Plot
In 1519, the teachings of Martin Luther sweep through the German principalities. They are welcomed by the peasants, who hope that the new doctrines will help to liberate them from the oppressive yoke of the nobility and the magistrates. The young pastor Thomas Muentzer embraces Lutheranism, but he is more radical in his support for the peasants. In 1523, Muentzer arrives in Allstedt to assume the office of the local pastor. When a local villager is arrested after assaulting an overseer who tried to rape his sister, the priest helps him escape. He also carries a first Mass in German rather than Latin, and preaches his flock to destroy all the saints' icons in the local chapel, which he deems to be heretical. The people burn it down. The local baron retaliates by destroying the village. The priest now realizes that he is no longer a follower of Luther, who called to refrain from violence. He flees to southern Germany, where he and his friend Heinrich Pfeiffer take over the city of Muehlhausen and form a peasant rebel army, intending to liberate the people. But betrayal and the schemes of the nobility bring about their defeat in the Battle of Frankenhausen. Muentzer is captured; as he is tortured, he refuses to deny his religious doctrines and is then executed.Selected cast
*Wolfgang Stumpf as Thomas Muentzer. *Margarete Taudte as Ottilie von Gerson. *Martin Floerchinger as Heinrich Pfeiffer. *Wolf Kaiser as Hannes the Swab. *Ulrich Thein as student. *Gerd Michael Henneberg as Evangelist priest. *Horst Giese as miner. *Fritz Diez as Field Captain Hoffmann. *Franz Loskarn as Captain Krumpe. *Gerhard Bienert as Ernst von Mansfeld, Ernst II, Count von Mansfeld. *Edgar Bennert as Frederick III, Elector of Saxony. *Friedrich Richter (actor), Friedrich Richter as John, Elector of Saxony. *Fred Diesko as John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony. *Guido Goroll as Louis V, Elector Palatine. *Jan Franz Krueger as Henry V, Duke of Brunswick-Lueneburg. *Peter Herden as Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. *Paul Paulsen as George, Duke of Saxony. *Ruediger Renn as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.Production
The communist leadership of East Germany, in its attempts to create a unifying narrative for the citizens of their country, attempted to portray the history of the land as a chain of events which developed according to the rules of Marxism-Leninism, leading unavoidably to the consolidation of socialist power in the state. The figure of the preacher Thomas Muentzer held an especially important status in the eyes of the establishment, both because of his radical theology that was regarded as a precursor to communism and his recognition by Friedrich Engels, who viewed him as a revolutionary leader - as stated in Engels' book, ''The Peasant War in Germany''. The film was one of 13 'heritage films' created by the DEFA studio during the 1950s about important historical characters whose legacy was deemed important by the state, like Johannes Kepler and Georg Buechner. Author Friedrich Wolf (writer), Friedrich Wolf began working on the scenario in the late 1940s, and director Hellberg requested the DEFA board to authorize a film about Muentzer in 1952. 200 actors and 2000 extras, the latter mostly servicemen of the Kasernierte Volkspolizei, Barracked People's Police and apprentices, were involved in the filming, which took place in the town of Quedlinburg. The picture was shot using Agfacolor reels.A review on ''Der Spiegel'', 11 July 1956.Reception
The film had its premiere on 17 May 1956, on the tenth anniversary to DEFA's founding.References
External links