THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Detroiter Authored 'Return o Martin Guerre' In addition, it is also a grip- ping tale of an impostor that succeeds in assuming the role of husband, father and property owner, and in re- calling all minute details of relatives and neighbors since childhood. A significant factor that lends credence is the author's accurate histor- ical setting, complicated by profound ethical, re- ligious and psychological issues of the time. Prof. Davis wrote "Society and Culture in Early Modern France" and was knigh- ted in 1976 by France as a world authority on the French Reformation. Briefly, the Martin Guerre story is a true episode that occurred in southern France about 1550. The sequence of events fired the imagina- tion of many observers and writers including the par- ticipating judge, Coras, who recorded it in a book by the name "Arrest Memorable." The unique feature of the story is that the wife, who married at age 11 and was deserted for eight years by her husband after the, birth of a child, persisted in pub- licly stating that the new Martin was truly her hus- band. The only ripple in this By DR. MILTON STEINHARDT There are several valid reasons why Natalie Zemon Davis' "The Return of Mar- tin Guerre" (Harvard Uni- versity Press) claims our at- tention. She is a native De- troiter. - after Davis, Prof. graduating from Kings- wood, earned her BA at Smith :`summa cum laude" and her PhD from the Uni- versity of Michigan in 1975 with a special award. At present she is Henry Charles Lee Professor of History of Princeton. She was the consultant to the current film, "Return of Martin Guerre," which has won the acclaim of local and national reviewers and the enthusiasm of the audience. 2 %7r\ ALL INVITATIONS I 10 TH ANNIVERSARY DEBORAH'S INVITATIONS Created Just For You Personalized Cocktail Napkins $9 per 100 DEBBIE GOLDFINE WEISSERMAN 537-1490 VIDEO PROFILES CORPORRTION COMPLETE "BROADCAST" COLOR VIDEOTAPE PRODUCTIONS CALL 354-0438 AND DISCOVER PROFESSIONAL QUALITY Friday, September 30, 1983 31 Israel Buying Norwegian Oil security number and no TEL AVIV (JTA) — Is- school or club associates. rael has signed a contract Another point of special with Norway to buy 500,000 interest has to do with the tons of oil from its North Sea ethical and moral codes of oilfields over the next year. the French judicial system Norway, under heavy relating to bigamy, legiti- Arab pressure not to con- macy of the new offspring, clude the deal, stressed property inheritance, the there was no political moti- guilt of the deserting hus- vation or implication in the band, etc. deal. The execution sur- Custom laminated Furniture. Israel buys about 40 per- prised many who had Residential & Commercial cent of its oil from Mexico, admired the man's im- Graphic Wall Design agination, memory, for- 25 percent from Egypt and the rest on the open spot titude and guile. With KEITH SCHARE such qualities he could market. The Norwegian Designer have attained success in deal will be part of the spot 569-2462 543-0203 market purchases. any field of endeavor. im....memonmffemL ■ k It is of more than passing interest that Judge Coras was later executed for his liberal leanings toward Pro- testantism. Perhaps he was influenced by the strictures of Catholic doctrine in fam- 28585 TELEGRAPH RD. (313) 353-1300 Southfield Across Froth Tel-12 ily matters of divorce and desertion. ALL MAKES & MODELS — DOMESTIC OR FOREIGN The author's performance Sam Scotella is remarkable in two re- spects. The book is as excit- ing as any historical novel, and at the same time an au- thentic record of the social milieu of 16th Century rural France. It is as reada- 9 & Coolidge, ble as a mystery and as ac- Oak Park Shopping Plaza curate as any historical document. That double function is not easily attained, and that, no doubt, accounts for the enthusiastic public re- Special rates for senior citizens ception of both the book and the film. 545-9387 DESIGN-IT PROFESSOR DAVIS perfect "make believe" oc- curred when the new Mar- tin claimed an accounting from his Uncle Pierre as to the true value of his estate. It was then that a passing soldier reported that he "knew the real Martin, who had lost a leg during the war. It then became proba- ble that while soldiering, the new Martin learned all about the pretty wife and the inheritance. This must have caused the inventive and talented companion to commit to memory all the minute details of Martin's intimate life and family, thus succeeding the pose as the real Martin. After the -. first trial which was initiated by the property dispute with Uncle Pierre the new Martin was declared bona fide husband and father. He was about to obtain esimilar favora- ble verdict during the second trial when the true Martin hobbled in on his wooden leg. The glib defendant let the truth out by a slip of the ton- gue. TamaRoFF LeasinG co MICHAEL'S BARBER SHOP NOW The Best Prices In Town (IRWIN DANTO, VIDEOGRAPHER) We Make Our Own Glasses 1 All Shapes & Sizes in the Faceted Frames HEADQUARTERS FOR LATEST DOMESTIC AND ....IMPORTED FRAME FASHIONS te.0 ' -, • PRESCRIPTIONS FOR GLASSES railiCI611111‘ ACCURATELY FILLED • DESIGNER FRAMES ips:. I. us I= as go sr IN IS Mt Mt at OP 1 i $20 Off glasses I um= im complete pair 6. um us EN gm m Immediate Repair • • Reasonably Priced ROSEN OPTICAL SERVICE 13720 W. 9 MILE nr. COOLIDGE LI 7-5068 OAK PARK, MICH. . LI 7-USEE Sat. 12-5 Mon:-Fri. 9:30-6 •1 coupon per family NOW OPEN WEDNESDAY FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE The court was sympathe- tic to the wife Bertrande who undoubtedly knew the truth but was so eager to end her miserable existence that she could not disown the new congenial man who claimed her as his wife. The sentence on the impostor was harsh: Repentance and death. His court perfor- mance was so admirable that the customary "tor- ture" was not imposed. Identity in the 16th Cen- tury in rural France obvi- ously was not as simple as it is today. In the primitive village there were no finger prints, no signatures, no photographs, no dental re- cords, no mirrors (except for the well-to-do), no social to Fund Brakha School WZO • We Sell Diamonds Only • By Appointment Only Call Jerry Turken at The New York Diamond Cutting Company "The Diamond Cutters" 3000 Town Center, Southfield, Michigan 355-2300 44, JERUSALEM (JTA) — Leon Dulzin, chairman of the Jewish Agency and World Zionist Organization Executives, has pledged the WZO's support for the es- tablishment of an educa- tional institution for dias- pora youth at the settle- ment of Brakha, near Nab- lus. Brakha, dubbed "upper Nablus" by its detractors, is one of the most controver- sial of the new West Bank settlements. CONGREGATION SHAAREY ZEDS( INVITES SINGLES TO AN ONEG SHABBAT Featuring: RABBI WILLIAM RUDOLPH NATIONAL PERSONNEL DIRECTOR B'NAI B'RITH HILLEL—WASHINGTON, D.C. 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