Martin Guerre was a young man who, in 1548, disappeared from the southern French village of Artigat after being accused of stealing grain from his father. Eight years later, a man arrived in Artigat claiming to be Martin. He was accepted as such by Guerre's wife Bertrande and family, and lived with Bertrande as her husband for three years, although some villagers entertained doubts about his identity. Rumours, encouraged by Guerre's uncle Pierre who was involved in a property dispute with his supposed nephew, began to spread that this "Martin" was in fact an impostor. He was arrested and placed on trial, but his intimate knowledge of Guerre's past life and the support he still enjoyed from many villagers seemed likely to secure his acquittal. During the trial, however, there was a dramatic development; another man turned up claiming to be Martin Guerre. It was quickly established that the newcomer was indeed the true Martin and that the impostor was in reality a man from a neighbouring village named Arnaud du Tilh. Du Tilh was convicted and subsequently hanged, adultery and fraud being capital offences in the France of this period.

A number of writers and film-makers have taken inspiration from these events, Whereas the later American film "Sommersby" tells a fictitious tale loosely based upon the story of Martin Guerre, transferring the action to nineteenth-century Virginia, Daniel Vigne's film is a reasonably accurate version of the historical events, aiming at a reconstruction of 16th century French peasant life.

The main role, that of du Tilh, is taken by Gérard Depardieu, possibly France's finest modern screen actor. His attempts to conquer Hollywood have not been very successful, but I have never seen him give a poor performance in his native language, and this is a fine one, playing his character as a plausible and at times almost likable rogue. He is particularly good in the electrifying trial scene. Whatever else du Tilh may have been, he was clearly a consummate actor, and Depardieu's impassioned speeches reflect his character's knowledge that he needs to give the performance of his life, as that life now depends upon his acting skills.

Just as it seems that du Tilh has succeeded in his imposture, Vigne interrupts the proceedings with a brilliant coup de cinema; the sight of a man with a wooden leg entering the courtroom. Or rather the sight of the wooden leg itself- the angle from which the scene is shot means that we see this before we see the man's face. (We have heard it suggested that the newcomer cannot be Martin Guerre because the real Martin, after leaving the village, joined the army and lost a leg in battle).

Other acting fine contributions come from Roger Planchon as Jean de Coras, the humane and sceptical lawyer in charge of the investigation, and Nathalie Baye as Bertrande, a young woman placed in a difficult situation by the return of her supposed "husband". It is implied that Bertrande, despite her doubts, welcomed du Tilh into her bed because he was both a better lover and a more considerate husband than the departed Martin, who seems to have been deficient in both departments. I would, perhaps, have welcomed a greater exploration of why du Tilh might have tried to claim another man's identity, although Vigne possibly wanted to create a sense of mystery by keeping alive as long as possible the thought that Depardieu's character might actually be the real Martin.

Vigne makes use of few bright colours other than the green of the vegetation and the red of the judges' robes during the trial; in the days before chemical dyestuffs bright colours did not play a large part in the lives of the peasantry. Visually, however, the film is suffused with a warmth of tone reminiscent of an Old master painting; I was particularly put in mind of the works of Breughel and Georges de la Tour celebrating peasant life.

It is sometime said that the British are obsessed with the glories of their past, and that in the cinema this is reflected by the large number of films made on a historical theme. French film-makers, however, seem equally obsessed with history, and this was particularly true in the eighties and nineties. "Le Retour de Martin Guerre" is one of a number of fine French films on a historical theme to date from this period. (Others include "Jean de Florette", "Cyrano de Bergerac" and "Le Colonel Chabert", all of which also starred Depardieu). It is well-filmed and well-acted and takes an intelligent and humane look at the strange historical events which inspired it. 8/10

This story is supposedly based on a true story, though the story is so fantastic it's hard to imagine that it actually occurred. The story, in brief, is that a man named Martin Guerre went off to war and was not seen for nearly a decade. When he returned, he seemed to be a nicer person--and in particular, a more attentive and less impotent husband. No one really questioned any of this until a disagreement arose between Martin and his uncle. At that point, the possibility that this was NOT Martin arose and much of the movie consists of the court trials attempting to get at the truth. Exactly what occurs I'll leave to the viewer so as not to spoil it.

The acting is wonderful--particularly Gerard Depardieu. The costumes are also very good and fit the era well. And, the movie is a lot more interesting that the American remake (Sommersby) in every way. The story is awfully complex and interesting as well, but it does, at times, drag a bit--so some with shorter attention-spans and little interest in period dramas would certainly be put off by this. I loved it, but given that I am a history teacher, this isn't so surprising.

An interesting tiny and unimportant mistake that my wife noticed was that the inside of the church in the film shows very very faded painting on the walls. However, when the film was to have occurred, they probably would have really been fresher--and a lot brighter. I never noticed this but she was right.

In medieval France, some villagers challenge a man (Gerard Depardieu)'s claim of identity when he (as he says) returns home from some time in the army.

This is sort of like the story of Odysseus, if the story went horribly awry and another man came home and claimed to be him while the real man was lost at sea. It seems hard to believe anyone could so easily masquerade as another person amongst their family and friends, and yet this is allegedly a true story.

American audiences might be more familiar with the Hollywood version. "Sommersby" is a 1993 Hollywood remake of the film in English, transposed to the American Civil War and starring Richard Gere and Jodie Foster. A shame they had to remake it, but at least they cast it well.