Cyrano de Bergerac

Edmond Rostand's classic drama of inner and outer beauty is given a lavish treatment in this acclaimed French production. Gérard Depardieu portrays the title character, a brilliant, charismatic swordsman with a generous spirit and a genius for poetry. It would seem that such a man would have no trouble attracting women, but Cyrano considers himself doomed to loneliness by an unattractive face featuring an oversized nose. His feelings of inadequacy are emphasized when Roxane, the beautiful woman he adores, attracts the attention of Christian, a young cadet in Cyrano's service. Christian lacks the poetic gift, however, and he ironically turns to Cyrano for help in winning Roxane's love. What follows is a tale of deception, with Roxane falling in love with the ineloquent Christian thanks to Cyrano's words of love. The underlying narrative has become quite familiar to modern audiences through retellings and variations from the 1950 adaptation starring José Ferrer to Steve Martin's Roxanne. Director Jean-Paul Rappeneau's interpretation stresses the tragic majesty of the original, setting a vigorous performance by Depardieu against a beautifully designed reproduction of the period and an emphasis on the sound and poetry of Rostand's original language; the subtitles for the film's English release were penned by renowned British author Anthony Burgess. This attention to detail creates a particularly faithful cinematic rendering of the original work that met with positive critical responses. — Judd Blaise

AMG Review:
Seamless, heartfelt, and imbued with rare vibrance, Rappeneau's Cyrano de Bergerac is a definitive example of what a literary film adaptation can and should be. Part of its strength lies in its endorsement of the story's unabashed romanticism; instead of downplaying it, Rappeneau celebrates it. As a result, the film is as vivid and bold as its title character, reveling in exuberant intelligence and tragic poignancy. Cyrano is well-served by Gerard Depardieu's title performance, for which he earned an Oscar nomination and a César award. Depardieu brings the larger-than-life Cyrano to the screen without devouring the scenery: his portrayal is grand without being showy, a tour de force informed as much by subtlety as by outsized emotional display. The performance is the heart of the film, setting the pulse for an extraordinary piece of work that, fittingly enough, comes across as a love letter to love. — Rebecca Flint