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CORVALLIS - A few short months ago, Christian Stehr was watching Joseph Fiennes in a frigid Bavarian field, acting out a pivotal scene depicting the revelation of Martin Luther, who went on to confront corruption of the church in 16th-century Europe.

This fall, he returns to the classrooms of Oregon State University, where for 28 years he has taught the German language to students at all levels, as well as literature and culture.

It's been a long, unexpected journey for the native German, who came to Oregon in 1969 as a visiting instructor and this week will attend a gala world premiere in Washington, D.C. for the international feature film "Luther," for which he served as U.S. producer.

He may not have experienced any of it were it not for a horrific horse-riding accident more than three decades ago.

"I nearly lost my leg," he said, still wincing about the incident 33 years later. "I was a visiting instructor at the University of Oregon and, after the accident, well, that first year was really shot. So someone said, 'why not stay a second year?' So I did - and it became harder and harder to leave Oregon."

In 1975, Stehr joined the faculty at OSU and soon began experimenting with the broadcast medium that would become his avocation and eventually lead him into the film world. He wrote and hosted a German language instructional television series called "Guten Tag" that was shot in the old KOAC studio in the upper reaches of Gill Coliseum. Oregon Public Broadcasting produced and distributed the programs, and PBS stations all over the country ran them repeatedly.

Soon, German networks began contacting Stehr and Tom Doggett of KOAC, who now is with OPB, to begin translating German documentaries into English. Many were nature shows, including the oceanographic series, "The Restless Sea."

"We would use the German visuals, dub over the voices in American English, and adapt them to a standard half-hour format," Stehr said.

The connections to the German broadcast industry paid further dividends when Stehr was asked to become a U.S. producer for a television movie to be called "Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace," a biopic about renowned German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor who defied the Nazis in World War II and was executed on the personal order of Hitler.

The 90-minute film was a landmark co-production that took six years to produce, from fund-raising through post-production.

On an individual level, "Bonhoeffer's story is one of the most compelling of World War II," Stehr said. "We thought it was important to tell his story to the public."

No sooner than they were into post-production on Bonhoeffer when word of a new project began floating about - the life of Martin Luther, renowned as one of the most influential persons of the millennium. Yet he is a person few people today know much about - especially young Americans.

"That's true," said Stehr's wife, Tammy, who served as a consultant on the film. "If you mention Martin Luther, most 20-year-olds think you're talking about the assassination of the civil rights leader. So the challenge was to present the person, the values and the ideals of Martin Luther, but not put him on a pedestal, because a young audience just won't go for that sugar-coating."

Thus challenged, the production team spent long hours developing a script and assembling the cast and crew.

Joseph Fiennes wanted to tackle the role of Luther, and two-time Oscar-winner Sir Peter Ustinov signed on as Luther's patron, Prince Frederick the Wise. Veteran actor Alfred Molina ("Frida"), director Eric Till ("Bonhoeffer"), cinematographer Robert Fraisse ("Seven Years in Tibet"), and a seasoned international cast and crew helped make what should have been a difficult undertaking into a tremendously rewarding experience, Stehr said.

"There is a reason you see so few truly multi-national productions," Stehr said. "They are difficult to do because of the linguistic and cultural challenges - on the script and in day-to-day discussions. But everyone felt so strongly about the film it was worth it."

Luther opens on Sept. 26 in 400 theaters nationwide, including Portland, Vancouver , Beaverton Eugene and Corvallis. Though critics have reviewed the film favorably, Stehr said he is curious to see what kind of reaction it will get from the general public.

While he awaits the public verdict, he is preparing for yet another generation of German students. And he attacks that mission with the same zeal he uses as an international film producer.

"I've always adapted the skills I learned as a producer to those I need as a teacher," he said. "I bought my own video editing equipment and learned to use it, then developed interactive CD-ROM programs for my beginning and intermediate German classes. It's amazing; a new way to teach. I had 120 first-year German students sign up last year - and the retention in the class was fantastic."

Stehr already has more than 220 students signed up for the coming year, and is successfully teaching distance learning courses in German using the interactive materials he also uses on campus.

"I believe that when you take something on, you should focus on it and do it right," Stehr said. "Whether it's in the classroom or on the big screen."