# Sommersby (1993)

### reviewed by
Mark R. Leeper

                                     SOMMERSBY
                          A film review by Mark R. Leeper
                            Copyright 1993 Mark R. Leeper

              Capsule review:  This is a surprisingly satisfying
         remake and enhancement of THE RETURN OF MARTIN GUERRE.  It
         may offer as much to people who have seen the original as to
         those who have not.  Rating: +2 (-4 to +4).

The day I am writing this review Siskel and Ebert had an episode in which they reviewed five films of which four--SOMMERSBY, THE VANISHING, HOMEWARD BOUND, and GUN CRAZY--are remakes. There are hard choices to make when you remake somebody else's film. Do you just reproduce the original or do you vary things? When you vary the telling, can you really improve on the original? Does your film have something to offer people who have seen the original? SOMMERSBY is a rather remarkable remake of the 1982 film THE RETURN OF MARTIN GUERRE. SOMMERSBY is Nicholas Meyer and Anthony Shaffer's retelling of the MARTIN GUERRE story with some very ironic complexities added. And there is enough complexity in this film that, in fact, it may be a better film the first time through if you have some idea what twists are coming. Meyer and Shaffer have balanced their story so it is equally rewarding if you have or have not seen the original.

The Civil War has been over for two years in Vine Hill, Tennessee, and Laurel Sommersby (played by Jodie Foster) is about ready to declare herself a widow and remarry. If the truth be known, Jack Sommersby was always better at being a "good old boy" than he was at being a husband. But then Jack (played by Richard Gere) returns from a Union prison camp determined to improve Vine Hill in general and his marriage in specific. His six-year absence has made a new man of Jack, so much so that people start to question if perhaps this new man might really not be Jack. Jack sets about trying to fix up the war-ravaged valley and to give a boost to the economy. Or is he just trying a confidence scheme? What Jack is doing and why he is doing it make this a very different film from the original. One negative touch is that the film's attitudes towards race relations seem a bit anachronistic, but they are not quite as pat as they first seem.

Kudos goes to Meyer and Shaffer's story which was adapted by Meyer and Sarah Kernochen into a screenplay. Director John Amiel, who also directed television's "Singing Detective," gives us a complex story beautifully photographed to give a strong post-Civil War feel. While the score has a much more traditional tone than most of Danny Elfman's scores, it is a very likable, melodic score. SOMMERSBY is at least satisfying and often is poignant. I give it a +2 on the -4 to +4 scale.

                                            Mark R. Leeper
                                            att!mtgzfs3!leeper
                                            leeper@mtgzfs3.att.com
    .

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