Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)

Cyrano de Bergerac is one of the most perfect films made in French language.It is a film which must be shown to all connoisseurs of French culture as it makes for the most perfect introduction to French civilization.The greatness of Cyrano is universal as he teaches us some of the most essential human values such as friendship,love, sadness and trust.It is a film for which everybody has worked hard under the leadership of French auteur Jean Paul Rappeneau.There is an air of authenticity in the portrayal of France circa late 1900s.This has been achieved by creating magnificent sets,marvelous costumes and a cast of many junior artists.Jean Paul Rappeneau allows us to be transported to a time when innumerable duels were fought over women, pure love was omnipotent and poets and artists were venerated.When we watch this film,we come to realize that Gerard Depardieu is exceptionally great as troubled Cyrano who has hidden many deep secrets in his heart.It is due to the greatness of his personality that we choose to own his sadness in order to lessen his pain.There are no so many films which can have such an effect on movie goers. This is the best virtue of this historical drama.

Fmovies: All I have to say is wow! I think it's safe to say that these French don't mess around when it comes to acting. Gérard Depardieu was absolutely brilliant as Cyrano himself and it was such a refreshing pace from the garbage I've seen recently. This was definitely one of the most brilliant performances in late film history. Yes the acting was theatrical but that was the only real way to carry it out...it would've stunk if they modernized it just for the cameras, I'm sure other versions have done this and that's why you don't hear too much about them. I thought it was funny that Vincent Perez was such a proper performer in this and then they made him Eric Draven in "The Crow" sequel which was far from good. Just everything about this movie was well done and while it was very romantic it didn't do it in a mushy kind of way that'd turn off guys that aren't really big on that stuff such as myself. There was some decent swashbuckling but it's not one you'd choose for the action itself per say. Just watching this made me really want to read the book because the script was simply genius and nothing less.

The poetic lines sounded like silk feels and I highly recommend this to any couples out there that are looking for a little revitalization!

Final Gesture:

Movies: It's long but I think I'd make it through just to give it due credit.

DVD Purchase: The idea is gnawing away at the back of my mind.

Rental: YES!

How can one even begin to describe the greatness of this film? Forget that it is subtitled; this soon becomes immaterial as the translation is perfect, or that a couple of very minor scenes from the play were omitted, it is impossible to think of a greater example of cinematography than was achieved here.

Gerard Depardieu; in his first internationally acclaimed role, gives an early inkling of the talent that he would later display in, "The Man in the Iron Mask". At times he is comic, haughty, tragic & noble.

Cyrano ceases to be a dramatic creation & becomes a real human being with whom we can empathise & be brought, almost, to the point of tears at the point of his death. Depardieu creates a man very much of his time; never mind Edmund Rostand's writing it is Depardieu who brings the character described as every actor's dream to life. He is believable, noble & generates sympathy in the viewer.

Anne Brochet's Roxanne is beautiful. It is clear from early on that she is an intellectual (described as "precieuse") but shallow, who we see developing as the story evolves.

Vincent Perez is convincing as Christain: handsome & with fairly base objectives, but developing through association with Cyrano & honourable.

Even Jacques Weber portrays De Guiche in such a way that we can accept his, later, friendship with Cyrano & never truly induces the feelings of hatred that so many villains evoke in the viewer.

The colours & lighting in the film are exceptional; a sign of the care that were invested in making it as historically accurate as possible, with soft, muted shades replacing the garish colours that have flawed so many depictions of the period, whilst it soon becomes evident that Rapineau wanted to ensure that the word epic would be truly applicable to this production.

As a piece of romantic fiction this film cannot be bettered & would be ideal for those wanting to settle down for an evening with someone really special. Whatever you do see this film.

Cyrano de Bergerac fmovies. 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.

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.

Gérard Depardieu became famous with Cyrano, and Cyrano de Bergerac knew its master with Depardieu.

This classic piece of French literature is based on real events (largely adapted), and while it is a stage play, the skill of transposing the play to the silver screen is a feat!

The film resorts to skillful cutting of the text (now public domain - check Gutemberg), which sounds easy, but is not, because it flows so naturally and needs to be cut surgically, word for word.

At the same time, all that is missing from the script by Edmond Rostand is inspired by generations of stage performance. The miracle then is making the script in French likable to audiences who do not understand French, as Edmond Rostand can be compared to George Bernard Shaw, Shakespeare and Samuel Beckett.

The genius of Gérard Depardieu and the beauty of the sets, the quality and care for detail all push to bring this beautiful film within reach of non French audiences. In that respect the sword duel scene at the beginning is memorable and worth playing twice on DVD!

One thing though, the finale scene I found awkward but Edmond Rostand created it so the director had no choice.