Although Cyrano de Bergerac was a real person, most of the works that bear his name stem from Edmond Rostan’s 1897 play. Film versions of the story date back to 1900, but recent efforts include Roxanne (1987) with Steve Martin, and Cyrano de Bergerac (1990) with Gerard Depardieu. But the latest has a more circuitous path. Cyrano is a film version of the 2009 musical by by Leslie Bricusse and Frank Wildhorn. And while it too is based on the Rostand play, it’s a very different experience.
Most versions of the tale have the urbane title character sporting an improbably large nose. But here, the character is a little person, brought to life by the wonderful Peter Dinklage. This results in some re-jigging of the musical, notably some numbers being cut out. And while the change works well, enjoyment of the film depends largely on whether you’re up for 2 hours of characters randomly breaking into song (and, sometimes, singing quite badly).
The story is likely to be familiar. Cyrano (Dinklage) is a solider; a fierce warrior but too self-conscious about his stature to express his true feelings for his childhood friend Roxanne (Haley Bennett). She however thinks of him more as a brother. One night at the theatre, Roxanne spies Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr) and is instantly smitten. Christian is a new recruit into Cyrano’s Guards regiment. Both Roxanne and Christian insist that Cyrano arrange an introduction. Although his heart is breaking, Cyrano decides Roxanne’s happiness is more important. But an introduction in 17th Century France requires an exchange of letters first. Problem is, Christian is a dunce when it comes to writing, while Cyrano is a poet and quite the expert. Cyrano composes Christian’s letters, and soon Roxanne believes Christian is as erudite as he is handsome.
But Christian and Cyrano aren’t the only suitors for Roxanne’s hand. The slimy Duc de Guiche (Ben Mendelsohn) also fancies the fair woman. And he believes his wealth and power will win out. But it soon becomes obvious he’s on the outer. Miffed, de Guiche uses his new appointment as a colonel in the army to order the Guards into combat, putting both Christian’s and Cyrano’s lives in danger.
The director here is Joe Wright (Darkest Hour), who puts his experience and cinematic eye to good use. The film (shot mostly in Sicily) looks great through the lens of Seamus McGarvey (Greta). Erica Schmidt (Dinklage’s wife) adapts the musical for the screen. And while the production values are excellent, I had some difficulty with the narrative.
As I’ve discussed before, the inherent artificiality of musicals is something I find distracting. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good musical every now and then (see In the Heights). But here it’s not just the artificiality. It’s that every time a song happens, the narrative just stops dead. That might have something to do with the fact they all sound basically the same. And the film struggles to then pick the story thread up again. It doesn’t help that many of the songs feature actors who aren’t also singers. Oh, and if you think this is a light rom-com in the vein of Roxanne, think again.
For all its flaws though, the shining light of Cyrano is Peter Dinklage’s (I Care a Lot) performance in the title role. He makes the character not just believable but relatable. His timing is impeccable and he brings wit and intelligence to the role. By contrast, Haley Bennett (Hillbilly Elegy) and Kelvin Harrison Jr (The High Note) both get some lovely songs – and they can sing – but they have little else to do other than look good. Ben Mendelsohn (Babyteeth) is suitably smarmy as de Guiche, but his appearances are few.
Despite its flashes of brilliance, I found Cyrano a bit of a slog. That said, if you’re a fan of musicals, you’re likely to enjoy it a whole lot more.
David Edwards
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes – movie review
- Unfrosted (Netflix) – movie review
- Five Feet Apart – movie review
David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb and a contributor on film and television