5 movies to watch on Reformation Day

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Tuesday, October 31, 2023

'Morningstar' (2022)

The movie “Morningstar” centers on the life of John Wycliffe, a 14th century theologian who garnered controversy for his efforts to translate the Bible from Latin to English.

Wycliffe was considered a forerunner to the Protestant Reformation, with some dubbing the influential religious historical figure “the Morningstar of the Reformation.”

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“Morningstar is a well-acted drama, while a narrator, Philip Todd, holds the documentary dimensions together. Jared Morgan gives John Wyclif (here spelled Wycliffe) a doughty spirit,” wrote Stephen Brown of Church Times.

“I particularly liked Macleod’s use of tableau backgrounds to set pieces. Fiery reds rage in a graveyard as actors recite extracts from Wyclif’s translation of perfect love casting out fear (1 John 4.18). Soldiers on John of Gaunt’s orders violate those seeking sanctuary in a digitalized impression of Westminster Abbey. Their very artificiality produces a heightened sense of the real battle for the soul at stake in this piece.”