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.
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.