CYRANO
***
Director: Joe Wright
Screenwriter: Erica Schmidt, based on the play by Edmond Rostand.
Principal cast:
Peter Dinklage
Haley Bennett
Kelvin Harrison Jr.
Ben Mendelsohn
Monica Dolan
Bashir Salahuddin
Country: USA/UK/Canada
Classification: M
Runtime: 124 mins.
Australian release date: 24 February 2022.
The screenwriter Erica Schmidt’s cinematic adaptation of Cyrano is a direct offshoot of her Broadway musical of the same name, which had a successful run in 2019 and also starred her husband Peter Dinklage in the title role. It is, of course, a reworking of Edmond Rostand’s classic 1897 play but, in a bold move that challenges the original premise, the emphasis is on Cyrano’s height, not the length of his nose. Under the direction of British film director Joe Wright, Schmidt’s musical, with songs by members of US band The National, is set in a non-specific time and place but has maintained the poignancy of Rostand’s play.
Cyrano de Bergerac is a sad love story but an eternally popular one; a version starring James McAvoy for The National Theatre recently took the West End by storm. On this occasion, Cyrano’s “unique physique” is not only the only thing that’s changed – the casting is colour-blind and the object of Roxanne’s desire is played by an African-American. Many people would be familiar with the bare bones of the plot from the many earlier theatre, film and television productions: Cyrano (Dinklage) is a man of words and action. Not only is he a skilled swordsman, he’s also an excellent wordsmith and poet who’s always loved his childhood friend Roxanne (Haley Bennett). She, though, doesn’t have a clue about his feelings for her and has fallen for a tall, handsome soldier in Cyrano’s regiment, Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). There’s just one problem, though – Roxanne is a lover of words and language too, like Cyrano, but Christian lacks the skill and wit to verbally woo her. No problem, offers Cyrano, “I am a poet. My words, upon your lips. I will make you romantic. You will make me handsome.” And the subterfuge works… until it doesn’t.
As a musical, Cyrano is an interesting take on the material, as the words are sung as well as spoken and that causes problems. The music and lyrics are often moving and some are quite lovely: Dinklage’s voice, although not classically good, has a rasping, deep, Leonard Cohen-ish quality to it which is quite acceptable, if not great; Haley Bennett, on the other hand, has a most beautiful melodic singing voice, as does her love interest, Kelvin Harrison Jr.; unfortunately, Ben Mendelsohn as the evil De Guiche, also falls short in the singing department and virtually ‘speaks’ his number. Things are better in the acting department: the actors are all up to scratch, although Dinklage occasionally mugs a little too much; Bennett and Harrison are both terrific as the mis-matched lovers; and Mendelsohn makes an outstanding villain, as he always does. The production values are excellent and the choreography quite amusing and camp, usually featuring men only. The Italian locations are stunning, too – the exteriors were shot in Noto and Syracuse in Sicily.
It was not an easy to film to make, either, as it went into production during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, but Wright wouldn’t be deterred. He feels that, “in times of crisis we, as storytellers, have a responsibility to gather our community, large or small, around the proverbial campfire and try to help them heal. We do this by using the power of our imaginations to tell stories of emotional truth. To offer them light when the world feels impenetrably dark. To offer a place to connect to their emotions and a conduit to express them. A place of beauty, perhaps beauty in an ugly world. A place without cynicism or irony. A place of love and compassion. I have always loved drama. All my films have asked the same central question, “How do I connect with others and why do I so often fail to do so?” Drama, to me, is an attempt to connect with others whilst at the same time an expression of the difficulty in doing so.” It’s a worthwhile, lofty aim but it isn’t always successful, as Wright freely admits. With Cyrano, he has nearly, but not quite, succeeded.
Screenwriter: Erica Schmidt, based on the play by Edmond Rostand.
Principal cast:
Peter Dinklage
Haley Bennett
Kelvin Harrison Jr.
Ben Mendelsohn
Monica Dolan
Bashir Salahuddin
Country: USA/UK/Canada
Classification: M
Runtime: 124 mins.
Australian release date: 24 February 2022.
The screenwriter Erica Schmidt’s cinematic adaptation of Cyrano is a direct offshoot of her Broadway musical of the same name, which had a successful run in 2019 and also starred her husband Peter Dinklage in the title role. It is, of course, a reworking of Edmond Rostand’s classic 1897 play but, in a bold move that challenges the original premise, the emphasis is on Cyrano’s height, not the length of his nose. Under the direction of British film director Joe Wright, Schmidt’s musical, with songs by members of US band The National, is set in a non-specific time and place but has maintained the poignancy of Rostand’s play.
Cyrano de Bergerac is a sad love story but an eternally popular one; a version starring James McAvoy for The National Theatre recently took the West End by storm. On this occasion, Cyrano’s “unique physique” is not only the only thing that’s changed – the casting is colour-blind and the object of Roxanne’s desire is played by an African-American. Many people would be familiar with the bare bones of the plot from the many earlier theatre, film and television productions: Cyrano (Dinklage) is a man of words and action. Not only is he a skilled swordsman, he’s also an excellent wordsmith and poet who’s always loved his childhood friend Roxanne (Haley Bennett). She, though, doesn’t have a clue about his feelings for her and has fallen for a tall, handsome soldier in Cyrano’s regiment, Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). There’s just one problem, though – Roxanne is a lover of words and language too, like Cyrano, but Christian lacks the skill and wit to verbally woo her. No problem, offers Cyrano, “I am a poet. My words, upon your lips. I will make you romantic. You will make me handsome.” And the subterfuge works… until it doesn’t.
As a musical, Cyrano is an interesting take on the material, as the words are sung as well as spoken and that causes problems. The music and lyrics are often moving and some are quite lovely: Dinklage’s voice, although not classically good, has a rasping, deep, Leonard Cohen-ish quality to it which is quite acceptable, if not great; Haley Bennett, on the other hand, has a most beautiful melodic singing voice, as does her love interest, Kelvin Harrison Jr.; unfortunately, Ben Mendelsohn as the evil De Guiche, also falls short in the singing department and virtually ‘speaks’ his number. Things are better in the acting department: the actors are all up to scratch, although Dinklage occasionally mugs a little too much; Bennett and Harrison are both terrific as the mis-matched lovers; and Mendelsohn makes an outstanding villain, as he always does. The production values are excellent and the choreography quite amusing and camp, usually featuring men only. The Italian locations are stunning, too – the exteriors were shot in Noto and Syracuse in Sicily.
It was not an easy to film to make, either, as it went into production during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, but Wright wouldn’t be deterred. He feels that, “in times of crisis we, as storytellers, have a responsibility to gather our community, large or small, around the proverbial campfire and try to help them heal. We do this by using the power of our imaginations to tell stories of emotional truth. To offer them light when the world feels impenetrably dark. To offer a place to connect to their emotions and a conduit to express them. A place of beauty, perhaps beauty in an ugly world. A place without cynicism or irony. A place of love and compassion. I have always loved drama. All my films have asked the same central question, “How do I connect with others and why do I so often fail to do so?” Drama, to me, is an attempt to connect with others whilst at the same time an expression of the difficulty in doing so.” It’s a worthwhile, lofty aim but it isn’t always successful, as Wright freely admits. With Cyrano, he has nearly, but not quite, succeeded.