Martin Luther was a principled, courageous man whose convictions led him to single handedly challenge the most powerful institution of his time, and as a result the course of history was changed forever.

David vs. Goliath stories remain universal in their appeal. An individual holding on to deeply held beliefs against overwhelming odds has long been a staple of popular motion pictures. Defiant "heroes" have been the subject of such admired films as "Braveheart," "Schindler's List," "Gandhi," "A Man For All Seasons," as well as many others. "Luther" is in this tradition of cinematic storytelling.

The goal for the producers of "Luther" was to depict Luther as a man of blood and sinew -- and certainly human fallibility -- wrestling his conscience over what he saw as egregious wrongs practiced by the Church.

"What was most relevant to me about 'Luther' is its theme that man will fight suppression and control," said Joseph Fiennes, who portrays the fiery 16th century monlc "The film has many theological themes, but on a human level it's about suppression. It's about the control that the Church had on the masses during that time through language and interpretation. Sooner or later, man seeks to gain knowledge and, with that knowledge, he will gain power, liberation and the freedom of consciousness."

"'Luther' is an eminently human movie," said Sir Peter Ustinov, who stars as Prince Frederick the Wise, one of Luther's most important allies. "It speaks about the independence of the human being to think and to think deeply. One part of the human makeup that should be protected against assault is what you believe in the privacy of your soul. So many people in history have been tortured and eventually killed because of what they thought -- compared with the relatively few who were killed for what they did."

Luther, who lived from 1483 to 1546, witnessed that explosive awakening of modern thought known as the Renaissance. "Luther's life unfolds against one of the greatest revolutionary periods in human history," said director Eric Till. "It was the epoch in which Copernicus risked his life by laying out his cosmic theory, according to which the earth was not the center of the universe; when Gutenberg invented moveable type; and Galileo was condemned by the Inquisition for his physical discoveries. Pope Leo X and Emperor Charles V determined the political climate of Europe. One often has the impression that Luther stood at the center of it all," said Till.

"We didn't want the film to be an illustrated history book," added producer Brigitte Rochow. "Luther's life was neither dry nor dusty, but a turbulent, highly emotional and dramatic 'career' which was characterized by a disturbing tug-of-war between a strong faith and temptation, hardness and vulnerability, decisiveness and feud.

"Luther" touches on many of the key elements of Martin Luther's well-documented life. It begins in 1505 when, during a horrendous storm, a terrified Luther pledges to abandon his law studies and devote his life to God if only he is spared death from the lightning bolts scorching the ground. He enters an Augustinian monastery and becomes a friar. The film follows Luther's pilgrimage to Rome, his transfer to preach and study in Wittenberg and the writing of his 95 Theses. His resistance to Cardinal Cajetan's order to recant and his appearance before Emperor Charles V makes Luther an outlaw for the remainder of his life. He is excommunicated by the Pope and exiled by Charles V. During his exile at Wartburg Castle, Luther translated the New TestaIl1ent into German in just eleven weeks. Luther's was both the first German translation as well as the first translation the common man of the day could read and understand. After that he returned to Wittenberg as peasant mobs are burning churches and killing clergymen. He then unexpectedly marries a former nun and focuses his considerable efforts on keeping his 'reformation' from befalling political compromise.

From the beginning the producers knew that their project depended upon the actor who would embody Luther. The desire was to cast someone who could personify the complexity and attractiveness of the reformer, without sweeping his human weaknesses under the carpet.

"We wanted an actor who could be as ordinary as he was charismatic, as shy as defiant, . as playful anq as intense. And last but not least someone with whom young people today can relate," said Till. Joseph Fiennes, who had proved that his presence in such historical films as "Elizabeth" and "Shakespeare in Love" appealed to contemporary audiences, was ideal.

Ironically, prior to accepting the film, Fiennes had reluctantly turned down the role of Luther in the London National Theatre's production of John Osborne's play because of a schedule conflict. Having developed a passion for the character, he happily accepted the opportunity to portray him in the film.

"I see Luther at first as a true innocent in the best sense of the word," Fiennes said. "He did not enter the Church in order to change it, let alone to divide it. He was far too occupied with his own existential doubts. And he was faced with a great moral dilemma when he had to see that his convictions were held out as justification for the cruelties committed during the peasants' revolt.

"The challenge of these historical projects is to make it speak to a contemporary "audience. I tried to play Martin with having doubt as much as knowing what's right, which is a very human condition. Ultimately, what I love, is the relationship Luther has with the three father figures in his life. There is his biological father, a very interesting and cruel relationship, there's God the father and then a fascinating relationship with Father Johann von Staubitz, his spiritual father. It is a great theme that runs through the film," said Fiennes.

With their star secured, the producers were able to complete the cast with an international ensemble.

Alfred Molina stars as the indulgence peddler Johann Tetzel. Molina's interpretation of fire and brimstone preaching Tetzel may have been an offshoot from his portrayal of Comte de Reynaud, the unforgiving, religiously obsessed mayor he portrayed in "Chocolat."

"On the face of it, Tetzel seems to be perhaps the villain of the film," said Molina. "As Luther's nemesis, he raised money for the rebuilding ofSt. Peter's in Rome by selling indulgences. This may have been wrong, but he was absolutely committed to what he thought was right. That's what makes him interesting."

Sir Peter Ustinov's portrayal of Prince Frederick the Wise is yet another role in his illustrious career. No stranger to costume dramas, Ustinov has played Herod in Franco Zeffirelli's "Jesus of Nazareth" and, at a very young age, played the indulgent Emperor Nero in the MGM epic, "Quo Vadis."

"The character of Frederick was very interesting," said Ustinov. "I don't believe he had any real faith. He collected holy relics -- the thumbs of saints, and such -- from when he was young. But that was only a hobby. It's only when Martin Luther began to preach with fire and passion that Frederick became courageous because he was infected by Luther's courage."

The cast also includes Bruno Ganz as Father Johann von Staubitz; Jonathan Firth as Girolamo Aleander, the papal legate and immediate antagonist of Luther; Claire Cox as Luther's wife Katharina von Bora; Mathieu Carriere as Cardinal Cajetan; Uwe Ochsenknecht as Pope Leo X; Benj amin Sadler as court secretary George Spalatin; Jochen Horst as Professor Carlstadt and Torben Liebrecht as Emperor Charles V.

"Luther" was filmed on locations throughout Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic. The cast and crew was a small invading army of 200 requiring 60 vehicles for transportation.

Production ran into delays on the first day of shooting, which coincided with the Italian Tourism Board's "Open Doors Day," in which historical sites were opened to the public. A domino effect rippled through the production schedule to avoid gawking crowds of 21 st century tourists surrounding the company's 16th century sets.

The constant move from one exterior to the other at the beginning of the shoot was a bit of "If it's Tuesday, it must be Wartburg." The tour of German castles and medieval towns included such picturesque locales as Thuringia and Franken, Rauenstein, Hohenstein, the Veste Coburg and the castle at Wartburg where Luther translated the New Testament into German. Over 100 different sets would be built by the time shooting ended.

Despite the fact that Gennany boasts many of the still-standing sites Luther visited, most have been rebuilt, renovated or partially destroyed. "Wartburg Castle has been completely ruined by renovation," said production designer Rolf Zehetbauer. "It's impossible to film the Wartburg scenes there accurately."

The producers took a flexible approach to the locations. They filmed at sites such as W artburg, but the scenes did not turn up in the film as Wartburg. Instead, Wartburg became the Great Hall of the Residence in Wonns where Luther was asked to recant his writings before Charles V.

The cast, however, appreciated the medieval atmosphere, regardless of historical accuracy. "To feel the setting of history, even ifit's 500 years later, helps one immeasurably in connecting to one's own role," said Molina.

For the make-up and costume departments, the scenes depicting crowds were quite frenetic. 300 extras would arrive by bus to become transfonned into "medieval folk." The transfonnation would begin at four in the morning. Costume Designer Ulla Gothe and her colleagues created basic costume cowls, vests, and long gowns that were then augmented with accessories to confer wealth and rank.

Sir Peter Ustinov also had praise for the costume department as well as musil}gs on medieval dress. "Costume must be congratulated for creating a world that is absolutely fantastic to look at. At the same time, because of their accuracy, I understood why many people died by the age of 40. They were dressed in curtains. The costumes would pull you in all the wrong places. You find yourself neck-less and not knowing how to move. One wonders how fashion developed that way after the Romans, with their loose gannents. Then suddenly clothing was appointed with ornate things, weighed down with gold and silver and God knows what else. Certain parts of the body were exposed -- it's very understandable why they didn't live long."

RS Entertainment presents "LUTHER," starring Joseph Fiennes, Alfred Molina, Jonathan Firth, Claire Cox, Sir Peter Ustinov, Bruno Ganz, Uwe Ochsenknecht, Mathieu Carriere and Benjamin Sadler in an NFP Teleart Production. Eric Till is the director; Camille Thomasson and Bart Gavigan are the screenwriters; Dennis Clauss, Kurt Rittig, Gabriela Pfandner and J. Dan Nichols are executive producers; Brigitte Rochow, Christian P. Stehr and Alexander Thies are producers. Robert Fraisse is the director of photography; Clive Barrett is the film editor; Rolf Zehetbauer is the production designer; Ulla Gothe is the costume designer; Hasso von Hugo is the make-up supervisor; and Richard Harvey the composer.