Reformation Day Movies: 7 Films About Luther, Tyndale and the Reformers

Reformation Day falls on Saturday, October 31, 2026. It marks the day in 1517 when Martin Luther sent his Ninety-five Theses to Albert of Brandenburg, the Archbishop of Mainz, and many churches keep Reformation Sunday the weekend before, on October 25. If you want one film for the occasion, the short answer is Luther (2003) for teens and adults, the black-and-white Martin Luther (1953) for a church group that likes to talk afterwards, and God's Outlaw (1986) for the story of the English Bible.

Below are seven films worth an evening: who each one suits, what to watch out for, and a question or two for afterwards. Reformation Day also lands on Halloween night, so a film at home is an easy alternative for families who would rather stay in.

The quick picks

• Best overall: Luther (2003), rated PG-13
• Best for a church discussion night: Martin Luther (1953)
• Best on the English Bible: God's Outlaw (1986)
• Best if you don't mind subtitles: Zwingli (2019) and Katharina Luther (2017)
• Best for older teens who like period drama: Lady Jane (1986), rated PG-13
• Best for a conversation about conscience: A Man for All Seasons (1966), rated G

1. Luther (2003)

Eric Till's drama is the film most people mean when they ask for "the Luther movie." Joseph Fiennes plays Luther from his decision to become a friar in 1505 to the Diet of Augsburg in 1530. Alfred Molina is a memorably slippery Johann Tetzel selling indulgences, Bruno Ganz plays Luther's mentor Johann von Staupitz, and Peter Ustinov, in his last film before his death, is a dry delight as Frederick the Wise of Saxony. It was an American-German co-production, partly funded by the Christian financial services company Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Best for: teens and adults. Watch out for: violent images, including the aftermath of the Peasants' War, and a scene that deals with a suicide, so preview it before showing it to anyone under 13. The accuracy question: the film compresses years into scenes and stages the famous hammering of the theses on the Wittenberg church door as fact. Historians are less sure. Philip Melanchthon is the only source for the nailing, while the letter to the archbishop on October 31 is documented. Our guide to how accurate biblical and historical movies really are explains why films do this and how to talk about it.

Talk about it: Why did the idea that grace is a gift, not something you buy, land so hard with ordinary people in 1517?

2. Martin Luther (1953)

Before the Fiennes film this was the standard, and many churches still prefer it. Irving Pichel directed, Niall MacGinnis plays Luther, and the film was made with Lutheran Church Productions and shot at the Wiesbaden studios in West Germany. The script was checked by the Reformation scholars Theodore G. Tappert and Jaroslav Pelikan, and an opening notice describes it as a balanced account drawn from "historians of many faiths." It earned two Academy Award nominations, for black-and-white cinematography and art direction, and it was a box-office success.

Best for: church groups, confirmation classes and home-school history. It is gentle, deliberate and nearly free of on-screen violence, which makes it easy to pause for discussion. Younger viewers may find the black-and-white photography and long speeches slow at 105 minutes, so plan a break halfway.

3. God's Outlaw (1986)

The Reformation in England is above all the story of the Bible in English, and that is William Tyndale's story. Tony Tew's British film stars Roger Rees as Tyndale, who translated the New Testament from Greek in exile because doing it at home under Henry VIII was a crime. He was arrested in the Low Countries and executed in 1536, and much of his wording lives on in the King James Version.

Best for: anyone who reads an English Bible, teens upward. It has a modest budget and a sombre ending, but it is the best feature film on Tyndale. Talk about it: What would you risk to read Scripture in your own language? Many Christians around the world still face that question.

4. Zwingli (2019)

The Reformation was never only Luther. Swiss director Stefan Haupt's film follows Huldrych Zwingli in Zurich from 1519, when he began preaching at the Grossmünster, to his violent death in the Second War of Kappel in 1531. It shows a reformer preaching straight through the Gospel of Matthew, arguing with the city council and pushing changes that split families and neighbours.

Best for: adults and older teens who are comfortable with subtitles (the original is in Swiss German). There are battle scenes near the end. It is the best film choice if your church comes from the Reformed rather than the Lutheran tradition. Talk about it: Where should church reform stop and politics begin? Zwingli's life is a sharp case study.

5. Katharina Luther (2017)

Made in Germany for the 500th anniversary year, Julia von Heinz's TV film stars Karoline Schuch as Katharina von Bora, the nun who left her convent, married Luther in 1525 and ran a busy household in Wittenberg. It tells the Reformation from the kitchen table rather than the pulpit, and their marriage set a pattern for Protestant family life and married clergy.

Best for: couples and women's groups looking for a different angle. It runs 105 minutes, was rated 12 in Germany, and is in German. Releases with English subtitles are harder to find than the films above, so check availability before you plan around it.

6. Lady Jane (1986)

Trevor Nunn's drama stars a young Helena Bonham Carter as Lady Jane Grey, the teenager placed on England's throne in 1553 to keep the country Protestant after Edward VI died, with Cary Elwes as her husband Guildford Dudley. She reigned for nine days and was executed the following February.

Best for: older teens who enjoy period drama. It is rated PG-13 and long at 142 minutes, and it leans into romance and takes liberties with the history, but Jane's steady faith under pressure gives you plenty to discuss.

7. A Man for All Seasons (1966)

This one is not a Protestant film at all, which is exactly why it belongs here. Fred Zinnemann's Best Picture winner stars Paul Scofield as Sir Thomas More, the Catholic Lord Chancellor who refused to swear the oath naming Henry VIII Supreme Head of the Church of England. Showing the other side of the English Reformation helps teenagers see that sincere Christians disagreed, at great cost. More's refusal to lie under oath also echoes Luther's own words at Worms in 1521: "my conscience is captive to the Word of God."

Best for: teens and adults. It is rated G but dialogue-heavy, so it works best with viewers who enjoy a battle of words.

For younger children

None of the films above was made for small children. For an early evening with little ones, try the animated The Pilgrim's Progress, based on the book by the later Puritan writer John Bunyan, and finish by singing "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," the hymn Luther wrote. Our age-by-age family film guide has more ideas for mixed ages.

How to plan a Reformation Day movie night

• Pick by audience, not reputation. Luther (2003) for a youth group, Martin Luther (1953) for a mixed church crowd, God's Outlaw for a Bible-study class.
• Set the scene in five minutes. Explain indulgences, the letter of October 31, 1517, and why printing presses spread the theses so fast.
• Plan one pause. Stop at the hearing before the emperor at Worms (in either Luther film) and ask what the group would have done.
• Showing it at church? A public screening, even a free one, needs a licence. Our guide to hosting a church movie night covers how that works.
• Teens in the room? Pair the evening with something from our list of Christian movies teenagers actually like.

Where to watch these films legally

Streaming rights for older and foreign-language films change often, and what is available in the US is often different in India. We don't list a free source unless we can stand behind it. Check JustWatch for your country, look at your public library's apps (many US libraries offer Hoopla or Kanopy, which carry older titles), or buy the DVD for your church library. Full-length uploads on random YouTube channels are usually not authorised, so skip them. For legal free options in general, see where to watch Christian movies for free, legally.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best movie about Martin Luther? For most viewers it is Luther (2003), with Joseph Fiennes. It has the strongest cast and the most momentum. The 1953 Martin Luther is more careful and better suited to a church classroom.

Is Luther (2003) appropriate for kids? It is rated PG-13 for violent images and includes a scene involving a suicide. Most families will be comfortable showing it to children from about 13, ideally after a parent has previewed it.

Did Luther really nail the 95 Theses to the church door? Possibly, but it is not certain. What is documented is that he sent the theses to the Archbishop of Mainz on October 31, 1517. The nailing story comes from Philip Melanchthon alone.

Sources: Wikipedia articles on Reformation Day, Luther (2003 film), Martin Luther (1953 film), God's Outlaw (1986 film), Lady Jane (1986 film), A Man for All Seasons (1966 film) and Katharina von Bora, and the German Wikipedia articles on Zwingli (Film) and Katharina Luther (Film), for credits, dates, running times and awards. Checked October 23, 2026. Ratings are the US MPAA ratings except where noted.