Sommersby (1993)

Director:

Jon Amiel

Writers (WGA):

Daniel Vigne (film The Return of Martin Guerre) and
Jean-Claude Carrière (film The Return of Martin Guerre) ...

Release Date:

5 February 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

She knew his face. His touch. His voice. She knew everything about him... But the truth.

Plot:

Set in the south of the United States just after the Civil War, Laurel Sommersby is just managing to work the farm without her husband Jack...

Plot Keywords:

Remake Of French Film | Courtroom | Historical | Impersonation | Impostor

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Richard Gere	...	John Robert 'Jack' Sommersby
Jodie Foster	...	Laurel Sommersby
Bill Pullman	...	Orin Meecham
James Earl Jones	...	Judge Barry Conrad Issacs
Lanny Flaherty	...	Buck
William Windom	...	Reverend Powell
Wendell Wellman	...	Travis
Brett Kelley	...	Little Rob
Clarice Taylor	...	Esther
Frankie Faison	...	Joseph
R. Lee Ermey	...	Dick Mead
Richard Hamilton	...	Doc Evans
Karen Kirschenbauer	...	Mrs. Evans
Carter McNeese	...	Storekeeper Wilson
Dean Whitworth	...	Tom Clemmons

Also Known As:

Sommersby (France)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sensuality.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

France | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Germany:12 | France:Unrated | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Norway:10 (1993) | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Appomattox, Virginia, USA

Company:

Alcor Films

Trivia:

Original writer Nicholas Meyer walked off the production when Warner Brothers wouldn't let him direct his screenplay. Sarah Kernochan was drafted in to rewrite the script and was somewhat bemused to see that it was an Americanized version of "The Return of Martin Guerre" (1983). Warners denied this in a rather obvious attempt not to have to buy the remake rights, but Kernochan insisted that they do before continuing as they weren't fooling anyone. Warners eventually relented, and also gave Meyer story credit.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: At the meeting when Sommersby suggests growing tobacco, he asks someone how many years he had been sharecropping. Sharecropping only began in America after the Civil War when landowners had no slaves and no money to pay workers.

Quotes:

Laurel Sommersby: You are not my husband!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Will & Grace: Object of My Rejection (#1.22)" (1999)

Has To Be One Of The Dumbest Movies Ever Made

If you believe this story, I have some swampland in New Jersey I'd like to sell you. Hey, it's right near Atlantic City!

C'mon, now....really....a man (Richard Gere) comes home from the Civil War and claims to be Jodie Foster's husband. He had been presumed dead.

The whole movie is the story of whether she can figure out it's really him or not - even when they are naked in bed! Yeah, right! What an insult to anyone's intelligence. Don't waste your time with this lemon.

For those who think this is "intelligent," I hope your lobotomy went well! I hope the original (this is a re-make) "The Return Of Martin Guerre," was better than this.