The Return of Martin Guerre (1982)
Village of Artigat, southern France, summer 1542, during the reign of Francis I. Martin Guerre and Bertrande de Rols marry. A few years later, accused of having committed a robbery, Martin suddenly disappears. When, almost a decade later, a man arrives in Artigat claiming to be Martin, the Guerre family recognizes him as such; but doubts soon arise about his true identity.
Watch Trailer
Cast
Similar titles
Reviews
I love this movie so much
Really Surprised!
The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.
The acting in this movie is really good.
This story is supposedly based on a true story, though the story is so fantastic it's hard to imagine that it actually occurred. The story, in brief, is that a man named Martin Guerre went off to war and was not seen for nearly a decade. When he returned, he seemed to be a nicer person--and in particular, a more attentive and less impotent husband. No one really questioned any of this until a disagreement arose between Martin and his uncle. At that point, the possibility that this was NOT Martin arose and much of the movie consists of the court trials attempting to get at the truth. Exactly what occurs I'll leave to the viewer so as not to spoil it.The acting is wonderful--particularly Gerard Depardieu. The costumes are also very good and fit the era well. And, the movie is a lot more interesting that the American remake (Sommersby) in every way. The story is awfully complex and interesting as well, but it does, at times, drag a bit--so some with shorter attention-spans and little interest in period dramas would certainly be put off by this. I loved it, but given that I am a history teacher, this isn't so surprising.An interesting tiny and unimportant mistake that my wife noticed was that the inside of the church in the film shows very very faded painting on the walls. However, when the film was to have occurred, they probably would have really been fresher--and a lot brighter. I never noticed this but she was right.
Among foreign films I've watched, the "return of Martin Guerre" is definitely a must see. It truly stays true to history, as much as possible.I found it interesting that the film came into being only because Coras had written about this otherwise obscure occurrence. Furthermore the way the characters were portrayed in such a true to form manner that made this film even more worth watching. I found the entire trial scene as particularly interesting. Also the scenes from the farm, give true insight to what 1500's Europe may have been like. I also give high marks to the social commentary, showing how far someone can go for financial gain, and how something that started solely as for personal gain continues to go on because those involved appear to be satisfied with the arrangement. this is very insightful as to how it related to human emotion.i strongly recommend this film to all, especially to those like myself that like true local historic themes.
Spoilers herein.I have had a lot of trouble with this film. When I watch films, I look for two intents: the intent I observe, and the one I deduce was intended. They are often not the same because filmmakers are like any other artists; often they work by intuition and don't explicitly see what they are doing.I know what I saw. But in this case, I don't know what was intended. That's because we have a muddle. This is an extraordinary visit to another world, and is transporting on that basis alone, like ` Heart of Glass.' But we also have the revealed conspiracy of the pair for sex (and companionship). We have the investigation and hanging. It is just not clear what the filmmaker had in mind other than following the script.Here's what I got:Many films are about films or acting, sometimes in the clothing of `the con.' Here we have a story people by actors who convince, and that story is about a character who is an actor who convinces. He convinces thoroughly until he demands too much of his audience, and then some of them rebel.That is a clever manner of folded storytelling: a story about storytelling and why it works: because life has abandoned us and left us without a narrative as it has gone off to war. Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.
I've managed to see the original French version as apposed to the atrocious English dubbed version. In this you can hear the passion in the actor's voices and the music somehow seems more traumatic. This is a wonderful tale about the importance of love if the truth does not matter. Remade in the USA as SOMERSBY.