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Links for Davis, The Return of Martin Guerre and film version (courtesy of Cristina F.)

Paintings of the famous Bruegel, the Elder, who painted scenes almost exactly contemporaneous, albeit not of France, with the real Martin Guerre story; check out village life:

http://mexplaza.udg.mx/wm/paint/auth/bruege

Historical/Cultural Sites about European Reformation and French History:

The tale of Martin Guerre takes place in France, during the Renaissance era, particularly during the Reformation. The Reformation was basically a kind of “war” between Catholicism and Protestantism. These conflicts were touched upon in the book. Some say that Bertrande preferred Protestantism, a religion that, unlike the Catholic Church, would allow the annulment of her first marriage to Martin Guerre. These pages contain a concise summary of the Reformation:

http://www.lepg.org/religion.htm

http://www.lepg.org/sixteen.htm

http://europeanhistory.about.com/cs/reformationfrance/

http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/REFORM/WARS.HTM

http://www.geocities.com/applepie_43/French.html )

Reviews of the film or book:

http://www.ifilm.com/ifilm/product/film_info/0,3699,2326061,00.html This is a very brief review of the film version (directed by Daniel Vigne, 1984) of the book. While it lacks specific details, the page does give a good overview of the movie and includes a rather thoughtful viewer opinion on the acting. What turns me off about the page is its lack of support for most browsers. Basically, it warns that if you do not use Internet Explorer 4.0 or above (excluding version 4.5), you cannot view the page at its optimum. Web TV users cannot view the page at all. However, if you do have a compatible browser and want a very brief overview of the movie, this page is a good choice.

http://www.hup.harvard.edu/reviews/DAVRET_R.html While this page exists to persuade you merely to order the book through Harvard University Press, this page offers some of the most informative reviews of both the book and movie. Rather than give details about the plot, the article gives analyses of the story via the collection of several different comments made by various literary critics. Each blurb of information is not difficult to read, nor is it very boring. It gives the reader a better understanding of what goes on in the book without merely summarizing the plot.

http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi856.htm This is a really unique page. It is written as though the narrator is trying to convince you to read the book or see the film through the television. The article gives a good synopsis of the plot (of the film, in particular) with some analysis of Arnaud’s character among other things (Bertrande’s situation, for example). It is well written and captures the reader’s attention. The most interesting feature of this page is the fact that you could click on a link and actually listen to the article.

http://users.aber.ac.uk/ssh95/emfilm/martinguerre.htm This site provides a very detailed summary of the plot, as well as analyses, of the movie. The author briefly mentions the precise time period in which the story takes place, and she touches upon some other historical facts that coincided with the time setting of the story. Mainly, however, the essay talks about the making of the film. The author discusses Natalie Zemon Davis’ role in the movie’s production, the accuracy of the plot, the viewer’s (often “disheartening”) responses, and the cultural significance of the story itself.

http://www.publiccom.com/14850/9307/cinema.html The author goes so far as to do a small comparison of the Martin Guerre story to the trial of Jesus Christ, adding a very interesting new idea to what we already know from the story itself. Her essay does not give away any major details, so people who want to experience the story for themselves could do so without any risk of spoilers.

http://www.ryerson.ca/~soc/011mpmg.html This page focuses a great deal on the various themes of the book. The way this page is set up is quite unique: it presents a theme, or a quote from the book, and then paraphrases the parts of the book that show that theme. Questions are asked throughout the page, as well as some points of discussion. While the information presented may not be entirely helpful in analyzing or summarizing the plot, a number of valid arguments are contained therein which may be used for theses or arguments for a paper.