Cyrano de Bergerac ***** (1990, Gérard Depardieu, Anne Brochet, Vincent Perez) – Classic Movie Review 7227

Director Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s perfect 1990 French film version of the famous classic play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand finds the ideal star in Gérard Depardieu, who deservedly won 1990’s best actor award at Cannes (though he was beaten at the Oscar ceremony by Jeremy Irons in Reversal of Fortune) for his flamboyant and heartbreaking portrayal of Cyrano de Bergerac, the tragic French soldier and poet, renowned for the vast size of his nose but longing for the love of the beautiful Roxane (Anne Brochet).

Vincent Perez fits the bill as Christian de Neuvillette, who is also in love with Roxane but just does not know how to tell her, so Cyrano writes his love letters to her.

It won one Oscar for Best Costume Design (Franca Squarciapino) and the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, as well as four Bafta awards – Best Cinematography (Pierre Lhomme), Best Costume Design (Franca Squarciapino), Best Make Up Artist (Jean-Pierre Eychenne, Michèle Burke) and Best Original Film Score (Jean-Claude Petit).

Rappeneau creates a magical film from Rostand’s play, overflowing with wit, charm, feeling and visual elegance, with marvellous cinematography, production designs, and costumes that won the Oscar for Best Costume Design (Franca Squarciapino). The four other Oscar nominations are Best Actor, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Ezio Frigerio, Jacques Rouxel), Best Makeup (Jean-Pierre Eychenne, Michèle Burke) and Best Foreign Language Film.

Rostand’s 1897 French verse couplets are beautifully translated by Anthony Burgess into rhyming subtitles, which sounds tricky or too arty but never interferes with the film’s pleasure. Rappeneau and Jean-Claude Carrière adapt the play.

Cyrano de Bergerac is an astonishingly lavish and gorgeous production, with brilliant art direction and set decoration. The reconstruction of the 17th-century theatre and the street scenes are superb. But everything is exquisite about every detail of the production, including the cinematography, make up, art direction, set decoration, locations, costumes and score. It is truly impeccable. It was highly valued, but perhaps not quite enough at awards time.

Also in the cast are Jacques Weber, Roland Bertin, Philippe Morier-Genoud, Philippe Volter and Pierre Maguelon.

There was a real life Roxane, Cyrano’s cousin, and she married a baron named De Neuvillette. The triangular love story is probably fabricated by Rostand, though.

It follows the 1950 Cyrano de Bergerac with José Ferrer, who won Best Actor at the Oscars and Golden Globes. The play was reworked by Steve Martin in 1987’s Roxanne.

Pierre Lhomme (1930–2019).

RIP celebrated French cinematographer Pierre Lhomme, who died on 4 July 2019, aged 89. He won both César Awards and BAFTA Film Awards for Best Cinematography for Camille Claudel (1988) and Cyrano de Bergerac (1990).

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7227

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