Cyrano de Bergerac

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.

I love films of all kinds, and since liking Gerard Depardieu and being familiar with Rostand's classic play, I knew it was going to be good. But I wasn't expecting it to be this brilliant, I can't think of a film recently that struck me with how beautiful and poignant it was as much as Cyrano De Bergerac did.

There were three major assets that really blew me over. One was how beautifully translated and subtitled it had been, I have not seen subtitles or dialogue this lyrical or poetic in a while. Two was how Cyrano De Bergerac was made. The costume design and scenery are truly sumptuous, as is the cinematography.

Gerard Depardieu's performance is truly exceptional and I don't think he has been better, though Jean De Florette comes close. Depardieu is passionate, witty and very moving. The support cast with Anne Brochet and Vincent Perez particularly notable do a fine job matching him.

Cyrano De Bergerac's story is one that is timeless, and for those who haven't yet seen it, it is most likely to emotionally resonate with you like it did with me. The music is both rousing and quietly understated too.

Overall, I have nothing bad to say about Cyrano De Bergerac, it is the very definition of beauty and poetry on film, complete with an exceptional lead performance. 10/10 Bethany Cox

If you are a hopelessly romantic guy like me, you will love this movie. :) It is very poetic and moving. The english sub-titles forces you to really pay attention to the words, which are the best part of the movie. French IS the language of love, so they say. I bet your girlfriend will like it too! (In case you don't have a girlfriend, you can watch it and think of yourself as a diamond in the rough, romantic, poetic and underappreciated, just Cyrano. :p

The subtitles in this movie are done so well, one almost forgets the movie was done in French. The words seem to glide effortlessly off of Gerard Depardieu's tongue, as if only he were meant to speak them. It almost makes you jealous of Cirano's eloquence. Even those with no appreciation of poetry whatsoever can still find this movie entertaining. The action is enthralling; the cinematography, endearing; the movie, entertaining. A must see film if you enjoy poetry, romance, humor, action, suspense, period pieces, aesthetically pleasing images, theatre, French, English, other languages, large noses, good movies, or any combination of the above. In short, rent it, buy it or steal it. Just make sure you watch it. And don't blame me if you get caught stealing it.

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!