It's almost cliché today to regard Martin Luther as the father of what would come to be known as the Protestant Reformation of the church. That description may well be accurate, but it should be noted that the Reformation had some grandfathers as well, one of whom was John Wycliffe.
Wycliffe was a giant of his day - a renowned scholar and theologian and a very brave man who stood against the powerful religious and civil authorities of the day to proclaim what he perceived to be a true gospel - a gospel of God's grace offered to all without the intervention of the church being necessary. A giant though Wycliffe may have been, this movie that bears his name doesn't measure up to that standard. It's certainly not a lavish production. It's a wee bit grainy and the production values aren't noteworthy. The dialogue at times is a bit stilted, and it's quite slow moving at times, seeming much longer than its 75 minute run time to be honest. Historically, though, it's reasonably accurate in its portrayal of Wycliffe's life from his days as a teacher at Oxford, through to his condemnation as a heretic, his death and then the desecration of his body years later. The "hot button" theological issues of the days are all brought out - from indulgences to the fate of babies who die without being baptized to the doctrine of transubstantiation. There's a brief look at Wycliffe as a social reformer, sympathizing with the plight of oppressed English peasants but refusing to support violent revolution. There's also the account of the act for which he's probably most famous: the decision to make the Scriptures accessible to the "common man" by translating them into English.
No one will mistake this for a masterpiece. It does, however, feature a good performance from Peter Howell as Wycliffe. Howell came across as believable and earnest in the part. For those with an interest in the pre-Reformation reformation, this will be a very interesting watch.
