Luther Movie Review: Riya M

This movie was hard to keep up with, I probably gained interest when my friend told me that he was the priest from American Horror Story. Anyways I actually had to study about him and this would be my second time watching this movie. It still does not surprise me the history behind the Lutheranism history. Martin Luther basically went against the Christian Church as the priests and whatnot were using their power for corruption and making impure actions like having sex and taking money by giving blessings to people (salvation). He basically was questioning God and the Church for the ideology on materialism instead of living a righteous life. Followers of Christianity used money as a way of salvation and indulgences that apparently provided answers to everything.

He went against the corrupted people that had wrongful doings and using the Church and the religion as a reason. He wasn’t going against the religion, just the corrupted actions. Moreover, he also increased the favor of worshipping God to skeptical people and to people that believe the Church comes to them for tax only. He helped the commoners gain access to the Bible which the Church did not approve but he did it. He even made a point by burying the kid that committed suicide, which apparently is also not approving to the Church. Lastly he nailed the 95 Thesis that he created to the church so everyone could see and this was his way of protesting, and thankfully the Church accepted their wrongdoings. So he really made a big change.

In my opinion, the history of Luther is more interesting to read than to watch, I felt the movie was way more dragged out. But yes the movie was a shorter version of understanding the history of Luther and the Protestant Revolution. 

 

Black Robe Movie Review: Riya M.

This movie was a bit hard to watch because it’s not the genre that I would pick to watch. I mean I love reading about history but more about war history, preferably European or East Asian history. However this movie was actually a great movie as it gave a very clear and very different perspective of colonialism in North America. In this movie there is a Jesuit priest who is involved in creating the religious center (churches) that is called the axis mundi. The colonizers were basically trying to convert the Natives into Christianity and they were building churches as well.

In addition, the colonizers believed that since the Natives lived in the ‘wild’ and are not Christian, they are basically attacked by a ‘demon.’ Based on that Father LaFourge, the Jesuit priest wants to convert these natives for their own good. Moreover, the priest had too many strict and conserved rules on how to pray God. He does not care if you do not believe in God as long as you act like a Christian and believe God the way he wants you do, then you’re alright.

On the other hand, Daniel another person who converts people tend to go for a different route. Daniel basically saw the Natives as equals and he even learned about their culture and understand how the Natives believe in god and how they worship God. Also, as Christianity gained knowledge from the bible, the Natives gain from nature and spirits. Daniel does not care or even act like LaFourge, his motto is that it doesn’t matter if they do not believe in God, as long as they’re good people, it’s good.

The Natives believe the colonizers (French) are weird and they are taking something important and sacred away from them, also they do not trust the French. It’s due to the mass genocides of the tribes. And the French believe the Natives are wild and uncivilized people and that the Natives are lower than them. Henceforth there are different perspectives on religion and the whole politics of being colonials.