Martin Luther (1953)

Academy Awards, USA 1954

Nominated Oscar	Best Cinematography, Black-and-White Joseph C. Brun
	Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White Fritz Maurischat Paul Markwitz

Louis De Rochemont Associates
Directed by Irving Pichel
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Vision Video)

Biopic of Martin Luther, the German theologian who dared to stand up to the powerful Roman Catholic church in the 16th century. He pointed out the hypocrisy of church positions for sale to the highest bidders and trinkets sold to the poor for profit ("indulgences"), holding the pope himself accountable. He is deemed a heretic and banished, only to inspire the Reformation which would sweep northern Europe under his name. Made in cooperation with "Lutheran Church  Productions" so not exactly unbiased, but still well-made and acted, and, at least according to the credits, thoroughly researched and based on fact.