Review of Cyrano de Bergerac (1990) by Miguel S — 22 Apr 2010

In my humble point of view (and based only on my watching experience mind you), "Cyrano de Bergerac" is the best french movie of the last, what... 20 years or so. There had been adaptations of Cyrano's play before (notably Hollywood 1950's which won Jose Ferrer a best actor Oscar), but this one has one great advantage, it is in the original french.

This means that the dialogues are kept straight from the play, and so the entire movie is in rhyming verse. Not only is this a delight to the ear (even if you don't understand french), but the poetry is given with such a passion by the actors (especially Depardieu's Bergerac, which dominates all the scenes) that every dialogue does not fail to move the viewer.

"Cyrano" is one of the ultimate love stories (maybe not by chance it has one or two scenes that remind one of Romeo and Juliet... balcony scene anyone?). Cyrano is a loquacious and valiant character whose main physical feature is a huge nose.

The first scene establishes well is speaking abilities and his fighting abilities has well. He is in love with his cousin (it is never explained in what degree are they cousins....), the beautiful Roxanne (Anne Brochet, who starts not so beautiful but gets more and more as the movie progresses, in my opinion), who one day confesses to him that she is in love with a young soldier, Christian.

She has never spoken to him, but loves him by his looks. Cyrano finds that he his not well endowed for brains, and, fearing a broken heart of his beloved one, starts to write letters for her in Christian's name.

Also, in the balcony scene, he speaks from behind the bushes posing as Christian. The war breaks and Christian and Roxanne marry that same night, without almost never having spoken face to face, and off go Cyrano and Christian to war.

There, Cyrano is always faithful in his promise to Roxanne that "Christian" will write every day and he keeps the illusion for her no matter what. There it is, Cyrano helps another man to get the woman that he loves.

Tragic, ironic, beautiful. His poems are some of the most delicate and passionate that ever graced the screen. Little by little, Roxanne loves more the soul of Christian than his looks, until she loves no more his looks but just his soul.

In the climatic battle of the war, Christian can't handle it any more, and realizes that she really loves only Cyrano without knowing. The three characters clash amidst the explosions (Roxanne turns up at the battle field), in a climax which will leave many scars for years to come (the last scene takes place 14 years after the battle).

Not wanting to reveal the ending I will just say that it is delicate and heartfelt, but unfortunately is probably the worse thing in the movie. Not because of the context, just simply because it threatens to end about 6 or 7 times.

Depardieu makes his speech, he delivers perfect ending lines... he fumbles... he starts talking again... and again... and this is repeated for about 10 minutes. End the movie already! Forgetting this, the movie will move those (everybody!) who have loved unrequitedly in the shadows, those who lost love, those who search true love, those who seek the essence of love but can't stand that trashy Hollywood cliché.

This is quality, this is beauty, this is poetry, with a great set design, costume (for which an oscar was won!), an unobtrusive direction, great acting, and, most of all, a completely magnificent performance by Gerard Depardieu.

Although it is word-driven, director Jean-Paul Rappeneau has made every scene appealing and with rhythm, and even somewhat comical. Everyone has had a Cyrano moment in their lives, so, everyone will be touched by the magic this movie has to offer.