Review of Cyrano (Film, 2022)

Cyrano: a new adaptation of a classic

Since its writing in 1897 and its first performance the same year, Cyrano de Bergerac continues to inspire other art forms, from opera to comics. In 1900, Clément Maurice filmed a scene from the play, resulting in a two-minute short film. This is the first film “adaptation”. It will be followed by many others, the most famous being probably the one worn by Gérard Depardieu and directed by Jean-Paul Rappeneau, released in 1990.

In 2019, Alexis Michalik traces the tumultuous creation of the piece with Edmund. Now it’s Joe Wright’s turn to capture Edmond Rostand’s masterpiece. After having rubbed shoulders with the Hitchcockian thriller The Woman at the Window a minor and conventional project weighed down by a Guignolesque finale and numerous production problems, the filmmaker returns to the film in costumes with Cyrano.

The director takes over the adaptation work of Erica Schmidt, who transformed the play into a musical. After playing Cyrano on stage, screenwriter Peter Dinklage’s companion in the city once again embodies this emblematic role in cinema. A great friend of Roxanne (Haley Bennett), to whom he has never dared to confess the true nature of his feelings, the hero is bruised when he learns that she has fallen in love with Christian de Neuvillette (Kelvin Harrison Jr.).

Courted by the cruel Comte de Guiche (Ben Mendelsohn), Roxanne makes Cyrano promise to help her get closer to Christian before it’s too late. His old friend agrees, with a heavy heart.

The ultimate love story

In the same way as that of Romeo and Juliet, the love story of Cyrano is universal and timeless. But rather than offering a modern version of it, as Baz Luhrmann had done with William Shakespeare’s play, Joe Wright keeps the original context by placing it in the 17th century, where the main character is no longer mocked because of his nose but of his small size.

The audacity of the project comes rather from the fact that it combines musical comedy and period film, thus dooming itself to a commercial failure, as evidenced by the limited distribution in French cinemas, which follows the announcement of the complete cancellation of the outing.

However, Cyrano is well worth a look. First of all for the tragic romance that it reveals, certainly known but told here with humor, violence, and a constant rhythm. As he had done with the superb Anna KareninaJoe Wright seeks to make a real junction between the theater and the seventh art. The director assumes the fictitious and repetitive aspect of his sets, such as Roxanne’s room, for example, but does not hesitate to film them with scale, always preferring movement to fixed frames.

In addition, the artistic director does not hold back on the colors, which they pass through the costumes, the make-up, and the photography. First shimmering then icy in its last part and finally dazzling in its conclusion, the feature film multiplies the strong aesthetic choices, which reinforces his heightened romanticism. In this, Cyrano is getting closer to Anna Karenina, but also to Pride and Prejudice and Come back to me.

Poignant musical sequences

Finally, if all the songs are not equal, some of them remain in memory. The most beautiful concern is soldiers sent to death. Aware that they are living their last moments, they share their last messages with their loved ones. A magnificent passage in which the excellent Glen Hansard (Ounce).

Added to this is the final dialogue between Cyrano and Roxanne, imbued with pain and modesty. A poignant end reminds us that Joe Wright is never so good as when he directs love stories and which confirms his mastery of the musical sequences after giving a brief overview in Pan.

Cyrano by Joe Wright, in theaters on March 30, 2022. Above the trailer. Find all our trailers here.