The Return of Martin Guerre [Region 2]

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 family tragedy
This film is based on a real incidents researched by historian Natalie Zemon Davis. In a French village during the 16th century reign of Francis the First, Martin Guerre, husband of the daughter of landed peasants, returns after an absence of years. He is heartily welcolmed, but soon a growing number of villagers question if this is really the true Martin.
Authorities investigate, but not before village families are bitterly divided.
The story brims with carefully recreated period detail: farm life, landed peasants, local priests, and French country social and legal custom. Such information is not generally available in books. I have viewed this dvd again and again; I see new and subtle detail each time.
If a story with such detail and superb acting could be done of England under Henry VIII, we would have a box office hit.

One of the Best Ever
I first saw this movie years ago when it was first released. It is the ONLY movie I ever left, bought another ticket for, and then went back in to watch a second time. It is mesmerizing. The film is beautifully shot, often looking like a series of oil paintings rather than film. But the beauty of the cinematography is nothing compared to the story itself. It is a legal thriller and a classic romance. While some consider this to be one of Depardieu's greatest films, the real star of this movie is Nathalie Baye, who plays Martin Guerre's wife. She makes believable the behavior of the film's most complex character. Avoid the dubbed version even if you don't know French. The actors who supply the English-speaking voices are terrible.

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