The Return Of Martin Guerre Essay

The Return of Martin Guerre explores the life of Martin Guerre and case of alleged imposture in 16th century France. The film premiered first as a 1982 French film directed by Daniel Vigne before the novel was published in 1983. The author of the book, Natalie Zemon Davis, had served as a consultant and helped write the screenplay for the film. Martin Guerre’s story was based primarily on findings of historical documents and knowledge of his time period and location. When compared to the film of the same name, the book goes into farther detail and is more in depth. To begin with, the book provides us with far more detail and background information. Whereas the movie begins with the marriage of Martin and Bertrande, the book starts much earlier around the year 1527. “In 1527, the

This could have been the filmmakers trying to keep the story moving or trying to maintain the audience attention. This could also be a case of Davis believing the two men meet previously but having no actual evidence. Because of her belief, she was able to include this scene in the movie but was forced to leave it out of a book that relied on historical documents. When compared to the book, the film does a much better job of placing the viewer in the world of Martin Guerre. One of the advantages of films is the communication of people and places that written descriptions cannot. The book does not contain much dialog which makes it more difficult for the audience to be captivated by the story. The audience uses the actors and their reactions and facial expressions as a way to connect with the narrative. Being able to visually see the story acted out on film makes the events of Martin Guerre feel substantially more real. The film attempts to blend the historical facts of the book with an entertainment element needed for general audiences. And while there are some inaccuracies and discrepancies from the book, the film does a great job of maintaining the