Between Heaven and Hell (2017)

Between Heaven and Hell: Luther and the Power of the Word - a historical and biographical drama – is a German movie (based on a true story) about Martin Luther and the Reformation of 1517. It was shown on German television (ZDF) and released on DVD in 2017 in order to mark the 500-year anniversary of this event. Here is some basic information about it:

** Original German title: Zwischen Himmel und Hölle: Luther und die Macht des Wortes

** Directed by Uwe Janson

** Screenplay written by Stefan Dähnert & Marianne Wendt

** Soundtrack: German

** Subtitles: German

** Run time: 164 minutes

The cast includes the following:

** Maximilian Brückner as Martin Luther (1483-1546) - reformer

** Jan Krauter as Thomas Müntzer (1489-1525) - reformer

** Johannes Klaussner as Andreas Bodenstein (1486-1541) - reformer

** Christoph Maria Herbst as Lukas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) – a printer

** Anna Schudt as Barbara Cranach (1485-1540) – Lukas’ wife

** Frida-Lovisa Hamann as Katharina von Bora (1499-1552) – a nun, later Martin Luther’s wife

** Aylin Tezel as Ottilie von Gersen (born before 1505, died after 1525) – a nun, later Thomas Müntzer’s wife

** Rüdiger Vogler as Kurfürst Friedrich (1463-1525) – supports and protects Martin Luther

** Fabian Hinrichs as Georg Spalatin (1484-1545) – Kurfürst Friedrich’s secretary

** Joachim Król as Albrecht von Brandenburg (1490-1545) – against the Reformation

** Armin Rohde as Johann Tetzel (Hartmann) (1465-1519) – against the Reformation

** Patrick von Blume as Graf von Mansfeld (1480-1560) – against the Reformation

** Jim Deddes as Karl V (Charles V) (1500-1558) – leader of the Holy Roman Empire – against the Reformation

** Peter Lerchbaumer as Jakob Fugger (1459-1525) – an important banker

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 in this movie, but the basic storyline is true.

This movie is about Martin Luther, but it does not cover his whole life. It covers less than a decade, a short but crucial time of his life. The story begins in 1517, when Luther publishes his 95 theses against the Catholic Church. According to the legend, he posted them on the door of the church in Wittenberg. The story ends in 1525 with the total defeat of the peasant army led by Thomas Müntzer.

Martin Luther is a moderate reformer. He decides to break with the Catholic Church. He is the leader of a religious rebellion. His friend Thomas Müntzer is a radical reformer who wants to have a social and economic revolution as well.

Bodenstein is a friend of both reformers. He tries to act as a mediator, but his efforts are in vain. Luther and Müntzer have to go their separate ways. While Müntzer leads an army of poor peasants, Luther supports the aristocracy who destroys the peasant uprising.

What do reviewers say about this drama? On IMDb it has a rating of 69 per cent, which corresponds to 3.5 stars on Amazon. On the German version of Amazon there are at the moment only two reviews of this product. The average rating is 2 stars.

One review offers three stars; one review offers only one star. Both reviewers insist that they cannot offer a good rating, because the movie violates historical truth too often and in too many ways.

What do I think? I think there are positive and negative elements in this drama.

On the positive side I can say this: (1) the story is captivating. (2) Many actors play their roles well. (3) The musical score provides a fine background for what we see. (4) The cinematography is excellent.

If you do not care much about historical accuracy, if you just want to be entertained for almost three hours, this movie does an excellent job. As a fictional historical drama this movie deserves a rating of four or five stars.

On the negative side I can say this: (1) historical truth is violated on several occasions. (2) Several scenes are highly doubtful; highly unrealistic. Let me explain:

** At the end of a service in a church, Thomas Müntzer begins to sing a German song: Geh aus, mein Herz, und suche Freud in dieser lieben Sommerzeit. The congregation joins him and sings along. There is a small problem here. The scene is set in 1517. But the text is a poem that was written more than 100 years later by Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676). And the music to the poem was composed more than 200 years later by August Harder (1775-1813). What we have here is an anachronism.

** When Luther is working on a translation of the New Testament, he quotes a passage from the Old Testament!

** We are told that Katharina von Bora (Martin Luther’s future wife) and Ottilie von Gersen (Thomas Müntzer’s future wife) have been friends for many years, because they were nuns in the same convent. There is no evidence to support this claim.

** On several occasions, the words “Lutheran” and “evangelical” are used as common words, as synonyms of the word “Protestant,” even though these words could not be common at the time.

** In the beginning of the movie, Martin Luther plays a game that looks a lot like rugby with his students in a muddy field. Did they play rugby in the 16th century? I do not think so. Did Martin Luther play rugby with his students? I do not think so. Turning Martin Luther into an athlete who enjoys rolling around in the mud with his students is something new and surprising. But highly unrealistic.

** When Martin Luther is giving a sermon from the pulpit, he is suddenly interrupted and corrected by Katharina von Bora, his future wife. This seems highly unrealistic.

** Johann Tetzel appears in the beginning of the drama when we are in 1517. He also appears at the end of the drama when we are in 1525. This is not quite realistic, because Johann Tetzel died in 1519. In 1525 he was no longer alive. He had been dead for six years. The movie-makers decided to let him live a little longer than he actually did. Why? In order to create a drama effect.

** One topic is never mentioned in this movie: Martin Luther and the Jews. How did he feel about the Jews? He hated them. As did many other Germans at the time. Why is this fact not mentioned? I think we can guess why. If Luther was revealed as an anti-Semite, his character would end up in a very negative light. But this movie wants to present him in a positive light. Therefore the topic is simply ignored.

As you can see, this movie has some flaws; some of them so serious that they cannot be ignored. I have to remove at least two stars because of them. Therefore I think it deserves a rating of three stars.

PS. For more information about Martin Luther and the Reformation of 1517, see the following items:

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

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

** Das Luther Tribunal: ZehnTage im April, a historical drama about the special assembly that was held in the free imperial city of Worms in 1521 (ZDF, 2017)

*****

 

Martin Luther (1483-1546): a contemporary painting

*****