Film

Morningstar

(Sat 5 Nov: 3.30pm)

An indie documentary on its premiere tour, Morningstar explores the dramatic life of John Wycliffe.

Setting out from Oxford University, seeking fame and fortune, John Wycliffe swiftly found himself caught between the titanic powers of church and state, facing imprisonment and charged with heresy. From the Black Death to the Peasants’ Revolt, from the Papal Schism to the Earthquake Synod, Wycliffe’s life was shaped by conflict.

Despite this, the core struggle of the 'Morningstar' was not political, but spiritual, and Wycliffe was forced to face the deepest of questions. Why was the world the way it was? Why were ordinary folk living in thrall to Kings and Popes? And why was the church so different to the Christianity of the Bible? It was Wycliffe's new focus on the Bible that brought down on his head the wrath of the bishops, but inspired a spiritual revolution.

Whether viewed as a villain or a hero, his legacy endures to the 21st century, but who was the man behind the myth? Who was the 'Morningstar'?