Martin Luther (1953 film)

Martin Luther
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Irving Pichel
Written by	Allan Sloane Lothar Wolff
Produced by	Lothar Wolff
Starring	Niall MacGinnis
Cinematography	Joseph C. Brun
Edited by	Fritz Stapenhorst
Music by	Mark Lothar
Distributed by	De Rochemont/Lutheran Productions
Release dates	4 May 1953 (1953-05-04) (Milwaukee)[1] 4 March 1954 (1954-03-04) (West Germany)
Running time	105 min
Country	United States/West Germany
Language	English
Budget	$500,000[2] or $350,000[3]
Box office	$3 million[3]

Martin Luther is a 1953 American–West German film biography of Martin Luther. It was directed by Irving Pichel, (who also plays a supporting role), and stars Niall MacGinnis as Luther. It was produced by Louis de Rochemont and RD-DR Corporation in collaboration with Lutheran Church Productions and Luther-Film-G.M.B.H.

The National Board of Review named the film the fourth best of 1953. It was nominated for two Oscars, for Best Cinematography (Black-and-White) (Joseph C. Brun) and Art Direction/Set Decoration (Black-and-White) (Fritz Maurischat, Paul Markwitz).^[4] The music was composed by Mark Lothar and performed by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. It was filmed at the Wiesbaden Studios in Hesse in West Germany.

A notice at the beginning of the film characterizes it as a careful and balanced presentation of Luther's story: "This dramatization of a decisive moment in human history is the result of careful research of facts and conditions in the 16th century as reported by historians of many faiths." The research was done by notable Reformation scholars Theodore G. Tappert and Jaroslav Pelikan who assisted Allan Sloane and Lothar Wolff.

The film was commercially very successful.^[2]