The Return of Martin Guerre (French: Le Retour de Martin Guerre)

Synopsis

"Le Retour de Martin Guerre" "In 16th-century France, a man (Gérard Depardieu) who deserted his wife (Nathalie Baye) and child unexpectedly returns to his native village after eight years. But the astonishing metamorphosis in his personality leads a number of his relatives and neighbors to believe he's a fraud. Ultimately, he's hauled before a magistrate to expose the truth. This faithful adaptation of the novel by Janet Lewis is based on a true story." The movie Sommersby was a 1993 remake of the same story.
"Jean de Coras, also called Corasius (1515–1572) was a French jurist. . . . In 1552, De Coras became a member of the Toulouse parlement and participated in the famous trial of Martin Guerre, of which he wrote the best-known record, Arrest Memorable du parlement de Tolose (1560). In 1562, having converted to Protestantism, he failed in an attempt to open Toulouse to the Calvinists, but was rehabilitated on account of his connections to the royal court. Even so, De Coras later assisted in organising the Protestant unrests that culminated in the first French War of Religion. He was convicted to death for having served the Prince of Condé in 1568, and was murdered in prison following the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572. . . . The impostor Arnaud du Tilh, who maintained his innocence, was convicted and sentenced to death for adultery and fraud; the public sentencing on 12 September 1560 was attended by the young Montaigne." [Wikipedia] Very slow moving , but fascinating historical connections and shows many scenes of rural medeival life, e.g. plowing, planting, and harvesting;

Genre

Historical

Released

1982

Location

Europe

Period

Movie begins in 1542 during reign of Francis I.

No