Renaissance humanism spread to France. The film highlights these historical events by having the characters make various references to the Italian War throughout the film, through Martin Guerre''s lost limb and Arnaud de Tihl''s broadened shoulders. Also, we see that investigator Jean de Coras adheres to truth and accuracy over the practical application of law, as a humanist would, and later gets killed during the St. Bartholomew Massacre, along with many other humanist Protestants.
The film does an amazing Job reflecting the time period by showing a relatively accurate representation of what would be expected in Renaissance France with the ackground, appropriate clothing, and simple props throughout the movie. The characters'' acting and behavior also adheres to what would be expected during this time by reflecting their superstitious concerns, susceptibility to bribery and moral concerns by the Catholic French. For example, although Jean de Coras uses logic and reasoning to deduce if Arnaud is imposing as Guerre, he also factors in a suspicion of a demonic possession.
Also, towards the end of the film he has a personal heart-to- heart conversation with Bertrande, talking about her actions in the context of eligious morals. The film is based off the historical accounts of Arrest Memorable, by Jean de Coras, and the director does an immaculate Job filling in the gaps and recreating the story. Considering the ending, when Bertrande makes her unofficial confession to Jean de Coras, the director most likely wanted to interpret the story with Bertrande prioritizing practical matters, over religious morals, by filling the missing husband with another person.
We know she does this with full awareness because she admits to collaborating with Arnaud for the trial. Considering how a wife should know ntimate details about her husband, historical Bertrande probably did know that Arnaud was not her true husband. Considering, how historical Bertrande did actually defend Arnaud during his trial, the director''s interpretation is reasonable and sound. The film also highlights a modern-day phenomenon of identity theft.
Considering how the setting takes place before photographs, identification cards, fingerprinting, etc, it certainly provides insight on the challenges faced by Early Modern France. In general, the film provided interesting interpretations of the Arrest Memorable, illing in the details on why the couple remained childless for eight years, portraying Jean de Coras as an analytical investigator with loyalty to reason and logic, along with assumptions for making these interpretations are reasonable.
After all, much of the personal and social details are lost when converting real events into documents. The director''s interpretations allow the audience to relate to the characters in the movie by portraying the social context in a fashion the audience can connect. The film was quite educational for me. By making subtle references to the various historical events urrounding Early Modern France, it gave me a starting point for exploring more of 16th century France and understanding the political and social dynamics surrounding this time.
As all movies, there are minor errors, such as lighting from unexplainable sources, extra-clean actors (including farm animals), anachronistic vernacular, and fresh- looking clothing. However, the film itself does an immaculate Job reducing the errors to the point where it is barely noticeable, unless one is actively searching for those errors. Compared to other historical films, it does a commendable Job at being istorically accurate down to the details. The main bias is one of retrospection.
The director is looking back into history and interpreting it as a modern-day viewer, while knowledgeable about the religious movements, historical events, and cultural themes during Early Modern France. Therefore, we see this reflected in the behaviors, dialogues, and props used throughout the movie. Despite minor errors that deviate from historical accuracy, the film does an outstanding Job interpreting the accounts of Arrest Memorable while interpreting the cultural and social dynamics to the audience throughout the film. The actors play heir roles well, creating believable characters that fit seamlessly in the film.
Although their lines may not have perfectly matched the dialogue the historical fgures used, it does not corrupt the story. In fact, their dialogues are well crafted so that it explains the historical elements surrounding the story. I certainly would recommend this film to anyone who is interested in Early Modern France and Renaissance France. There are few films that stay as historically accurate compared to The Return of Martin Guerre. If historically accurate films are your passion, this film will certainly serve to entertain your tastes.
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