Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)

Famed swordsman and poet Cyrano de Bergerac is in love with his cousin Roxane. He has never expressed his love for her as he his large nose undermines his self-confidence. Then he finds a way to express his love to her, indirectly.

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.

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Plot Keywords:

france | 17th century | period drama | letter | nose | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

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.

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Goofs

Around 1:52:40 of the film, just after the death of Christian, a Spanish soldier is holding a French soldier to be killed by his companion, but the other Spanish soldier clearly passes his blade on the side of the torso of the French.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Version of Whatever It Takes (2000)

User Reviews

Non, non, mon cher amour, je ne vous aimais pas!

No, no, my dearest love... I don't love you!

I was just a teenager when I first saw this film. I really didn't know what to expect of a French movie with unknown actors (at least to me by then), with a story I didn't previously know and with the only reference of some Cesar awards. After all, it was an european movie, it was French, it was based in a classic book and with a romantic theme. But something attracted me.

I was shocked.

Actually it was the first movie I ever went to see to the cinema more than once. I purchased it on VHS as soon as I could, and I am getting it on DVD now that it's available in Spain. After all this time, I know by heart almost every scene of the movie, and it keeps on bringing tears to my eyes in the final scenes, no matter how many times I've seen it.

The movie has so many things so nicely put together, it's almost impossible not to be hooked on some of them.

To begin with, I was very surprised with the fact that the whole movie is spoken in verse. I think it was the first time I had ever seen something like that, and it is probably also the last since I can't remember any other movie like this! I don't know how well it was done in English, but I can say it was translated into Spanish awesomely. I can only wonder how beautiful it is in the original French version. Everything is so musically coherent and adequate, that you really enjoy watching the movie spoken in verse. I loved it.

Then there is the absolutely magnificent performance by Gerard Depardieu. He perfectly resembles at every moment the personality of the eager and sometimes naive but at the same time extremely intelligent, romantic, desperate and vulnerable Cyrano. His physical look, his facial expressions, his voice... everything makes him the perfect Cyrano de Bergerac. You really share his suffering and at the same time you admire its strong personality and determination. He makes Cyrano an admirable man, an enjoyable human being. Wonderful.

Apart from that, there is many more things in this movie that make it absolutely enjoyable. The humor. The sets and props, all the environments created. The music. And the story is an absolute classic that many people will feel related to; the struggle of a man than, even though not physically gifted, wants to live and love with no limits... to the person who is not ready to correspond him. Maybe it's the reason why it was so touching for me when I was a teenager, and maybe that's why it still brings tears to my eyes even today :)

All in all, a beautiful romantic tale with great sets and performances and that will touch almost anyone's hearts. My favourite movie of all time, and definetly a classic.

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

1 December 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cyrano de Bergerac

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Gross USA:

$5,820,020

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,822,041

Company Credits

Production Co:

Caméra One, Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée, DD Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

137 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby LC-Concept Digital Sound

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1