Sommersby

Director: Jon Amiel, Luigi Vanzi, Steven Reuther

Overview

Based on the French film The Return of Martin Guerre, Sommersby is the story of a presumed-dead Confederate soldier (Richard Gere) who returns home to his wife (Jodie Foster). Neither his wife nor his friends can quite believe the changes the Civil War has made on the soldier, and soon several people begin to wonder if he is indeed the same man or if he is an imposter.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/11/2015
UPC:	0024543215783
Original Release:	1993
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	New Regency
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:53:00
Sales rank:	8,667

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jodie Foster	Laurel Sommersby
Richard Gere	John Robert Sommersby
Bill Pullman	Orin Meecham
James Earl Jones	Judge Barry Conrad Issacs
Brett Kelley	Little Rob,Little Rob
Lanny Flaherty	Buck
William Windom	Reverend Powell
Clarice Taylor	Esther,Esther,KKK #2,Actor,KKK #2
Wendell Wellman	Travis
Frankie R. Faison	Joseph,Joseph
Richard Hamilton	Doc Evans,Doc Evans
Carter McNeese	Storekeeper Wilson,Storekeeper Wilson
Dean Whitworth	Tom Clemmons,Tom Clemmons
R. Lee Ermey	Dick Mead,Dick Mead
Karen Kirschenbauer	Mrs. Evans,Actor
Ray McKinnon	Lawyer Webb,Lawyer Webb
Maury Chaykin	Lawyer Dawson,Lawyer Dawson
Stan Kelly	John Green
Stephanie Weaver	Mrs. Bundy,Mrs. Bundy
Muse Watson	Drifter #1
Doug Sloan	Marshall #2,Marshall #2
Billy L. 'Butch' Frank	Actor
Dale Stewart	Actor
Richard Lineback	Timothy Fry
Daniele Vargas	Actor
Mark Williams	Boy #2
Jill Banner	Actor
Paul Austin	KKK #1/Folsom
Marco Guglielmi	Actor
Danny Elfman	Composer,Composer

Technical Credits

Daniel Vigne

Jean-Claude Carrière

Jon Amiel	Director,Director
Arnon Milchan	Producer
Steve Reuther	Producer,Director,Producer
Richard Gere	Executive Producer,Executive Producer
Maggie Wilde	Executive Producer,Executive Producer
Luigi Vanzi	Director
Mary McLaglen	Producer
Daniel Vigne	Screenwriter
Jean-Claude Carrière	Screenwriter
Lou Angelo	Sound Effects
Bob Beemer	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

This surprisingly effective remake of The Return of Martin Guerre (1982) shifts the setting from medieval France to rural Tennessee following the U.S. Civil War. The central conceit of both films is one that requires an intellectual leap of faith on par with that of the familiar Superman/Clark Kent conundrum and it may not be bought wholesale by every audience member. Those that can groove with the idea will find themselves sufficiently entertained by solid performances from Richard Gere and Jodie Foster, two modern actors if ever there were any, but who inhabit their period roles with authenticity. The script is a taut, polished piece of work, typical of co-writer Nicholas Meyer, infusing the film with delightful character moments, some crafty visual tension (the protagonist's boot size, of all things, is employed to build a palpable sense of dread), and even providing an unexpected but powerful B-story by delving into postwar racial tensions. Director Jon Amiel is a reliable, if not particularly inventive, craftsman, but he gives cinematographer Philippe Rousselot free reign to create some gorgeous pictures, resulting in a fine-looking and engaging film that chalks up to a misunderstood, underrated gem unfairly compared to the classic that inspired it. With similar themes and settings, Sommersby makes a nifty companion piece to playwright Arthur Miller's rewrite three years later of his classic The Crucible (1996).