Cyrano

 This review may contain spoilers!

 

Cyrano is the latest film adaptation of the 1897 play, Cyrano de Bergerac, and follows the title character as he struggles to reconcile the love he holds for a woman he holds dearest with his so-deemed 'unattractive' physical appearance. As the film progresses and the lady in question, Roxanne, confesses feelings for a young trooper in Cyrano's guard; the heartbroken lover helps the young man by writing letters of love to Roxanne on his behalf. This poetic yet ultimately, tragic web of love and lies casts the tone for this charming musical. I really wasn't entirely sure what I was getting going into this, Cyrano was a figure I knew of but hadn't ever really seen for myself. But the moment Dinklage's portrayal of the swordslinging man appeared on-screen I began to feely myself getting won over. The tragic tale here of people in love struggling to confess their feelings and becoming entangled with one another is classic in nature, and yet as the feature progresses the true tragedy really comes to pass. I love the charming, charismatic figure of Cyrano and how Dinklage has adpated the figure's difficulty with appearance to relate to his own dwarfism. Watching Cyrano's hesitancy to come forward and reveal his intentions crafts a snowball effect that ultimately brings about death and heartbreak that is very powerful.

The manner in which this film is shot is incredibly interesting, at times resembling a Lana Del Ray or Halsey music video. I thought the way the camera married the theatrics of framing a stage with more intimate shots for some ballads was exceptional. The editing also moved fantastically and kept great rhythm with the music of the film, certainly no small feat. The music itself is the real star of the show, boasting a number of tracks that are really moving all set to a score that blends perfectly with the whimsical turned tragic tone of the feature.

 

Haley Bennett, who played Roxanne, was neck and neck with Dinklage for actor who really put their all into their performance; Bennett portrayed the unmatchable wit of her role well and I enjoyed seeing her as this self-confident woman who knew what she wanted from love and life. Kelvin Harrison Jr., who played Christian, is a bold if not simple role that is hard not to like; I enjoyed how Harrison played up his character's passion and genuine affection for Roxanne in spite of his lack of wits. Joshua James, who played Valvert, was truly the first act antagonist this feature needed to set the scene; James' harsh vtriol and open condemnation of the protagonist led to one of the most memorable scenes in the film.

However, the best performance came from leading actor, Peter Dinklage, who played Cyrano. Dinklage enters his first scene with gusto and charm, immediately capturing the hearts of the audience both on-screen and off. He wields vocabulary like a dagger, outperforming any who rise to verbally challenge him. I also have to say that it is impressive how fluid Dinklage and the production team make those action sequences look, it crafts Cyrano as an adept combatant. I love how Dinklage portrayed such a romantic heart, his soul constantly yearning for a woman he feels he could never be with. Seeing Cyrano have to befriend his rival for Roxanne's affections, and the conflict within him over helping the witless gentleman is quite well-portrayed. Dinklage goes above and beyond to craft this beautiful soul who becomes all the more tortured the more distant he feels he is from Roxanne, the power of this alighting from the poetry he recites. I can't say Dinklage is the best singer in the cast but the emotion he pours into his performance eclipses his weakness for song, leaving us with a fantastic protagonist.

This film is quite abrupt as far as musicals go, really bursting into song quite harshly in the first act and taking a moment to find its footing. Cyrano begins with quite measured dialogue, a woman resolute in her decision not too marry and a poorly constructed social class commentary. Just as we're getting into these themes a character opens her mouth and starts singing, not a ballad that feels like the introduction of a musical. In fact, we get quite a mild piece about love and whether or not it can be found. The film toys with big moments like this a lot, going left when it should go right. Sometimes a character is rolling around singing a song sensually which takes you out of the sincerity of the scene, or the antagonist is primed for a big third act confrontation and it never really happens. This is a film that does what looks good and flashy, not necessarily what has the more considered impact. After the big battle scenes in the snow, we return to the city where an ailing Cyrano finally gets to confess his feelings to Roxanne and then perishes. This is quite a moving way to end the feature on paper but they make a lot of elements of this quite abrupt, most severely the final cut to credits did not hit the desired level of impact.

Ben Mendelsohn, who played De Guiche, has found one of his more lacking antagonist performances in quite a while; Mendelsohn really went hard for the melodramatic here and even played his big villain number in quite a camp way. Monica Dolan, who played Marie, is quite a stoic figure who has very little chemistry with the actress she spends most of her screen time with; Dolan feels neither matronly nor of authority so she becomes background retinue to Bennett's role. Bashir Salahuddin, who played La Bret, is primarily meant to be playing Cyrano's best friend but the pair barely share the screen to establish a rapport; Salahuddin plays up jokes and charm to his co-star that are never really matched with the same energy or tone.

An often disarming film musical, albeit one that has offered Peter Dinklage his best role since Game of Thrones. I would give Cyrano a 6/10.