Cyrano is an adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s verse play about the classic love triangle entitled, “Cyrano de Bergerac.”
This film was directed by Joe Wright who also directed Darkest Hour and Atonement. He has been nominated for a BAFTA for this film.
The script was written by Erica Schmidt. Her screenplay is also nominated for a BAFTA this year.
Erica’s husband, Peter Dinklage, plays the title character, Cyrano de Bergerac.
Other stars include Hailey Bennett. She was in Hillbilly Elegy.
Kelvin Harrison, Jr. plays Christian. He’s in everything, but you’ll see him next in Elvis. He’s playing blues king BB King. Elvis drops later this year.
And Bashir Salahuddin. He’s co-creator and star of the hilarious sitcom, “South Side.”
There have been many iterations of Cyrano over the years. A classic one is Roxanne, which was adapted by Steve Martin and starred him and Daryl Hannah.
Cyrano was one of the best musicals of 2021. The basic premise is a peculiar-looking soldier and poet sees himself like the world sees him, as a freak. And while the love of his life, Roxanne, sees him as a brother and confident, he commits to caging his love for her even though her deepest desire is to be truly loved and not saved. But when she confesses that she’s fallen in love with his subordinate who’s more brawn than brains, Cyrano shelves his love to make Christian the man she thinks he is — a romantic poet.
Ben Mendelsohn plays Count de Guiche, commander of the French army, who loves Roxane and is running out of patience with her brushing him off. She strings him along because he can afford to take her to the plays she wants to see.
Roxanne finds Cyrano funny, so he does whatever it takes to entertain her and distract her from any possible love interests, including Count de Guiche.
But because she loves Christian, Cyrano must build him into a formidable partner. Because his goal in life is to make Roxane happy and, as he put it, love her from afar.
So Cyrano writes beautiful letters to Roxane pretending to be Christian hoping that it will strengthen their bond because he knows she deserves love — even if he can’t have her. And Cyrano’s plan works for a while.
But conflict escalates because Count de Guiche gives Roxanne an ultimatum — if she doesn’t marry him, she’ll send Cyrano and Christian off to war on the front lines.
She convinces him to go instead, so that she can have enough time to strengthen her bond with Christian.
Soon Christian thinks he can handle Roxane on his own and fires Cyrano as his advisor and mentor. Cyrano knows he’s making a mistake, but let’s him. Christian puts a foot in his mouth and Roxane questions if he’s the one for her.
Cyrano must save Christian from his failure because he refuses to let Roxane be heartbroken.
Now you have to suspend how customary sound and light flow now compared to the 17th Century.
Cyrano has to speak as Christian in the shadows to reel Roxane back in. And for a moment, he convinces himself that Roxanne will open her heart to him. Christian abruptly steps in before Cyrano confesses his love and keeps Roxane for himself.
Soon the Count sends a minister to Roxane’s house to marry her in absentia. He demands her hand in marriage and if she refuses, he’ll take her for himself and send Cyrano and Christian to the frontlines, for sure.
She tricks the minister into marrying her and Christian so that she won’t be forced to marry the Count.
The Count arrives to find them being married and ships Cyrano and Christian off to war.
Christian is sick in love with no fight left in him. So Cyrano continues to write love letters to Roxane as if he’s Christian. When Christian reads Cyrano’s last letter, he throws himself onto the frontline and succumbs to gunfire. Cyrano tries to prevent this, but takes fire himself.
He survives a while, but keeps himself alive long enough to build up the courage to tell Roxane the truth — that he loved her all along. He dies in her arms confessing that he let his ego rule his life instead of believing they had a real chance at love.
The soundtrack is beautiful. The cinematography is neutral, yet rich in tone and texture.
This takes place during a 30-year war. So while soldiers are dying on the battlefield, hearts at home are longing for love and hope. Such drastic extensions of failed love. And how love is a battle we fight within ourselves because the world has retrofitted it into an idealistic box to look and feel a certain way.
This is an eccentric telling of this classic love triangle or quadrant, if you will.
But, polyamory, thrupledom would’ve helped end the 30 Years War decades earlier😜
Peter Dinklage is such a great actor. I think he did an exceptional job as Cyrano de Bergerac.
This was one of the best musicals of 2021, certainly better than West Side Story — for me. It finally has a wide release and is available in theaters now. I give this musical 4 out of 5 stars.
