No prominent nose, but Cyrano is here!
Cyrano De Bergerac is a legendary character. He is up there together with Hamlet and Don Juan. Although he does not possess their romantic features, he does not have a handsome face, still, he can be called one the greatest lovers of Western European literature. What does his long nose symbolise? Perhaps it tells us that Cyrano can "sniff" out lies, betrayal, stupidity? Or, that not alike Pinocchio, he had to lie, hide and pretend? After all, he was hiding his true feelings from Roxanne all his life.
But in newest screen adaptation of Rostand's immortal play, Cyrano's nose is nothing to speak of. Here, the accent is on his stature. Monsieur De Bergerac is played by extremely talented Peter Dinklage.
Roxane is tall, graceful, her hair is of Pre-Raphaelite shade of ginger. Christian is dark and handsome but from the very first moments resembles lost little child. We immediately understand that he needs Cyrano to lead him by hand.
All the characters in this film are believable and interesting. Ben Mendelsohn's De Guiche strangely likable, Le Bret is devoted to Cyrano, Ragno's poetic and gentle soul is charming.
But what truly captivates from the word "go" is the lavishness and vastness of the production itself. As film starts the audience plunges into the ocean of candles and heavy, elaborately decorated fabrics. It is unimportant whether we are in France, Spain, or Italy. We don't know and neither we care which century we are in. But we know for sure that we are in glorious, romantic past and that everything in this world is guided by emotions. King here is not brain, but heart. And that of a gifted and noble poet. Alas, his body does not match the greatness of his soul!
But perhaps that incredible contrast is what makes Cyrano so interesting and unique as a character.
Music in the film is absolutely mesmeric. It haunts our ears and souls from the beginning to the end, and long, long after! I predict that the soundtrack will become as popular, as the film itself. In Cyrano music becomes a true heartbeat of the film. And the film is ultimately about love!
My congratulations to the director, cast and crew of this spectacular, visually arresting and moving film! It is a big success and I'm sure it will be greatly admired by the audience. Having said that, I want to underline Peter Dinklage's sharp, moving and somehow very masculine performance. He has invented an unfamiliar yet very powerful and likable version of Cyrano De Bergerac.
Reviewed by Dimitri Devdariani
