Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)

Embarrassed by his large nose, a romantic poet/soldier romances his cousin by proxy.

Director:

Jean-Paul Rappeneau

Writers:

Edmond Rostand (play), Jean-Paul Rappeneau (adaptation)

Stars:

Gérard Depardieu, Anne Brochet, Vincent Perez

Won 1 Oscar. Another 30 wins & 28 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gérard Depardieu	...	Cyrano De Bergerac
Anne Brochet	...	Roxane
Vincent Perez	...	Christian de Neuvillette
Jacques Weber	...	Comte De Guiche
Roland Bertin	...	Ragueneau
Philippe Morier-Genoud	...	Le Bret
Pierre Maguelon	...	Carbon de Castel-Jaloux
Josiane Stoléru	...	The Duenna
Anatole Delalande	...	The Child
Alain Rimoux	...	The Father
Philippe Volter	...	Vicomte de Valvert
Jean-Marie Winling	...	Lignière
Louis Navarre	...	The Bore
Gabriel Monnet	...	Montfleury
François Marié	...	Bellerose

Storyline

A dashing officer of the guard and romantic poet, Cyrano de Bergerac is in love with his cousin Roxane without her knowing. His one curse in his life, he feels, is his large nose and although it may have been a forming influence in his rapier-sharp wit, he believes that Roxane will reject him. He resorts to writing letters to her on behalf of one of his cadets, Christian, who is also in love with Roxane but just doesn't know how to tell her. She falls for the poetic charm of the letters but believes that they were written by Christian.

---

Plot Keywords:

letter | nose | poet | french | starving | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | History | Romance

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

1 December 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cyrano

Filming Locations:

Abbaye de Fontenay, Montbard, Côte-d'Or, France

Box Office

Gross USA:

$15,140,007

Company Credits

Production Co:

Caméra One, Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC), DD Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

137 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby LC-Concept Digital Sound

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title character was a real historical person. He was born in 1619 and died in 1655. Although there is no real evidence that he actually could compose and recite a poem while dueling, and time his poem so that he could finish the poem and kill his opponent at the same time, he did write the earliest science-fiction books on record, two hundred-fifty years before Jules Verne wrote his. There is also no evidence that he ever wrote another man's love letters.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Man at Theatre: Fifteen sous! I get in free.

---

Connections

Referenced in Siskel & Ebert: Oscar Nomination Surprises for 1990 (1991)

User Reviews

Deeply moving

The film that made me realise that it's OK for guys to cry. Cyrano, as played so convincingly by Depardieu, is a great rollicking hero, not the foppish aristocrat of previous productions. Indeed, it is his larger than life robustness that makes his futile, towering defiance at the resolution so poignant; the ignoble end of a hero is a classic theme, right from Beowulf, through John Wayne's "The Shootist", to 2000's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"

The lyricism in the English translation of Cyrano is commendable, the filmmaking technically sound, the sets and choreography well presented. Depardieu's portrayal of the legendary swordsman as a bullish brawler rather than a delicate fencer is an interesting take, and I find it works.

The downside is that the character of Roxanne is so utterly insipid and moronic that you wonder why Cyrano is so taken with her. The tragedy of this Cyrano isn't that his love is unrequited, but that it's so misplaced. An interesting contrast is with "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", which replaces the Roxanne character with a peer for the hero, a "companion battleship" as Henry Higgins would say. This makes for an even more heartwrenching story, and makes you realise that Cyrano could have been even better if Depardieu's superb performance had been tempered just a little in favour of a Roxanne who was more worthy of his regard.