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The Return of Martin Guerre | Year: 1983 Classification: Foreign Film - French Directed: - Daniel Vigne Actors/Actresses: - Gérard Depardieu - Nathalie Baye Medieval verismilitude.... I bought "The Return of Martin Guerre" because I am a history buff, and the film had been described by a leading historian as the most accurate film one could find depicting the life of the middle class in Medieval France. The story line has been redone by Jody Foster and cast in post-Civil War Virginia, but this film is head and shoulders above the remake. If you can't understand French, read the subtitles and watch it more than once. The setting is a small village in France during the late Middle Ages. The tale centers on a soldier, Martin Guerre played by Gerard Depardieu (in his younger slimmer body), who returns home after years of absence. He renews his relationship with the wife he deserted (or rather begins again since his former relationship left much to be desired). His years away have made him a better person than the callow youth he was when left the village seeking adventure. He has become a loving husband and a hard worker, and discordance seems a thing of the past. After much hard work, one day, he asks his family to relinquish a parcel of land he says rightfully belongs to him. This request disturbs the family who had assumed he was gone for good and would never assume ownership of the land. Their greed leads them to begin a court proceeding against him charging him as an imposter who has no right to the land. I found the legal angles of the story quite intriging. It was illuminating to discover there were laws and jurisprudence as well as thoughtful judges during this period. The "humanist" movement had begun, so there were newer provisions for protecting individuals from the group. The contrast of these provisions with the archaic punishments that date from an earlier period is instructive. a trip back in time... This film does a very good job of highlighting the drama and emotion of a truly remarkable story. Thankfully it does so without taking the story out of the context of 16th century France, when and where these events actually occured. The movie is based largely on a historical book of the same name. The author, Natalie Zemon Davis, is a respected historian and she also worked with the makers of this film. If you want to know more about this true story and get more historical background I highly recommend the book. For comparison, check out the American remake of this film, "Sommersby", which stars Richard Gere and is set during the American Civil War. Why, O Why Great movie, concur with the other comments, but what moron decided to cut the beautiful love scene between Depardieu and Baye from the DVD (the one just before he gets arrested the 2nd time). The perpetrator should be flayed and hanged and everybody who bought the DVD should be provided with a free replacement that includes this scene to compensate for the emotional anguish at seeing this jewel damaged by an incompetent, hypocritical editor. Buy The Return Of Martin Guerre at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on The Return Of Martin Guerre Search with the Priority Search Engine on The Return Of Martin Guerre This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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