Cyrano de Bergerac

Much better than I could have expected. There's a Shakespearean quality to the wordplay, but the French flows much more nicely to my ear and the delivery here is excellent, particularly from Depardieu. The story's pretty cliché by this point, but it works regardless because of the fantastic banter that brings it to life.

Seems entirely too much fun to be an "art film", or based on a play you were forced to read in high school

Inevitably your feelings for Depardieu’s melodramatically robust performance that hits all the high notes of comedy and drama will colour your opinion of the film proper, but Depardieu is indeed magnetic here, selling every facet of his tragic Cyrano, with Perez and Brochet providing levelling support, along with Rappeneau’s restrained direction and placing his characters in a muddy, dirty and gritty setting. Listen for the fight theme early on clearly cribbed from Elfman's BATMAN!

3 cheers for hyperliterate heroes with a spine! And he’s not a sleazy bastard, either! 🥳 I think the ultimate adaptation still hasn’t happened yet, may never happen, but for now, this is acceptable & even very good!

Roxane was so pretty... Be my girlfriend, Roxane!

French Masterpiece

First let me talk about some of the positives I have with this film. Gérard Depardieu was great and really fit the part, the costumes and designs, as well as the sets were amazing. The direct and pacing were okay too. I guess that's about it form my positives. There aren't too many negatives more that I didn't really connect with this film...

B+

Love and hope soar in Cyrano De Bergerac, an immensely entertaining romance featuring Gerard Depardieu as this peak.

Its main assets being the amusing banter and Depardieu's strong performance, "Cyrano de Bergerac" is nevertheless, for me at least, rather unappealing. Visually listless and thematically trite (yeah, I know, it's based on a play but this didn't make the jumping from one predictable plot point to another any more fun), the film is pleasant when focused on the comedic elements, but when it gets 'serious' it becomes so ridiculously bloated and inept it's embarrassing (the hour-long death scene).

Depardieu is a powerhouse of an actor. He performs the role of one of literature's most celebrated and complex characters with ease, grace and force. One of the best performances I've ever seen. Rappeneau does a fine job as well of translating the play onto the big picture as well as staying true to the source with the drama, comedy and elegance the play is known for. The result isn't perfect and perhaps only purists will get the most out of it but this is a fascinating adaptation nonetheless.

More on-point than Roxanne. What Depardieu lacks in polish in this role, he makes up for in passion.

Enjoyable little tale in a classic historical setting.

The paradox of absolute beauty in an ugly world. Then just add some gun-ho quixotic awesomenicity, and you've got Cyrano De Bergerac.

most awesome movie I ever saw in french class!