''The Return of Martin Guerre'' (french: Le Retour de Martin Guerre) is a 1982 French film directed by , and starring
Gérard Depardieu. It was based on a case of imposture in 16th century France, involving
Martin Guerre
Martin Guerre, a French peasant of the 16th century, was at the centre of a famous case of imposture. Several years after Martin Guerre had left his wife, child and village, a man claiming to be him appeared. He lived with Guerre's wife and so ...
.
Synopsis
The film relates a historical case of alleged
identity theft
Identity theft occurs when someone uses another person's personal identifying information, like their name, identifying number, or credit card number, without their permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. The term ''identity theft'' was c ...
. Martin Guerre leaves his young wife in a small French village to go fight in a war, and to travel. Eight or nine years later, Martin (played by Depardieu) returns to resume his life. The man is initially acknowledged and welcomed by the wife, family, and friends because he knows the intimate details of his former life.
As time passes, however, vagabonds identify Martin as Arnaud of the neighbouring village of
Tilh, but the villagers dismiss these claims as lies. But when Martin makes a demand for money he's owed by his uncle, the uncle is outraged and attacks Martin. This leads to a trial on his identity, with his life at stake, since if he is not Martin he and Martin's wife Bertrande are adulterers and their children bastards. This trial constitutes most of the film.
Martin argues well, and the villagers are divided on whether the man is in fact Martin, Bertrande siding with him. After several elevations of the proceedings up to a court in the
Parlement, the judge,
Jean de Coras
Jean de Coras, also called Corasius (1515–1572) was a French jurist.
Life
Born in Réalmont as the son of a Civil law notary, notary, he studied law in Toulouse, Cahors, Orléans and perhaps also in other cities, under teachers such as Francisc ...
, prepares to acquit Martin primarily on the strength of the testimony of Bertrande.
At the last minute, another witness appears in court, bearing an even stronger resemblance to the young Martin and casting everything into doubt once more. The impostor confesses that he was a soldier with the real Martin, who said he was never going back to his village, upon which the impostor decided to take his place. Even Bertrande changes her mind and says the new witness is Martin. Arnaud is sentenced to death.
Some time later, De Coras visits the village to tell Bertrande that she has been acquitted and is innocent of conspiracy with Arnaud. But he has deduced that she recognized the impostor from the very beginning and asks her why she claimed he was Martin. She says that he was a better husband and man, and they had a good life together. De Coras asks her then why she changed her mind at the last minute. She says she saw in Arnaud's eyes that the case had become hopeless and that he wanted her to feign ignorance so as to live for herself and her children.
Arnaud is led to the gallows, repenting all the while. A voiceover closes the historical framework by mentioning that de Coras was executed some years later for his Protestant beliefs.
Reception
The film was nominated for
Best Foreign Language Film by the U.S.
National Board of Review of Motion Pictures
The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...
.
Book
In 1983, a book of the same name was published by
Natalie Zemon Davis, an American historian of early modern France and professor at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
. She had served as a consultant and helped write the screenplay for the film.
Remake and musical
''
Sommersby
''Sommersby'' is a 1993 American romantic period drama film directed by Jon Amiel from a screenplay written by Nicholas Meyer and Sarah Kernochan, adapted from the historical account of the 16th century French peasant Martin Guerre. Based on th ...
'' is a 1993 Hollywood remake of the film in English, transposed to the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
and starring
Richard Gere
Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Heaven'' (1978). He came to prominence with ...
and
Jodie Foster
Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and the hono ...
.
A West End (London)
musical produced by
Cameron Mackintosh
Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh (born 17 October 1946) is a British theatrical producer and theatre owner notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "th ...
, ''
Martin Guerre
Martin Guerre, a French peasant of the 16th century, was at the centre of a famous case of imposture. Several years after Martin Guerre had left his wife, child and village, a man claiming to be him appeared. He lived with Guerre's wife and so ...
'', was loosely based on the film with additional material from historical accounts. Again, the historical setting is transposed, in this case to the period of religious turmoil between the
Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
s and the Catholics in sixteenth century France.
The first feature film from
East Timor
East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-west ...
, ''
A Guerra Da Beatriz'' ("Beatriz's War") was released in 2013. It is a re-telling of the story of Martin Guerre, but set in the 1980s, during the Indonesian occupation of Timor Leste. It stars Irim Tolentino, who co-wrote the script with the director, Bety Reis.
Cast and roles
*
Gérard Depardieu - "Martin Guerre" (Arnaud du Tilh)
*
Nathalie Baye
Nathalie Marie Andrée Baye (born 6 July 1948) is a French film, television and stage actress. She began her career in 1970 and has appeared in more than 80 films. A ten-time César Award nominee, her four wins were for '' Every Man for Himself'' ...
- Bertrande de Rols
*
Maurice Barrier
Maurice Barrier (8 June 1932 – 12 April 2020) was a French actor and singer.
Biography
Barrier was the son of a cabinetmaker, and had his first job working in his father's workshop. While in Rennes at age 28, he met several resident actors at ...
- Uncle Pierre Guerre
*
Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu - Martin Guerre
*
Isabelle Sadoyan - Catherine Boëre
*
Rose Thiéry
A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...
- Raimonde de Rols
*
Chantal Deruaz - Jeanne
*
Maurice Jacquemont Maurice may refer to:
People
*Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr
*Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor
*Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and Lo ...
- Judge Rieux
*
Roger Planchon
Roger Planchon (born 12 September 1931 in Saint-Chamond, Loire, died on 12 May 2009 in Paris), was a French playwright, director, and filmmaker.
Biography
Roger Planchon spent his childhood in the Ardèche, notably in Dornas. He found its inspir ...
-
Jean de Coras
Jean de Coras, also called Corasius (1515–1572) was a French jurist.
Life
Born in Réalmont as the son of a Civil law notary, notary, he studied law in Toulouse, Cahors, Orléans and perhaps also in other cities, under teachers such as Francisc ...
*
Dominique Pinon - Antoine
*
Philippe Babin - Jacques
*
Valérie Chassigneux - Guillemette
*
Adrien Duquesne - Sanxi Guerre
*
Tchéky Karyo
Tchéky Karyo (; born 4 October 1953) is a French actor and musician of Turkish origin. Beginning his career as an actor on stage in classical and contemporary works, he began to work as a character actor in films in the 1980s. He has acted in nu ...
- Augustin
Awards
*Nominee Best Costume Design
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
(Anne-Marie Marchand)
*Nominee Best Foreign Language Film
BAFTA award
*Winner Best Original Screenplay
Cesar Award (Jean-Claude Carriere, Daniel Vigne}
*Winner Best Music
Cesar Award (Michel Portal)
*Winner Best Production Design
Cesar Award (Alain Negre}
*Nominee Most Promising Actor
Cesar Award {Dominique Pinon)
*Winner Best Foreign Film
National Board of Review
The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...
*Winner Best Actor
National Society of Film Critics
The National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) is an American film critic organization. The organization is known for its highbrow tastes, and its annual awards are one of the most prestigious film critics awards in the United States. In January 2014, ...
(Gérard Depardieu)
*Winner Best Foreign Film Kansas City Film Critics Circle
Notes and links
See also
*
Middle Ages in film
Medieval films imagine and portray the Middle Ages through the visual, audio and thematic forms of cinema.
Background
The 20th century is not the first to create images of life during medieval times. The Middle Ages ended over five centuries ago ...
*
Microhistory Microhistory is a genre of history that focuses on small units of research, such as an event, community, individual or a settlement. In its ambition, however, microhistory can be distinguished from a simple case study insofar as microhistory aspires ...
References
Bibliography
* Davis, Natalie Zemon.
The Return of Martin Guerre'. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1983.
* Lewis, Janet. ''
The Wife of Martin Guerre
''The Wife of Martin Guerre'' (first published 1941) is a short novel by United States, American writer Janet Lewis based on the story of Martin Guerre, the 16th-century French peasant who apparently returned home to his wife after a long absenc ...
''. Swallow Press, 1967. .
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Return Of Martin Guerre, The
1982 films
1980s biographical drama films
French biographical drama films
1980s French-language films
Films about identity theft
Films set in France
Films set in the 16th century
Films with screenplays by Jean-Claude Carrière
1980s historical drama films
French historical drama films
1980s French films