Le retour de Martin Guerre

I always enjoy watching French movies, and this one's no exception. In my opinion, this is a very beautiful movie. I love the romance, and the great performances enhance it to the maximum effect. This drama is very well made that you feel emotionally helpless on the mercy of the director. You get involved up to the point that you expect (want) things to work out like you want them to be but you really can't predict what's going to happen next.

The film tells about a true 16th century story about a man Martin Guerre who comes back to his village and family after an eight-years leave to a war. Everybody's really happy that he's come back that nobody questions the changes or differences after that long eight years; until someday a vagabond says that he's not Martin Guerre. The villagers start to think the possibility that he may not be the man he claims to be.

For me the film is about our judgment, our perception, our interpretation, our motive. It's about adding a human value to the rules, ethics, customs, and law that hold our society together. Sometimes what's right is wrong and what's wrong is right. In other words, sometimes we're looking for a 'humane' solution. You'll understand what I mean after you watch this movie.

The casting is wonderful, especially the casting of Nathalie Baye as Martin's wife. Something in her eyes perfectly reflects her character's sad life. She's beautiful. I imagine it's going to be very hard not to sympathize with her. Just watch this movie. I hope you'll be touched and enjoy it as much as I did.

This is one of my most favorite movies of all time.

What makes this film so good? It is basically about this one universal truth, as said succinctly and poignantly by Bertrand, the wife of Martin Guerre: "As a woman, I have needs." Societies and civilisations that ignore this fact are the worse off for it.

Good acting, historical, and based on real events - these are some of the other positive aspects of the film.

OK. This is not a remake of "carrefour", as many may think. This is the actual story, on which carrefour was based, from 16th century France, it just happens to have been transferred to film after the other adaptation. Go read the book if you're at all interested, it's by Janet Lewis and is called "The Wife of Martin Guerre". The story is based on court documents among other things, and the character names in this film are those of the actual people. Don't get confused- carrefour may have been made before this film, but this is the closer adaptation and, thus, should not be labeled a remake.

The one thing that THE RETURN OF MARTIN GUERRE serves to do is prove positively and absolutely that not all the great film productions come from the USA.

This is an extremely well made movie, with extremely high production values. Great acting, great sets, great costumes, great score. Pure quality.

This isn't a comment on the actual quality of the movie itself, but rather a response to the number of postings which have suggested this movie is not an original concept.

I have some shocking news for you, but there really was a Martin Guerre. His court case in the mid-16th century is well documented in primary sources and this movie attempts to retell this story.

In 1983, historian Natalie Zemon Davis, who incidentally was originally involved with the film as an historical consultant, wrote a well received micro-history on the court case and it's outcome. (The Return of Martin Guerre - published by Harvard University Press, 1983)

This case was thought of as unusual even during the 16th century. So much so, that it became part of French folklore. Earlier Hollywood movies likely tapped into this folklore, when they penned similar stories.

So this film, rather than simply being another in a long line of similar movies, is the first to tackle the "original story". That being said, the movie is not perfect and strays from the facts a great deal. Natalie Zemon Davis, herself, states in her introduction to her book that she was troubled by the film's creative license with history.

Nevertheless, I recommend anyone to see this film yourself and make up your own mind. Better yet, read the book!