Books into Screen: Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)

I watched this one quite in a hurry and a was a bit forced to do so, because the end of January is approaching and I haven't written a post for the Let's Read Play Monthly Meme. Excellent. So here I am, in the middle of the night, writing.

Anyway. Cyrano de Bergerac film is strongly based on a play of the same title by Edmond Rostand, a French playwright. I said “strongly” because it is indeed strongly based on the play. Many adaptations love to make a little twist here and there, but this film doesn't do much of that thing.

Confession: I don't speak French. It means I missed a lot of good jokes in the film, no matter how brilliant the English subtitle is. But I love Gerard Depardieu's interpretation of the role. It's simply wonderful. Cyrano is strong, brave, brilliant, man of words and action, but he's also shy and timid when it comes to the matter of love. He fears rejection. Gerard is just perfect for the role, very much alike both in appearance and actions as the one I imagined when I read the play.

Roxane is a bit too calm. I wish she would be a little more cheerful, but in the film she is pretty quiet and passive. Her eyes don't show much intelligent either. She is a bit dull for my taste. In the play, I imagine her as a smart witty lady who wants love from somebody better than her in words. Roxane in the film is good, but not as amazing as Gerard, obviously.

Now, Christian. Vincent Perez did a great job with the role. His Christian is a dashing, handsome, brave, yet not-so-good-with-words fellow who falls in love with the beautiful Roxane. His acting is commendable and his relationship with Bergerac so natural.

I won't comment much on the story though. As I said before, it's just as it is in the play. Nothing to complain there. But I must say that at times the film looks somewhat dull to me. I don't know if it's because it's old, or because it strictly follows the play. Not every play is good when it's brought to film instead of stage, won't you agree?