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Cyrano de Bergerac
CYRANO DE BERGERACFrance, 1990 Director: Jean-Paul Rappeneau Production: Hachette Premiere et Cie/Camera One/U.G.C/D.D Productions/Films A2; colour, 35mm; running time: 138 minutes. Producers: Michel Seydoux, Rene Cleitman; screenplay: Jean-Paul Rappeneau, Jean-Claude Carriere, from the play by Edmond Rostand; subtitles: Anthony Burgess; photography: Pierre Lhomme; editor: Noelle Boisson; assistant directors: Thierry Chabert, Francine Meunier, Nathalie Bezon, Attila Monost; art directors: Jacques Rouxel, Tamas Banovich; production design: Ezio Frigerio; music: Jean-Claude Petit; costumes; Franca Squarciapino; sound: Jean Goudier, Pierre Gamet, Dominique Hennequin. Cast: Gérard Dépardieu (Cyrano de Bergerac); Anne Brochet (Roxane); Vincent Perez (Christian de Neuvillette); Jacques Weber (Comte de Guiche); Roland Bertin (Ragueneau); Phillippe Morier-Genoud (LeBret); Philippe Volter (Vicomte de Valvert); Josiane Stoleru (Duenna). Awards: Best Actor, Cannes 1990. PublicationsScript:Rappeneau, Jean-Paul, and Jean-Claude Carrière, Cyrano de Bergerac, d'après l'oeuvre d'Edmond Rostand, Paris, 1990. Articles:Variety (New York), 4 April 1990. Strauss, F., Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), April 1990. Merrick, H., "Le Marivadange Héroique" in Revue du Cinéma (Paris), April 1990. Amiel, V., "L'esprit du theatre et la beauté du cinéma" in Positif (Paris), May 1990. Manceau, J.L., Cinéma (Paris), May 1990. Logett, L., "Autour de Cyrano" in Jeune Cinéma (Paris), June-July 1990. Buruina, M., and others, Séquences (Montreal), September 1990. Horguelin, T., "Le film de Roxane" in 24 Images (Montreal), Autumn 1990. "Cyrano de Bergerac," in Reid's Film Index, no. 6, 1991. Strick, P., Monthly Film Bulletin (London), January 1991. West, J.M., Cineaste (New York), February 1991. Kermol, E., in Le Costa Vista (Trieste), no. 18, 1992. Abdullaeva, Z., in Iskusstvo Kino (Moscow), no. 11. 1992. Douin, Jean-Luc, in Télérama (Paris), 23 March 1994. * * * The makers of this most recent telling of the Edmond Rostand classic have accomplished a most praiseworthy feat. They have taken a century-old romance of nobility and love's sacrifice and maintained a healthy measure of the flavor of the original, while at the same time bringing it to life for audiences of the 1990s. In 1897, Rostand first presented this self-proclaimed "heroic comedy" about a proud Gascoyne swordsman, poet and lover with an enormous nose. Through the first half of the 20th-century, Cyrano was produced on many occasions with great success. Coquelin and Walter Hampden were but two of the actors who interpreted Cyrano. In recent years, however, the lacey prose and honeyed poetry of Rostand (known to most American audiences through the traditional English translation by Brian Hooker, written in 1923) has appealed mainly to more literary audiences. The 1950 Stanley Kramer production featuring Jose Ferrer as Cyrano had been considered the definitive film adaptation, but it has been overshadowed by this more contemporary, action-packed and in some ways more relevant production. Director Jean-Paul Rappeneau and star Gérard Dépardieu have cut through the fine embroidery of Cyrano to the play's solid core, and emphasize Cyrano as an individualist. He is shown as a man of principle who would rather suffer the fate of an outsider than relinquish his own brand of panache. Dépardieu offers a naturalistic performance, playing Cyrano with an earthiness and virility that permeates much of the actor's film work. With an unabashed pride and stubbornness, Cyrano scoffs at two-faced politicians and attacks mannered fops who kowtow with insincere grace in exchange for courtly favors. Dépardieu's swordsmanship is no more skillful than Jose Ferrer's was, but this production is created with a greater excitement towards the sword fight sequences. Whereas Ferrer's Cyrano parries and thrusts half-hidden amid the black and grey shadows of the back streets of Paris, Dépardieu's Cyrano duels with a greater relish in more colorful surroundings and in stronger light, to the accompaniment of a more fluid camera. A ruggedness of atmosphere properly places Cyrano in a rough-and-tumble man's world. At the cadets' headquarters, one sees soldiers in various stages of undress. There, one can smell the musk of the leather protective gear. At the battle stations, unwashed and hungry soldiers hunt down a rat and skin it for supper. As the men suffer for lack of meat, Cyrano calls upon an elderly shepherd to sing a folk song to remind them of their proud Gascoyne heritage. These moments of unaffected custom give emphasis to the difference between Cyrano's world and the refined, phony spheres in which Cyrano's enemies, the actor Montfleury and the Compte de Guiche, travel. The film's English subtitles, written by Anthony Burgess, present a tasteful and lively text. As one might hope, the prose pays homage to the old-fashioned, flowery recitations in the Rostand play, maintaining the original flavor of the piece. Burgess uses good judgement in occasional decisions to keep to the French language. Roxane, for example, who is cousin to Cyrano and the love of his life, is referred to as "precieuse." The strength of this word and the way the lips move when it is pronounced make this the authoritative description of Cyrano's secret sweetheart. In the finale, as he dies, Cyrano's last words refer to the one laurel he will take with him to the grave: "my panache." Burgess could have translated that term as Hooker did, as "my white plume." But, for today's audiences, such a term seems insignificant. The French word "panache" holds weight. The trio of Dépardieu, Rappeneau and Burgess have assembled a Cyrano de Bergerac that is naturalistic in style. It is at once a respectful interpretation of its original source material and an action-packed, full-bodied production designed to appeal to contemporary audiences. —Audrey E. Kupferberg |
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"Cyrano de Bergerac." International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Cyrano de Bergerac." International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3406800219.html "Cyrano de Bergerac." International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. 2001. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3406800219.html |
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Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyrano de Bergerac. This tale of a huge‐nosed, comic‐tragic poseur, who is so homely he must woo by proxy, remains one of the great French romantic plays of the late 19th century. Rostand's work was first presented in New York by Richard Mansfield in 1898 and by Augustin Daly in Philadelphia with a cast headed by Charles J. Richman, Ada Rehan, and Mrs. Gilbert. Within a month of its opening, Weber and Fields presented their famous spoof, Cyranose de Bric‐a‐Brac, while in 1899 Victor Herbert's failed musical version was produced with Francis Wilson as its star. Walter Hampdenrevived the play in 1923 and returned to it at intervals. In 1946 José Ferrer led a successful revival. Two other musical versions, in 1973 and 1993, both failed, although Christopher Plummer was highly praised in the former. The Royal Shakespeare Company's revival, with Derek Jacobi, earned rave notices in 1984, while Frank Langella had one of his rare disappointments when he essayed Cyrano in 1997.
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Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Cyrano de Bergerac." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Cyrano de Bergerac." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-CyranodeBergerac.html Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Cyrano de Bergerac." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-CyranodeBergerac.html |
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Cyrano de Bergerac, Savinien
Cyrano de Bergerac, Savinien (1619–55), French dramatist, soldier, and celebrated swordsman, always ready to take offence if anyone dared to remark on his enormous nose. On leaving the army he settled in Paris and cultivated his undoubted gifts for literature and science. His friendship with Molière and Scarron turned his thoughts to the stage, but his tragedy, La Mort d'Agrippine (1653), was not a success, and a comedy, Le Pédant joué, written between 1645 and 1649, does not appear to have been performed. It must, however, have circulated in manuscript, since both Scarron and Molière show signs of its influence. The hero of Rostand's great Romantic drama Cyrano de Bergerac (1898) is a mixture of fact and fiction, a swashbuckling Gascon with the soul of a poet, whereas the real Cyrano was a Parisian and probably much less given to altruism and introspection.
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PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Cyrano de Bergerac, Savinien." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Cyrano de Bergerac, Savinien." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-CyranodeBergeracSavinien.html PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Cyrano de Bergerac, Savinien." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-CyranodeBergeracSavinien.html |
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Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac
Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac , 1619-55, French novelist. Satirizing the customs and beliefs of his time, he wrote two fantastic romances about visits to the moon and sun— L' Autre Monde; ou, Les Estats et empires de la lune (1657) and Les Estats et empires du soleil (1662); these usually appear together, as in the translation by Richard Aldington, Voyages to the Moon and the Sun (new ed. 1962). Cyrano's swaggering personality, evinced by the many duels he fought over insults to his unusually large nose, was romanticized by Edmond Rostand in the verse drama Cyrano de Bergerac (1897).
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"Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Cyranode.html "Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Cyranode.html |
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Cyrano de Bergerac, Savinien
Cyrano de Bergerac, Savinien (1619–55) French writer. His novels and plays combine free thinking, humour and burlesque romance. As an author, he is best known for two posthumously published prose fantasies, Journey to the Moon (1656) and The Comical Tale of the States and Empires of the Sun (1662), which contain many scientific predictions. He is perhaps equally famous as the eponymous hero of the popular but historically inaccurate play by Edmond Rostand.
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"Cyrano de Bergerac, Savinien." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Cyrano de Bergerac, Savinien." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-CyranodeBergeracSavinien.html "Cyrano de Bergerac, Savinien." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-CyranodeBergeracSavinien.html |
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Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyrano de Bergerac (1619–55), French soldier, duellist, and writer. He is chiefly remembered for the large number of duels that he fought (many on account of his proverbially large nose), as immortalized in a play by Edmond Rostand (Cyrano de Bergerac, 1897).
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Cyrano de Bergerac." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Cyrano de Bergerac." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-CyranodeBergerac.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Cyrano de Bergerac." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-CyranodeBergerac.html |
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Cyrano de Bergerac, Savinien
Cyrano de Bergerac, Savinien (1619–55), a French soldier and duellist, whom a wound in the Spanish War turned into a dramatist and novelist. He is the subject of a highly successful play by Edmond Rostand (1868–1918).
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Cite this article
MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Cyrano de Bergerac, Savinien." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Cyrano de Bergerac, Savinien." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-CyranodeBergeracSavinien.html MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Cyrano de Bergerac, Savinien." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-CyranodeBergeracSavinien.html |
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Bergerac, Savinien Cyrano de
Bergerac, Savinien Cyrano de, see CYRANO DE BERGERAC.
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Cite this article
PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Bergerac, Savinien Cyrano de." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Bergerac, Savinien Cyrano de." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-BergeracSavinienCyranode.html PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Bergerac, Savinien Cyrano de." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-BergeracSavinienCyranode.html |
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Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyrano de Bergerac see Cyrano de Bergerac . |
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Cite this article
"Cyrano de Bergerac." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Cyrano de Bergerac." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-BergeracC.html "Cyrano de Bergerac." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-BergeracC.html |
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De Bergerac, Cyrano
De Bergerac, Cyrano, see CYRANO.
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Cite this article
PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "De Bergerac, Cyrano." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "De Bergerac, Cyrano." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-DeBergeracCyrano.html PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "De Bergerac, Cyrano." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-DeBergeracCyrano.html |
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