Cyrano de Bergerac (1990 film)

Cyrano de Bergerac
Directed by	Jean-Paul Rappeneau
Produced by	René Cleitman Michel Seydoux André Szots
Written by	Jean-Claude Carrière Jean-Paul Rappeneau Edmond Rostand
Starring	Gérard Depardieu Anne Brochet
Music by	Jean-Claude Petit
Cinematography	Pierre Lhomme
Distributed by	Orion Classics
Release date(s)	28 March 1990 (1990-03-28)
Running time	137 minutes
Country	France
Language	French

Cyrano de Bergerac is a 1990 French-language film based on the 1897 play of the same name by Edmond Rostand. It was directed by Jean-Paul Rappeneau and adapted by Jean-Claude Carrière and Jean-Paul Rappeneau. The English subtitles use Anthony Burgess's translation of the text, which preserves the rhyming alexandrines of the original. The film was a co-production between companies in France and Hungary.

The film is the first theatrical film version of Rostand's original play in color. It is also considerably more lavish, and has more details than previous film versions of the play.

Ranked #43 in Empire magazine's "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema" in 2010.^[1]

Plot

Cyrano de Bergerac is a Parisian poet and swashbuckler with a large nose of which he is self-conscious, but pretends to be proud of. He is madly in love with his "friendly cousin" (they were not actually related as cousins), the beautiful Roxane; however, he does not believe she will requite his love because he considers himself physically unattractive. Soon he finds that Roxane has become infatuated with Christian de Neuvillette, a dashing new recruit to the Cadets de Gascogne, the military unit of which Cyrano is the captain. Christian however, despite his good looks, is tongue-tied when speaking with women. Seeing an opportunity to vicariously declare his love for Roxane, he decides to aid Christian, who does not know how to court a woman and gain her love. Cyrano aids Christian, writing love letters and poems describing the very emotions that Cyrano himself feels for Roxane. Roxane begins to appreciate Christian, not only for his good looks but now his apparent eloquence. She eventually falls in love with him and they contract a secret marriage. However, right after the wedding ceremony, Christian has been called off to fight in the war against the Spanish. The war is harsh and brutal: the Cadets de Gascogne are starving. Cyrano escapes over enemy lines each morning to deliver a love letter written by Cyrano himself but signed with Christian's name, sent to Roxane. Christian, at this time, is completely unaware of Cyrano's doings on his behalf. The love letters Cyrano writes eventually draw Roxane out from the city of Paris to the war front. She had come to visit Christian, the supposed romantic poet. Apparently, she admitted that she would rather love an ugly, but great poet, than a handsome, dimwitted fellow. Christian, realizing his mistake, tries to find out whether Roxane loves him or Cyrano, and asks Cyrano to find out. However, during the battle that follows Roxane's visit, Christian is wounded and dies in battle. As he lays dying, Cyrano tells him that he asked Roxane and it was him she loved, although he did no such thing. Cyrano fights off the attackers and the French win. Cyrano keeps his love for Roxane a secret for fourteen years, during which time he becomes unpopular because of his raucous behavior and she goes to live in a convent. However, during this time, Cyrano faithfully visits Roxane at her convent every week, never late until a fateful attempt on his life leaves him mortally injured. (He was not wounded by a sword, but suffered a serious head injury when struck by a heavy wooden beam.) Only then does she discover his feelings towards her. As Cyrano dies, Roxane realizes that it was he, and not Christian, whom she had really loved all along.

Cast

Cyrano de Bergerac — Gérard Depardieu Roxane — Anne Brochet Christian de Neuvillette — Vincent Perez Comte Antoine de Guiche — Jacques Weber Ragueneau — Roland Bertin Le Bret — Philippe Morier-Genoud Carbon de Castle-Jaloux — Pierre Maguelon

The Duenna — Josiane Stoléru The Child — Anatole Delalande The Father — Alain Rimoux Vicomte de Valvert — Philippe Volter Lignière — Jean-Marie Winling The Bore — Louis Navarre Montfleury — Gabriel Monnet Bellerose — François Marié

Setting

The film was shot in several locations accross France and Hungary. Notable locations include:

• Fontainebleau
• Moret-sur-Loing
• Uzès
• Dijon
• Le Mans
• Marmagne
• Gambais
• Saint-Germain-lès-Arpajon

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

Award[2]	Person
Best Costume Design	Franca Squarciapino
Nominated:
Best Actor	Gérard Depardieu
Best Art Direction	Ezio Frigerio Jacques Rouxel
Best Foreign Language Film	France
Best Makeup	Michèle Burke Jean-Pierre Eychenne

Gérard Depardieu's Best Actor nomination is an extremely rare feat for a non-English-speaking role.

This film marked the second time that an actor had been nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Cyrano; the first time was in 1950, when José Ferrer was nominated for his performance in the English-language film of Cyrano de Bergerac. Ferrer, however, won his Oscar; Depardieu did not.

Cannes

Gérard Depardieu won the Best Actor award at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival.^[3]

Césars

The film was nominated for 13 César Awards in 1991, and received 10, which is a record, including awards for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Director.

• Won: Best Actor – Leading Role (Gérard Depardieu)
• Won: Best Actor – Supporting Role (Jacques Weber)
• Won: Best Cinematography (Pierre Lhomme)
• Won: Best Costume Design (Franca Squarciapino)
• Won: Best Director (Jean-Paul Rappeneau)
• Won: Best Editing (Noëlle Boisson)
• Won: Best Film
• Won: Best Music (Jean-Claude Petit)
• Won: Best Production Design (Ezio Frigerio)
• Won: Best Sound (Pierre Gamet and Dominique Hennequin)
• Nominated: Best Actress – Leading Role (Anne Brochet)
• Nominated: Best Writing (Jean-Claude Carrière and Jean-Paul Rappeneau)
• Nominated: Most Promising Actor (Vincent Perez)

European Film Awards

• Won: Best Production Designer (Ezio Frigerio (sets) and Franca Squarciapino (costumes))
• Nominated: Best Actor (Gérard Depardieu)
• Nominated: Best Actress (Anne Brochet)
• Nominated: Best Cinematographer (Pierre Lhomme)
• Nominated: Best Composer (Jean-Claude Petit)
• Nominated: Best Film

Golden Globe

The film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

BAFTA

• Won: Best Costume Design (Franca Squarciapino)
• Won: Best Cinematography (Pierre L'Homme)
• Won: Best Makeup (Jean-Pierre Eychenne, Michele Burke)
• Won: Best Original Score (Jean-Claude Petit)
• Nominated: Best Actor (Gérard Depardieu)
• Nominated: Best Adapted Screenplay (Jean-Paul Rappeneau, Jean-Claude Carrière)
• Nominated: Best Foreign Language Film
• Nominated: Best Production Design (Ezio Frigerio)

References

1. ^ "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema". Empire. http://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=43. 
2. ^ "The 63rd Academy Awards (1991) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/63rd-winners.html. Retrieved 2011-08-01. 
3. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Cyrano de Bergerac". festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/170/year/1990.html. Retrieved 2009-08-04. 

External links

• Cyrano de Bergerac at the Internet Movie Database