Berliner Zeitung
19 June, 2002
By Mariam Schaghaghi
Translated by Beate

MUNICH, in June. Does Martin Luther qualify as a Hollywood hero? His life was extraordinary enough though. A law-student who got the inspiration to become a monk by a lightning-bolt. A monk who complained loudly about the corruptibility of the princes of the church. One who then had to hide from the Pope and the world. One who used the long time of his exile to translate the bible into German.

"There is hardly enough time"

Joseph Fiennes plays Martin Luther. The actor, known from Shakespeare in Love, has been filming the part since April. His hair has been dyed dark-blond, he has an unattractive bowl-shaped haircut with tonsure and wears a dark monk's habit. So far, filming brought the 31-years-old to Coburg, Eisenach, Seßlach and Erfurt. In Munich-Grünwald, in studio 12 of the Bavaria Filmstudios, the indoor scenes have just been finished. Here film architect Rolf Zehetbauer has reconstructed the Luther room on the Wartburg and the prayer cell in the Erfurt monastery.

Fiennes has not seen too much of the original Luther places during his tour through Germany, he says. "I have been in Bavaria for the first time. I didn't know Munich nor Coburg or Seßlach. But when I had the chance to see something, I liked it extremely well. But I get up almost before sunrise and go to bed after sunset - there is hardly any time left when I am not filming. But I enjoy it nevertheless to see something other than London for once."

The Luther film takes the Englishman to Italy and Czechia where the exterior scenes will be shot. The filming is scheduled to wrap up at the beginning of July. And the 120 minutes film biography is scheduled to be released for fall of next year. The German production has a budget of 20 million dollars, it's directed by the Canadian Eric Till. He says: "We have a very complex story here. Luther is a wonderful material. And you are always sad that you can't fit everything in a movie. But we want to make movies which means we have to keep the content exciting." Therefore the script writers, Camille Thomasson and Bart Gavigan, concentrated on young Luther, on the stages between 18 and 46 years, in which he fights his personal battle with God and at the same time challenges the political and religious authorities of his time.

Of course, what would such a film be without love? The British actress Claire Cox plays "the best wife" that Luther could want. She gives him six children, brews beer and makes the monastery a cosy home for family, students and guests. "When he meets Katharina, Luther is at a low", says Joseph Fiennes, "loves comes at exactly the right moment. She is like a sunbeam which suddenly lights his life." Director Eric Till adds pleased: "You should see the light in Joseph's eyes when Claire enters the stage."

Fiennes shares that the filming moved him: "What touched me about Luther was his contradictoriness and his vulnerability. And his problematic relations with his father and grandfather. I think he didn't want to be pugnacious and question the Pope's authority. I especially love this contradiction: that he forced the church to their knees, although he never intended to do so."

The wonderful World Cup party

During the filming, actor Joseph Fiennes has of course also thought about his own faith. "You can't get away from it if you embrace this man", he says. "I have found faith to play a big part in my life, but religion none at all. Just as dogmas don't. I see myself as an agnostic which means I don't belong to any confession."

But one confession the actor does have. "Football is my religion and my church, I am crazy about it. And why not? The World Cup is a wonderful party."