A Stranger Within

source: A Stranger Within

American version of french movie the return of martin guerre 1982 with gerard depardieu

Don't know why this movie isn't "famous". I want to recommend it to everybody I know. The court dialogue is very intelligent. Just watch it, there is so much good about this movie.

The most glaring historical inaccuracy showcased in this film's script (which was chock-full of them) was that Gere's character was supposedly held in a Union prisoner of war camp for a longer period of time than the camp had actually existed.

I don't want to be particularly naive, but I have to admit I perched on the edge of my beanbag, so I wouldn't miss when Monty Python galloped across the screen on broomsticks. Ok. This movie could have had a running time of about four minutes. Surely the wife(uh, widow) must have been able to ask her returned husband a question that only the ...I'm going to take a nap on my beanbag.

You can't keep your mind in a cool state,when you have watched 'SOMMERSBY'.I was moved by such a film that draws you into mystery.And the act of Jodie foster and Richard Gere is excellent.They collaborate each other so naturally.I love it!

a lot of my family and many friends were extras in this movie(it was shot in the court house in my home town). my uncle, father, and a few teachers and acquaintances are clearly shown in the court scene, and the guy who says "hear ye, hear ye" is definitely one of my neighbors. (it's funny, he got credit for that). but at the end of the movie you can see my grandmother, twice. When Jodie foster is running through the crowd screaming "jack, jack", you see my grandmothers face take up nearly all the screen. it flashes to a view of Richard about to be hung, and then shoots back to Jodie running into, and around, my grandmother a second time. isn't' it obvious that they used the same shot twice? you think they'd try not to do that same one in a 5 second slot.

I absolutely loved this movie. It's an excellent, intelligent, dramatic script, well executed by the director, ALL of the actors and the production team, set against a gorgeous backdrop of location, sets and wardrobe and accompanied by a beautiful score. I wish it had a different ending but I still give it two thumbs way, way up.

Regarding the use of a Black Judge..During "Radical Reconstruction: the USA put Black's in power to point out the South lost..This backfired and led to the Jim Crow laws and to the racial strife lasting longer..A gentler and milder form of reconstruction would have work better.. I believe the film was able to obtain its goal of suspended belief...The part which I found most difficult was his giving up his life..he must have felt it is better to die for something good than to live with something bad..Of course, if applied to the war itself this fits assuming the South winning the Civil War would fit something bad as an outcome. Thus, the movie conveyed the times even to the clothing which in the case of Foster was done quite well. My only minor concern was the War was only 4 years long which does not fit with Jack being gone 6 years and dying in 1867..

Personally I found the movie excellent. Although many would not agree, I still DO stand my ground on this. The acting of Jodie and Gere were superb. The picture was well done and the costumes/props almost authentic. There was nothing corny about the whole movie.