Sommersby is a 1993 romantic drama film directed by Jon Amiel. It is a remake of the 1982 French film The Return of Martin Guerre by Daniel Vigne. Both of these stories center around a man returning home after many years of war. However, the man who returns is an impostor, who seems to deceive his family and the townspeople. It's only towards the end of each film that you learn the truth. Sommersby is a story that attracts its audience with the American traits of idealism and romance. It is the story of Jack Sommersby's return to his wife Laurel after the Civil War. But in reality it is Horace Townsend who returns, in the role of Jack. It is only much later in the film that we learn that he is an imposter. Ever since Jack returned home, you have seen him as someone who is trying to live out the American ideal of success, as well as the idealistic thought that a person can change for the better. Americans still want to believe that people change, that we can be better, and that success is available to anyone who puts in the effort. Jack (Horace) embodies this belief. Horace therefore begins the film with an American ideal that everyone considers at one point or another in their lives, the ability to start again. Jack (Horace) came home, not the same man he was before he left, but a kinder, more compassionate man. Jack sought not only to succeed himself, but also to allow the townspeople to be part of the American dream. In order to help his town, he believes that changing the cultivation of cotton in favor of Burley tobacco will bring prosperity to the town. To raise money for the crops, Jack (Horace) sells parts of his farm to people who will use the land to grow tobacco. This act allows more...... middle of paper ......t of an injury he received. This was, as Jack (Horace) stated, "probably the best chance he ever had" since he took on Jack's identity because he didn't like his own life. Jack (Horace) explains to Laurel that he wants to die as Jack, because he "will never be Horace Townsend again." This scene demonstrates the romance between Jack (Horace) and Laurel. But the supreme romantic moment is when Jack (Horace) tells Laurel that "being your husband is the only thing I've done in my life that I'm proud of." Sommersby is truly an American remake that uses idealism and romance to embrace American audiences. Horace, who seems almost like a hero, becomes the champion, saving the city, assuming equal rights, falling in love and sacrificing everything for the greater good. His love is true and his commitment to his family and community is unmatched. Jack is the hero we all want to become.