Directed By Joe Wright

Starring – Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr

The Plot – A man ahead of his time, Cyrano de Bergerac (Dinklage) dazzles whether with ferocious wordplay at a verbal joust or with brilliant swordplay in a duel. But, convinced that his appearance renders him unworthy of the love of a devoted friend, the luminous Roxanne (Bennett), Cyrano has yet to declare his feelings for her and Roxanne has fallen in love, at first sight, with Christian (Harrison Jr).

Rated PG-13 for some strong violence, thematic and suggestive material, and brief adult language

CYRANO – Official Trailer (Universal Pictures) HD – YouTube

POSITIVES

Joe Wright constructs another period piece biopic, this time in the rendering of a musical with no shortage of substantial production value to immerse audiences in the believability of its textures. Among them is the luminating essence of the movie’s weathered cinematography, graded wonderfully here from Seamus McGarvey, whose subtle coloring and natural lighting play all the more fruitfully to the integrity of the environment, while balancing the tenderness in tone that surrounds the love story whole. In addition to this, the set designs in all of their shifting scales provide an alluring intricacy to the artificiality of a stage play, while somehow never sacrificing the immensity in scope that moves this story miles in both thematic and geographic pertinence. Wright’s commanding hand never uses the movements of the lens as a constant gimmick inside of the film, instead steering us down expanding hallways, winding staircases, and the occasional extended cut that creatively pushes the envelope and pursues the uneasiness in a scene like the screaming of resolution from the growing tension between characters. Last but most definitely not least are the three-dimensional variety in wardrobe designs and ensemble-spanning costumes that have not only earned it an Academy Award nomination at this year’s ceremony, but also ones harvesting believability in both the style and construct of their general designs. 19th century French renaissance gives way to free-flowing gowns and four-piece suits that convey economical depth in the divide of its characters, while army attire on the field of battle, with bonnets and button-up overcoats, prove that Wright and company never take their foot off of the pedal in the exploration of its sentiments. As for the story merits, the love triangle at the forefront of the story was surprisingly endearing, especially considering it trembles on the same predictability of various films and shows that use it as a device to push dramatic tension. Here, those elements do persist, but they’re unraveled in a way that play to your investment to the characters, which in Cyrano’s case is a wallowing cage of internal longing that never relents. This is where the appeal of the Shakespearian dialogue essentially comes into play, depositing these endless poetic haiku’s in ways that sometimes rhyme, but consistently as intel to the mind of Cyrano, whose affection we feel with unrelenting sentiment at all times. Speaking of the titular character, Dinklage’s performance also deserved an Academy Award nomination, especially in a weak year for male leads. Dinklage not only channels the intellectual eloquence of Cyrano, using words as weapons in ways that bring his opposition and his loves to their knees, but also the passion of his deliveries, which permeate a combination of love, pain, and intensity that feel like they could level him at any given moment. Ben Mendelsohn is also a refreshing breath of air as the film’s antagonist of sorts. Mendelsohn audibly and visually disappears into the role, donning a wig and pounds of shape-shifting make-up for an army lord who is every bit voracious and devious as he is plotting and revolting.

NEGATIVES

While authenticity is the name of the game in adapting a stage play of the same name and concept, the musical portion of the story here simply didn’t work for me. A lot of the problem is in the songs themselves feeling not at all appealing to my ears that had to endure them for two hours. This is because of the one-dimensional tonal capacity of them, certainly, which remains as downtrodden and miserable as you can possibly imagine, but aside from that it’s what little the lyrics entailed actually move the story forward that is especially problematic, stalling scenes in real time to only further abbreviate what we’ve already learned and push the run time to two hours in ways this story simply doesn’t earn. Further adding to this problem is the minimalization in exposition or information pertaining to Cyrano that is especially surprising in a film titled “Cyrano”. When the movie opens, we’re actually following his love interest, and only come across our titular protagonist ten minutes into the film. This wouldn’t be a problem if it expanded upon this insight with further exploration of the storytelling, but it only approaches matters about the Cyrano de Bergerac legend from a surface level delve, with the details we already know and can learn about from a Wikipedia exploration of his page. It’s understandable that little is actually known about the poet, but the script’s constant deviation away from his depiction feels much more problematic to the integrity of the opportunity, affording us minimal growth of knowledge for him that evolves beyond being a poet and a lover. Finally, though I did enjoy Bennett’s portrayal of Roxanne, the direction of her character and corresponding characterization leaves plenty more to be desired. Roxanne comes across as a bit spoiled, a bit naive, and even a bit shallow in the way she views people, and this notion doesn’t come close to advancing her as the equal to Cyrano’s unfortunate plight, instead deducing her to just another option whose materially influenced by an obscured view of love that humiliates her and undercuts the chemistry that never feels palpable to audience interpretation.

OVERALL

For “Cyrano”, Joe Wright seamlessly adapts the origins and authenticity of the stage show for a big screen beguiling deserving of much academy praise. Though the storytelling feels stilted as a result of a bloated two hour run time packed to the brim with unappealing musical numbers and expositional limitations, each frame dazzles with music video spectacle and nourishing sentiment that smoothly pave the way for Dinklage’s mesmerizing presence to do the heaviest of lifting.

My Grade: 7/10 or B-