One of my favorite films. Just a note to the viewers who have questioned the role of a "black judge" during this period of history. They certainly existed and handled all manner of cases. A note from an article in the NY Times follows: Special Correspondence THE NEW YORK TIMES.February 8, 1903, SundayPage 34, 859 wordsCHARLESTON, S. C., Feb. 5. -- During the reconstruction period in South Carolina, which followed the close of the civil war, the management of State affairs for a time was left to the tender mercies of the Negro. Officers who served with the Governor were Negroes, there were Negro Judges, and practically every county in the State had its black representatives in the General Assembly. [ END OF FIRST PARAGRAPH ]

This is an okay film romance set in the South just after the Civil War. A husband returns from the war but he doesn't seem "right"--he looks a tiny bit different and acts too nice to be the same man. Eventually, this all comes to a head in a confrontation that might lead to the man's incarceration or execution. The sad thing is, his wife prefers this new man and would rather have him than the man who left for the war.Technically, this is a pretty good film but certainly not a great film. The problem I have with it, though, is that this is a remake of the French film THE RETURN OF MARTIN GUERRE--a TRUE account of a story like SOMMERSBY that occurred several hundred years ago. This Gérard Depardieu film is better acted and written, but also less "glossy". I recommend that if the story sounds interesting, why not just see the original since it is the better film.

Almost every time Hollywood cribs from foreign classics to make a bad imitation with an American setting it's like making French gourmet cuisine with a Mickey Dee mentality. Not as much of a disaster as Paul Newman in THE OUTRAGE, it's just simply that the remake lacks the gusto that made the original special. The same rule applies to current remakes of Hollywood classics. THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN is highly respected only because almost nobody back then had the chance to see Kurasawa's original SEVEN SAMURAI; high on the list of 250 all time great films. Anticipate disaster with this year's release of the KING KONG "remake."

SPOILERS THROUGHOUT POST: Jodie Foster and Richard Gere have a lot of chemistry besides both being very talented people. I wanted to see this movie because the premise sounded SO interesting and it was. The film was very interesting and Foster and Gere were both terrific. It was a good movie.I DID have a major problem with the ending. And it's not because it wasn't "Hollywood". I just thought it didn't need to end like that. It is really difficult with endings sometimes because if a movie ends to happily it can be labeled "Hollywood", and if A movie ends to sad, it can be called "manipulative." I do this all the time myself. But honestly-in this case-the ending was such an automatic tearjerker and it bothered me because while I could understand the choice Gere's character made, in some respects, I had a hard time believing he'd make it anyway. I kept thinking something would happen to save him at the end and the last scene with Foster was not how I anticipated it ending. I thought something else might happen.I can see where the movie would stretch believability at times but my feeling is Foster and Gere were so good respectively, that they make you believe. Richard Gere is one of the most likable actors I've ever seen and Foster-she's just indescribable. The movie was really moving. Also beautifully filmed.I'd give this movie a solid recommendation especially to any strong Gere or Foster fans or for that matter to tearjerker movie purists. You'll find more then enough to move you here.