Cyrano (2021)
Country: GB/CAN/US
Technical: col/2.39:1 123m
Director: Joe Wright
Cast: Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Ben Mendelsohn, Kelvin Harrison Jr.
Synopsis:
At the time of the Thirty Years' War, a French guards captain seconds the amorous advances of a newly arrived cadet, owing to his special skill with words. The object of affection, unbeknownst to the cadet, is none other than Cyrano's lifelong friend, Roxanne, with whom he is in love, though his physical deformity prevents him from saying so.
Review:
Another reformulation of Rostand's play (cf. Fred Schepisi's Roxanne, 1987, q.v.) sees Cyrano as a dwarf (in the French army, no less). Even more confusingly, Wright stages action on what look like coastal fortifications and in the Pyrenees, certainly nowhere near the Siege of Arras, where the play is set. Most significant of all, however, is that this is a musical version which, like Anthony Burgess's, attempts a rhyming couplet rendition of Rostand's verse; both are underwhelming in their effect, and pale beside Wright's vigorous staging of combat sequences and luxurious production design. They also drag down the pacing and comedic content to sluggishness. Dinklage and Bennett reprise their stage roles, but only come alive in the Act 3 'kiss' scene.
Country: GB/CAN/US
Technical: col/2.39:1 123m
Director: Joe Wright
Cast: Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Ben Mendelsohn, Kelvin Harrison Jr.
Synopsis:
At the time of the Thirty Years' War, a French guards captain seconds the amorous advances of a newly arrived cadet, owing to his special skill with words. The object of affection, unbeknownst to the cadet, is none other than Cyrano's lifelong friend, Roxanne, with whom he is in love, though his physical deformity prevents him from saying so.
Review:
Another reformulation of Rostand's play (cf. Fred Schepisi's Roxanne, 1987, q.v.) sees Cyrano as a dwarf (in the French army, no less). Even more confusingly, Wright stages action on what look like coastal fortifications and in the Pyrenees, certainly nowhere near the Siege of Arras, where the play is set. Most significant of all, however, is that this is a musical version which, like Anthony Burgess's, attempts a rhyming couplet rendition of Rostand's verse; both are underwhelming in their effect, and pale beside Wright's vigorous staging of combat sequences and luxurious production design. They also drag down the pacing and comedic content to sluggishness. Dinklage and Bennett reprise their stage roles, but only come alive in the Act 3 'kiss' scene.
Country: GB/CAN/US
Technical: col/2.39:1 123m
Director: Joe Wright
Cast: Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Ben Mendelsohn, Kelvin Harrison Jr.
Synopsis:
At the time of the Thirty Years' War, a French guards captain seconds the amorous advances of a newly arrived cadet, owing to his special skill with words. The object of affection, unbeknownst to the cadet, is none other than Cyrano's lifelong friend, Roxanne, with whom he is in love, though his physical deformity prevents him from saying so.
Review:
Another reformulation of Rostand's play (cf. Fred Schepisi's Roxanne, 1987, q.v.) sees Cyrano as a dwarf (in the French army, no less). Even more confusingly, Wright stages action on what look like coastal fortifications and in the Pyrenees, certainly nowhere near the Siege of Arras, where the play is set. Most significant of all, however, is that this is a musical version which, like Anthony Burgess's, attempts a rhyming couplet rendition of Rostand's verse; both are underwhelming in their effect, and pale beside Wright's vigorous staging of combat sequences and luxurious production design. They also drag down the pacing and comedic content to sluggishness. Dinklage and Bennett reprise their stage roles, but only come alive in the Act 3 'kiss' scene.