The Return of Martin Guerre: Film Review

The Return of Martin Guerre (1982) is a film that is set in 1542 and the ensuing ten to fifteen years in a French village. The plot revolves around the question of whether a man, Martin Guerre, is in fact the real Martin Guerre or not. His identity is in question because the film takes place primarily when “he” returns eight or nine years after he left unexpectedly to war. The village actually accepts Martin, a much changed man, back into their fold for three years before doubts truly begin to arise, specifically after Martin demands his share of the profits of their family’s fields during his absence from his uncle. The film then gives an interesting portrayal of the legal recourse, as Martin attempts to legally prove he is the real Martin against his uncle and relies heavily on witnesses from the village in order to do so. Especially significant, the court and judges place a high value on Bertrande’s opinion, Martin’s wife, in ascertaining his true identity.

As the village acts as the main setting, the film gives strong imagery of agriculture and peasantry of the time period. Within some of the film’s opening scenes, there are a few stereotypical sights, like women stirring a big pot of stew in the middle of the village’s main streets or elderly women involved in food preparation, skinned animals hanging behind them. However, the film very quickly moves on from such stark moments, to almost immerse the viewer into the village life and tempo, so that one feels the daily routines of life in a subtle manner. Agriculture plays a huge role in the village and in the film, as it serves as both a backdrop and a divisive point (Martin desiring his share of the farming profits). Bertrande’s dowry is even highly dependent on farming assets, including thirty acres of wheat, a quantity of millet, a pair of oxen, bags of grain, and woodlands.

We also see that labor was not always gendered in the agricultural realm, as women are shown alongside men in the field frequently, and at one point, Bertrande’s mother and her mother’s husband (who is also Martin’s uncle) are depicted doing the exact same work of sifting through presumably some type of grain. We also see men and women mashing grapes together. Work also includes basket weaving, laundry, Reminiscent of Joan’s trial accounts, in which Joan is said to have overseen the livestock at times, Bertrande is also asked to make sure the animals are locked up for the night. Altogether, the film gives us a beneficial and historically accurate perspective of village life; for the most part, the attempt is not overdone, but relies on the secondary status of the setting to the plot in a way that makes the small moments of labor and life in the village shine.

I was also reminded of Joan’s story in relation to how peasantry is depicted in the film. The film does a great job at demonstrating that there were different levels of peasantry in itself. For one, the Guerre family in general is wealthier; they do not struggle to provide for themselves and can even afford some luxuries, like when Martin brings home lace and cloth from Flanders as presents or when Bertrande makes Martin a special pair of white breeches out of more luxurious material. The Guerre home is also two stories and the Guerre family has one servant named Catherine. Specifically, the idea that the Guerre family is well-off is readily apparent when Martin accuses his uncle of hiring false witnesses to tell lies for him, referencing that his uncle could quite possibly have exerted influence via bribes on people from another village, one that “Martin” was accused of really being from. We also see Martin and his uncle providing food for “vagabonds,” which reinforces the point that peasantry was a wide-ranging socioeconomic class and that the film does not neglect this fact.

Finally, an important part of the film is the way in which the legal process is portrayed. Martin is able to see his case appealed to the Toulouse Parliament and he is heard before a large number of judges, clothed in red robes. He even is able to bring a massive group of villagers with him to court in order to have witnesses and settle the case. In this especially, we see the importance of Bertrande’s testimony as well; in some ways, Bertrande is given the ultimate say over whether or not Martin is her husband and the judges honor her opinion in particular apart from the other villagers. Overall, the film navigates the trial process so that it seems complex enough, yet also demonstrates that peasants were aware of their legal rights and actions, and had fairly easy access to courts. Overall, The Return of Martin Guerre is a unique outlook on daily life in the sixteenth century. There are a few aspects of the film that negate from its genuine rendering. For one, the peasants in greeting Martin and welcoming him back seem overly jovial, laughing for almost hysterically so for about ten minutes of the whole film. In part, the general laughing makes sense, but after a few minutes the laughing seems overdone, verging on a simplistic peasant representation. Another negative of the film is that the main judge seems to have some degree of affection or sympathy for Bertrande, which detracts somewhat from her character being a strong influence on the entire plot. However, the film is excellent at giving a picture of justice, life, and the village of the sixteenth century, making none of these loud, excessive, or simple, but rather subtle, multifaceted, and accurate. 

In trial: Bertrande sitting in the center between two "Martins"

In trial- Martin defending himself. There are recorders of the trial writing at the right table. 

Villagers mashing presumably grapes or something of the like, This represents the agricultural dynamic of the film and the depiction of daily life for peasants.