Cyrano

Cyrano

A man ahead of his time, Cyrano de Bergerac dazzles whether with ferocious wordplay at a verbal joust or with brilliant swordplay in a duel. But, convinced that his appearance renders him unworthy of the love of a devoted friend, the luminous Roxanne, Cyrano has yet to declare his feelings for her—and Roxanne has fallen in love, at first sight, with Christian.

  • Released: 2022-01-06
  • Runtime: 124 minutes
  • Genre: Drama, Music, Romance
  • Stars: Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Brian Tyree Henry, Ben Mendelsohn, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Bashir Salahuddin, Ray Strachan, Monica Dolan, Glen Hansard, Sam Amidon, Joshua James, Anjana Vasan, Ruth Sheen, Scott Folan, Mark Benton, Richard McCabe, Peter Wight, Tim McMullan, Mark Bagnall, Mike Shepherd, Paul Biddiss, Katy Owen, Paul Hunter, Celeste Dodwell, Celeste Dring, Bettrys Jones, Nandi Bhebhe, Colin Mace, Lucas Peters, Leo Rait, Kyla Goodey, Beverly Rudd, Giles King, Carl Grose, Sarah Wright, John Locke
  • Director: Joe Wright
 Comments
  • pixfarina - 15 June 2024
    I watched in A&E, the pain was a welcome distraction
    Cyrano is a convoluted and misguided film, very probably created just to cash in on the notoriety of its star Peter Dinklage. And it has no other reason to exist. Strangely this is a musical too, with songs that are bland, surrounded by dance routines that are tedious. Can anyone who has seen Cyrano sing, or even name a single song? No, they are that forgettable.

    The casting, while individually fine actors, are miscast and have nothing to work with. My suspicion is that are intentionally bland, so they do not eclipse Dinklage. And Dinklage is the real problem, or Dinklage and his Cyrano.

    The story of Cyrano is well known, and a central part of the story is Cyrano has a huge nose, behind which is a poetic tongue backed by physical prowess. Dinklage has a small stature instead, but nothing about his Cyrano suggests he is anything other than attractive, and physically brilliant too. This ends up with scenes that are unintentionally comedic.

    So Dinklage plays, and it pretty obvious, a tossle haired miniature Hugh Grant, with the mannerisms of Tyrian Lannister - and that's sort of the point of him. If anything this show only highlights his limitations as an actor. But he has to be lovable, and attractive, yet rejected and sympathetic. Its al there, and its too much. And then there is his physicality. Watching Dinklage fence is like watching Yoda in a Lightsabre duel. You don't know what to expect, then you see it and its just kind of silly. To make all this work the rest of the cast, like the music and films color pallet, are bleached. And the wider cast of French nobles are portrayed a leering and theatrically vulgar, in the midst of which Cyrano strides like a world weary sage warrior. If that sounds dumb and stilted, its because this film is.

    On a positive note, if you like the Bridgerton TV series, then you will probably enjoy this. But Bridgerton is what it is and does not pretend to be serious. But this film though pretends to be Cyrano de Bergerac. It's really not. See the 1990 version. Even 34 years later thats still brilliant.
  • brettdriscoll-721-16128 - 17 January 2024
    An Understated Masterpiece!
    With Peter Dinklage in the lead role - a polished and refined, dramatic actor - this had to be at least an interesting movie. The trailer opened the story and immediately my interest was piqued. Reminiscent of Steve Martin's 'Roxanne' and with a villain from the 'Moulin Rouge' playbook, I pressed play and sat back.

    Opening teasingly within Roxanne's, (the love interest), dressing room, the period was set around the 17th century with all its fashionable glamour and brilliance. Played by Haley Bennet, a seductive and mischievous Roxanne must marry to secure wealth or face the reality of insolvency.

    Suddenly a musical number reveals itself. Subtle story-telling with wonderful, natural voices and stunning dances that occasionally take centre stage.

    Enter Cyrano de Bergerac, a historical figure of the 1600's, a master swordsman who espouses magic in his eloquent poetry and speech. He is more than a man except he is a little person in stature.

    He seeks the love of Roxanne but will not reveal his feelings; they are best friends, confidents. She reveals she has fallen for a new, handsome soldier in Cyrano's army and asks his support to flirt with him.

    What this movie brings together are excellent actors, stunning performances, dazzling costumes, live sets, (filmed in Italy) and magical elements of song, dance and commanding literature.

    If you are a fan of Peter Dinklage, this is a must-see. If you love creative musical plays, this has just the right amount. And if you have a soft spot for romance, this is just perfect with the odd tear or two.

    This is a masterpiece of theatre and film.