I first saw this movie in 1950 when it was first released. I was 15 and knew immediately that this was THE film for me. I saw it three times in 1950, and watch at least twice a year since I bought the video.
Jose Ferrer covers all the possible emotions an actor can in his role. He is comedic, brave, adventurous, romantic, self-sacrificing, elegant, pitiful, nimble-witted, gallant, prideful, humble, he fully recognizes his short-comings, and, most of all, he is true to his code of honor. This is the best job of acting that I have ever witnessed in the thousands of movies I have seen.
I must confess that although I give the supporting cast a B+ , I would have chosen different actors for most of the roles, including Roxanne. However, William Prince as Christian, rates an A-. (Perhaps, at the time, the producers didn't know what a classic they were creating and, therefore, didn't give as much thought to the casting as they might have otherwise.)
It is a shame that Ferrer never again approached the level of excellence he displayed in Cyrano. But this does not detract from the honor I pay this actor who gave a 15 year-old boy an example to follow: a REAL man.
The best scene in the film is when Cyrano is dying in the court-yard at the nunnery, and the best line in the film is when Cyrano challenges Death with his final words which sum up his life, ` and that is, my white plume.'
Jose Ferrer covers all the possible emotions an actor can in his role. He is comedic, brave, adventurous, romantic, self-sacrificing, elegant, pitiful, nimble-witted, gallant, prideful, humble, he fully recognizes his short-comings, and, most of all, he is true to his code of honor. This is the best job of acting that I have ever witnessed in the thousands of movies I have seen.
I must confess that although I give the supporting cast a B+ , I would have chosen different actors for most of the roles, including Roxanne. However, William Prince as Christian, rates an A-. (Perhaps, at the time, the producers didn't know what a classic they were creating and, therefore, didn't give as much thought to the casting as they might have otherwise.)
It is a shame that Ferrer never again approached the level of excellence he displayed in Cyrano. But this does not detract from the honor I pay this actor who gave a 15 year-old boy an example to follow: a REAL man.
The best scene in the film is when Cyrano is dying in the court-yard at the nunnery, and the best line in the film is when Cyrano challenges Death with his final words which sum up his life, ` and that is, my white plume.'