Cyrano - A Musical take on the Iconic Character

WorthAWatch Rating: 7/10

Cyrano (Wright, 2021), Haley Bennet as Roxanne (left) and Peter Dinklage as Cyrano (right)

Joe Wright’s Cyrano tells the infamous tale of Cyrano de Bergerac who originates from Edmond Rostand’s play of the same name and has had its fair share of adaptations with the likes of José Ferrer, Steve Martin, and Gérard Depardieu taking on the role. However, this depiction is based on Erica Schmidt’s stage show and hence turns into a musical extravaganza that places her husband, Peter Dinklage, in the titular role. We replace prosthetic noses with Dinklage’s diminutive frame, which strays from the well-known story but feels that it centres the narrative in the real and authentic, whilst still largely nodding to the famous De Bergerac nose with masks and even marionettes lingering in the mise-en-scène.

The film continues to tell Cyrano’s tale of love for a childhood friend, Roxanne (Haley Bennet), but, conscious of his appearance, fears it won’t be requited, hence refusing to share how he truly feels. Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), an army recruit, arrives and Roxanne falls for him and his good looks, however, it appears that Christian is hopeless with words and articulating how he feels. Cyrano, as we are aware is a poet, and steps in to write love letters on behalf of Christian – ‘I will make you eloquent, and you will make me handsome’ which rings out in the trailer.

The end of the film seems to rush and unravel everything relatively quickly after building our investment and affection for the characters and their stories. Bryce and Aaron Dessner’s songs are beautiful and plant us straight into the characters’ minds. However, they fall slightly flat as occasionally they feel out of place, especially with the unnatural choreography that doesn’t seem to belong in this specific world constructed. It does create a wonderful moment though by providing a voice to soldiers as they write letters to their loved ones and extends the story of communication and love to a world greater than the one of merely Christian, Roxanne, and Cyrano’s love triangle. Dinklage’s singing is by far the weakest in the cast but does somehow work in adding a vulnerability to the character. This is Dinklage’s film as he shines in the role and gives a performance worth watching. Cyrano might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it did a great job in what it set out to do, leaving us with the feeling of the importance of telling those around you how much you love them.