The 1993 motion picture Sommersby was directed by Jon Amiel and stars Richard Gere, Jodie Foster, Bill Pullman and James Earl Jones. The music was created by Danny Elfman and praised for its dark themes of tragedy and romance.

Set in the Reconstruction period following the U.S. Civil War, the story is adapted from the historical account of 16th century French peasant Martin Guerre (previously filmed by Daniel Vigne as Le Retour de Martin Guerre in 1982).

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, believed killed in the Civil War. By all accounts, Jack Sommersby was not a pleasant man, thus when he returns, Laurel has mixed emotions. It appears that Jack has changed a great deal, leading some people to believe that this is not actually Jack but an imposter. Laurel herself is unsure, but willing to take the man into her home, and perhaps later into her heart... Written by Murray Chapman