Product Details

• Actors: Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Dominique Pinon, Gerard Depardieu, Isabelle Sadoyan, Maurice Barrier
• Directors: Daniel Vigne
• Format: Import, PAL, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Subtitles: English
• Region: All Regions
• Number of discs: 1.0
• Studio: Arrow Films
• Run Time: 106 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B000C0K0EE
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #150,138 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Great Britain released, PAL/Region 0 DVD:it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: French ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ),English ( Subtitles ),WIDESCREEN (1.85:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Scene Access,SYNOPSIS: During the medieval times, Martin Guerre returns to his hometown in the middle of France, after being away in the war since he was a child. Nobody recognise him, and the people who knew him suspect he is not Martin, but he knows all about his family and friends, even the most unusual things. Is this man really Martin Guerre?
SCREENED/AWARDED AT: BAFTA Awards, Ceasar Awards, Oscar Academy Awards,

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine film., May 29, 2009

By	L. D. Bradshaw (Shropshire,England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Since the mid-16th century,the mysterious story of Martin Guerre continues to fascinate a wide public,much wider than in the village of Artigat in the foothills of the Pyrennees in which it began.
The young Martin Guerre and Bertrande de Rols were married in Artigat in 1538.The two families were not impoverished as they owned several areas of fertile land.Following marital and other problems,Guerre inexplicably disappeared.
Nine years later,Guerre,after years of military service,suddenly arrived back in the village.He was bigger,stronger,self-confident,charming,tender and silver-tongued.His family and the villagers eagerly welcomed him home and had little doubt as to his identity.Most of them were convinced he was Martin Guerre.Above all,his wife Bertrande embraced him as her lost husband.Guerre resumed life in the village but conflict soon arose over property ownership which provoked conflict between Guerre and his uncle.With the arrival of some vagrants in the village,doubts stirred as to Guerre's identity.His uncle initiated legal proceedings against him and so began a perplexing investigation in the Toulouse court to ascertain this man's identity.The examining judge,Jean de Coras later wrote a detailed account of this case which is the primary source of information concernig these events.
Daniel Vigne's 1982 film "The Return of Martin Guerre" digresses in some important respects from the historical record but it is a superbly made interpretation of this story.The acting is exemplary throughout with Gerard Depardieu as Guerre and Nathalie Baye as Bertrande leading the way but also there is a particularly fine performance from Roger Planchon as the cerebral and humane judge Jean de Coras.The beautifully-written script is thoughtful and well-balanced with scarcely a word or a silence wasted.Visually,the film is a lavish feast in it's evocation of life in 16th.century Artigat and it's environs.Rich historical insight and studious attention to detail irresistably draw the viewer into a vanished world.Much of the credit for this goes to the film's historical adviser,Natalie Zemon Davies who later wrote an excellent history of the Guerre story.
To anyone who may feel interested in this film,I have no hestitation in thouroughly recommending it.
ps. The Hollywood reworking of the story,"Somersby",with R.Gere in the title role is...er...not as good.