Martin Luther, Heretic

Martin Luther, Heretic is a 1983 film made for television, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther. It was released on 8 November 1983 in the United Kingdom, two days before the 500th jubilee on 10 November. It starred Jonathan Pryce as Martin Luther. Maurice Denham reprised his role of Johann von Staupitz that he played in the 1973 American Film Theater film Luther. The time frame of the film is 1506-1522: the beginning of Luther's monastic vocation to his return from exile at the Wartburg in 1522. A medieval dramatic troupe's performances of mystery plays provide the unifying motif for a parallel telling of the story of the film. When Luther's carriage en route from the Wartburg to Wittenberg it is shown passing an actor wearing a devil's mask. When this scene is revisited at the end of the film, the actor slips this mask off his face.