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 & 29 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 appearance of the Comte de Guiche in the play and film represents another connection to Alexandre Dumas's Musketeer novels. As referenced in the play, the Comte (Antoine de Gramont III) was married to Cardinal Richelieu's niece. Richelieu was the antagonist in the original Three Musketeers. He also makes a brief appearance in the second Musketeer novel, Twenty Years After. His son, Armand de Gramont, is a major character in that novel and the final one, The Viscount of Bragelonne.

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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 Cyrano De Bergerac (1962)

User Reviews

Best adaptation ever

I saw the first adaptation of Edmond Rostand's novel, the 1950 version with José Ferrer. Despite Ferrer's good acting, it had some things going against it. First it was in English, and the thing is that the whole play is written in verses that rhyme. Of course, you just cannot do that in English. Second, Rostand's story was seriously altered.

Now, with this version we finally get the real Cyrano de Bergerac, a man whose nose is as great as his courage and skill at sword play, his talent at writing beautiful love poetry, and his will to resist all temptation to become the servant of higher powers. We get to follow his adventures, to feel his wonderful love for beautiful Roxane, his attempt to win her love in ways that nobody would ever consider, and his struggle to keep the freedom of his spirit.

I admired the acting, the direction, the lighting, and the costumes. There is so much in this movie to applaud. But the best of it all is that it keeps so close to the original text. I read the play and I just couldn't believe how good this adaptation is. Watch this movie if you have the heart of both a lion and of a lover, and you can appreciate excellent French poetry.

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 Stereo LC-Concept Digital Sound

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1