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The Return of Martin GuerreRating:
Release Date: 15 January, 2002 Retail Price: $14.98 Sorry, this product is not currently available. Cast: Complete Cast (9 total) |
The Return of Martin Guerre Reviews
Engages your senses
When I first viewed The Return of Martin Guerre in a Washington, D.C. arthouse cinema when it originally came out, it became firmly etched in my psyche as one of the most memorable films I had ever seen. Over time -- and throughout numerous viewings of my own copy of the film purchased several years ago -- my reverence for this film has only increased. Yes, it introduced me to the prodigious talents of Mr. Depardieu. Yes, it has an intriguing plot with a passionate and surprising, yet, somehow inevitable conclusion. However, the most memorable aspect of the film for me has always been how all of the film's elements combine to make the viewer completely experience medieval France. As you watch the characters in their homes, speaking with one another, you swear you can SMELL their unwashed, earthy-smelling bodies. When you see people trudging through the rutted streets, you can FEEL the sucking of the mud as it tries to keep the boots of the pedestrians in its grasp. Never have I been more involved in a film on so many levels simultaneously. I have recommended this film too many times to count, and I have loaned my copy out only to trusted friends. You don't just "watch" Martin Guerre, you truly experience it.
Will the real Martin Guerre please stand up
This excellent movie is a suspenseful mystery involving possible mistaken identity, with a strong Hitchcockian feeling to it, set in a mid-1500s peasant village in France. Martin Guerre (Gerard Depardieu) marries Bertrande (Nathalie Baye) but soon after disappears. Eight years later he returns - but is it really him?
Some in the village grow to doubt the real Martin has actually returned - he can't remember people and suffers other lapses of memory - though Nathalie remains faithful. These villagers bring Martin to trial, where he defends himself admirably. It looks like he's being framed, while Nathalie continues to support his claim without question.
In court, just as he's about to be declared innocent, another Martin appears (Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu), claiming to be the real Martin. Can he be believed? Without spoiling the ending for anyone, I will just say that there are quite a few surprises from this point on in the movie, and that the real Martin is disclosed. In fact, near the end we come to realize that certain identifying clues have been fed to us all along.
It's an intriguing story extremely well handled. A great deal of attention went into the setting, which is perfectly done and most authentic. Based on a true story. The 1993 remake SOMMERSBY, with Richard Gere and Jodie Foster, which changes the setting to rural Tennessee and alters the ending somewhat, can't hold a candle to this original. Definitely worth a watch.
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