The Return of Martin Guerre

Set in the village of Artigat in southern France during the reign of Francis I, the film begins with the marriage of Martin Guerre and Bertrande de Rols. After Martin is accused of a robbery and vanishes, nearly ten years pass before a man arrives claiming to be him. The Guerre family accepts the newcomer as Martin, but doubts about his identity take hold, and what began as a family reunion turns into a question of who he really is.

Daniel Vigne directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Jean-Claude Carrière. It was Vigne's second feature as director, following his 1977 debut, and marked his move into historical drama. Gérard Depardieu plays Arnaud du Tilh, the returning stranger, opposite Nathalie Baye as Bertrande de Rols. Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu appears as Martin Guerre, with Maurice Barrier, Isabelle Sadoyan and Rose Thiéry in supporting roles. Twenty-one credited cast members and forty-one credited crew worked on the production, which was made by Productions Marcel Dassault, SFP and FR3 on a budget of about four million dollars.

The film was released in May 1982 and took roughly the same amount at the worldwide box office as it cost. On IMDb it holds 7.4 out of 10 from around 5,200 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6.7 from far fewer votes, suggesting a smaller international audience. A critics' rating of 8.1 from sixteen reviews places it above both audience scores.