Icarus Films Tabs May 14 For The Domestic DVD Debut Of Director Laurent Tirard's The Return Of The Hero

Icarus Films will be teaming up with France’s Distrib Films on May 14 for the domestic DVD debut of director Laurent Tirard delightfully wicked comedy, The Return of the Hero.

Tirard’s film had a domestic arthouse break in August of last year and arrives with an ARR of 256 days.  

The never-ending Napoleonic Wars are the backdrop to this mischievous comedy about a test of wills and false facades.   It’s 1809 and Pauline (Noémie Merlant) is over-the-moon at the thought of marrying the dashing Capitaine Charles-Grégoire Neuville (Jean Dujardin — Best Actor Oscar-winner for his performance in The Artist), but her sister, Elisabeth (Mélanie Laurent — Inglourious Basterds) is wise to the Capitaine as a playboy and must figure out a way to stop the marriage.   

That arrives in the form of the 1809 call to arms, which includes Capitaine Neuville heading off to the front.   He promises to write Pauline every day, but that’s a meaningless bit of nonsense.   Elisabeth knows that even if he survives the war, his interest in Pauline is only sexual … he’s not likely to pursue the matter of marriage in any case.   Call that a big sigh of relief.

However, Pauline makes herself ill over her worry that Neuville will be killed in battle, which creates something of a family crisis when it appears that her broken heart will mean her death.   Her loving sister concocts a brilliant plan, she will start writing the letters that Neuville promised, but never sent … what is there to lose.

Of course it works like a charm.   Pauline recovers from death’s door with words of love from the bold and brave Capitaine Neuville.   But there is one more letter that needs to be sent once the conflict ends … the farewell letter; the kiss goodbye.   He will go off to India and never be heard from again.   Problem solved.

Now that would be a short film and leave out the best conflict.   A couple of years pass, Pauline marries some dolt and the affair of Capitaine Neuville is safely in the past.  Except, Elisabeth happens upon the drunken deserter one day and efforts to buy him off prove fruitless … she can’t let him expose her letter writing scheme and he suspects that he can take full advantage of that.   

The thought of Neuville having his way with her is so repulsive that Elisabeth must come up with a new scheme … and thus begins a test of wills.

The Return of the Hero is presented in French with English subtitles.