized the Catholic Church when he published his 95 theses. According to the legend, he posted them on the door of a church in Wittenberg. The Church had responded. Martin Luther was told to stop his criticism and to withdraw what he had published. He refused. As a result, the Catholic Church had declared that he was excommunicated. In 1521, he was offered one last chance:

He was told to appear before a special assembly in Worms. The Catholic Church would ask him to withdraw his criticism. Martin Luther would be able to appeal to the emperor, Charles V. Perhaps the emperor would take Luther’s side and tell the Catholic Church to leave him alone.

But if the emperor sided with the Catholic Church, Martin Luther would be declared an outlaw; nobody would be allowed to help or support him; and any person would have the right to kill him.

In this movie, we see what happens before, during, and after the tribunal in Worms in April 1521. Many scenes are set in the courtroom. But some scenes are set in other locations:

(1) We see the Catholic side: Aleander and Eck.

(2) We see the Protestant side: Luther and the people around him.

(3) We see two important persons: Kurfürst Friedrich III and Emperor Karl V.

Friedrich supports and protects Luther, because he is a professor at his university. Using a modern phrase we can say that Friedrich is defending Luther’s academic freedom.

Karl is a young emperor who does not want to have a conflict with the Pope in Rome. The emperor has many other problems. He needs the support of the Pope.

Friedrich and Karl have met before. They know each other quite well. Can they make a deal that will save Luther and at the same time allow the emperor to save face and avoid a conflict with the Pope in Rome?

Watch the movie to find the answer to this question.

The assembly in Worms is well documented. We know many details about this meeting. We know who did what. We know who said what. The movie-makers wanted to create a drama that was as close to the true story as possible. On the ZDF website, they have explained how they look at the historical evidence:

“When there is a historical source, it does not mean that we know what to say and do. It means that we know what we cannot say and cannot do. The historical sources have a veto over what we can say and do.”

I like this approach. When there is a gap in the historical sources, the movie-makers can fill this gap with what they want, but they cannot fill the gap with something that goes against the historical sources that are preserved.

One element in this movie may surprise you. We hear more than once about Martin Luther and the problems with his digestion. You may well ask: “Is this really true? Is this really relevant?” In both cases, the answer is yes.

It is perhaps not well-known, but it is a historical fact that Martin Luther suffered from constipation. He made no secret of this fact. He often had to spend a long time alone when he had problems with his digestion. During this time he would think about religious issues. He would contemplate how he could express his point of view.

The movie-makers could not resist. They had to use this element in the movie. Adding this element to the story is not wrong or misplaced. On the contrary: it makes the drama more realistic, more authentic.

What do reviewers say about it? On IMDb it has a rating of 63 per cent, which corresponds to three stars on Amazon. If you ask me, this average rating is too low. Why?

The script is well written and the actors play their roles well. The story is captivating, dramatic and emotional. In addition, it is based on a true story. I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars.

PS # 1. The movie has a flaw: Mateusz Dopieralski, who plays Emperor Karl V, does not look quite right. He is a young man, which is fine, but his face is quite normal, and this is wrong. Karl V did not have a normal face. He had an unbelievable under-bite; a protruding jaw; also known as the Habsburg Jaw, because several members of the Habsburg family had this special feature. It can be seen in contemporary paintings of Karl and members of his family.

Perhaps it was not possible to find an actor with a Habsburg Jaw. But if one could not be found, the make-up department should have given Mateusz Dopieralski a jaw that would give him the right look for this role. The missing jaw is a flaw. But I have decided to regard it as a minor flaw in a great work of art. And therefore it will not affect my overall rating of the product.

PS # 2. For more information about Martin Luther and the Reformation, see the following items:

** Katharina Luther – a historical and biographical movie about the woman who was married to the great reformer (ARD, 2017)

** Zwishen Himmel und Hölle – a historical movie about Martin Luther and the Reformation 1517-1525 (ZDF, 2017)

** Der grosse Anfang: 500 Jahre Reformation – a documentary film in three parts (ZDF, 2017)

*****

 

A portrait of Charles V from 1514-1516, 

which shows the legendary Habsburg Jaw

*****