If you've never seen Cyrano de Bergerac onstage you might still be familiar with the play. A witty and poetic large-nosed man is deeply in love with Roxanne. Because of his appearance, he feels he can only tell her via romantic letters that she thinks are written by Christian, a man who meets the beauty standards of the day but lacks Cyrano’s romantic linguistic skills.
The story has inspired many a TV show and film, from parody to straight adaptation. There’s Roxanne with Steve Martin playing a 1987 version of Cyrano. Gerard Depardieu portrays Cyrano de Bergerac in the 1990 French film of the same name winning numerous awards for his performance. And in 2019 Erica Schmidt adapted the play into a stage musical with her husband, Peter Dinklage in the lead role and now we arrive at the film adaptation of said musical, Cyrano.
In 17th century Paris, Cyrano (Peter Dinklage) is a cadet in the French army, a brash and brave man of many talents. He pines for his childhood friend Roxanne (Haley Bennett). He thinks they will never be together not because of a large nose but because Cyrano is affected by dwarfism. Upon learning that Roxanne, after a very brief encounter, has fallen for a fellow soldier, Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) Cyrano offers his poetic skills to help Christian court Roxanne.
The choice of a large nose as the physical attribute that causes Cyrano’s doubt in having his love reciprocated by Roxanne feels as if it was best suited to a stage play in 1689. A facial prosthetic on a dimly lit stage served a purpose, in that it was visually obvious, even to people in the cheap seats. Despite the fact that the story is a tragedy, there is an unavoidable comedic element to an actor wearing a large fake nose. Everyone is aware he can take it off at the end of his performance. Peter Dinklage’s Cyrano has a regular-sized nose but he is affected by dwarfism and it’s not something the actor takes off at the end of the day. The tone has shifted somewhat and for the audience, the story is more effective and emotional thanks to it.
Peter Dinklage is simply outstanding as Cyrano. Despite the title character's many character flaws, the whole plot is an exercise in manipulation, after all. Dinklage wins over the viewer in every scene, balancing frustration, intellect and heartbreak beautifully every time. The moment when Cyrano realises Roxanne is describing Christian as her secret love and not himself is a gut punch to the soul. His elation crumbles away with the movement of his extremely expressive eyebrows.
The other cast members step up too, Kelvin Harrison Jr.’s Christian is a much more fleshed out character than previous adaptations and doesn’t fall into the cliché in which ineloquence equals low intellect. Harrison Jr. plays him as innocent but not comically idiotic.
Meanwhile, Haley Bennett’s Roxanne performance actually sells the audience on her infatuation with Christian despite never having actually spoken to him. Her scenes with her hateful suitor the villainous De Guiche (a scene-chewing Ben Mendelsohn) in which she delicately hides her revulsion are brilliantly played out.
You might expect more from a Joe Wright period musical. The director likes spectacle and insanely long and complicated tracking shots (Atonement, Hanna, Pride & Prejudice) but this film is slightly reserved for such the genre. Two large musical numbers come in quite early but then as the film settles into its stride the visuals become much more restrained. The trademark Joe Wright one-shot is reduced to a beautiful but quiet musical moment featuring three soldiers sending letters to their loved ones
Overall it’s an unabashedly old fashioned romantic film that’ll have many a viewer in tears by the final credits.
You most likely won’t leave humming any of the musical numbers but you will experience a classic tale told with incredible emotional realism thanks to a superb cast.
