Cyrano de Bergerac

PG

Released Nov 16, 1990

2 hr. 15 min.

Romance

TRAILER

for Cyrano de Bergerac: Fathom Events Trailer

List

100%

30 Reviews

Tomatometer

90%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Soldier and poet Cyrano de Bergerac (Gérard Depardieu) is in love with Roxane (Anne Brochet), but he's too ashamed to admit it because of his big nose. When a cadet, Christian (Vincent Perez), falls for Roxane, he asks for Cyrano's help in sharing his feelings. Cyrano writes love letters signed with Christian's name, and Roxane doesn't realize that it's Cyrano's words she falls for. She marries Christian, and Cyrano continues to keep the other man's secret, even after tragedy strikes.

Read More

Read Less

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

Aender S

Films, plays and literature in old language are always hard for me to follow, especially when they are written in rhyming verses. I see the inspiration the story of Cyrano de Bergerac can provide, but it was hard for me to stomach the film. I was happy when it was over.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/11/24

Full Review

Matthew B

Rostand's play poses a challenge for a moviemaker. The script is very literate, but how to capture this on screen? Thankfully this movie benefitted from a translation by Anthony Burgess, which sought to maintain the verse, complete with 5-beat rhythm and rhyming, except in the final scene which is performed in blank verse to allow more fluidity. This greatly adds to the pleasure of the movie, although it is sometimes hard to follow the action and enjoy the visual spectacle whilst also savouring the verse. This is especially true in an early fight scene where Cyrano fights a duel while spouting verses, and a series of clever self-deprecating insults about his nose. There is so much to enjoy on the screen at one time that there is a danger of missing something wonderful. Rappeneau's adaptation is perfectly pitched. It is fun to watch and has much witty interplay, but it is treated with enough seriousness to allow the audience to care for the characters. The film is lively, and contains plenty of movement, helped by an energetic performance from Depardieu. The story contains no flashbacks, adding to its sense of immediacy. Other incidental details add to the colour – the dignified music score with its martial theme, and the detailed period settings – candle chandeliers, pickpockets, bewigged intellectuals etc. There is a pathos in Cyrano's life, but though the film ends sadly it is not depressing. While I would not wish to emulate Cyrano's life, I still cannot help feeling that it would be somehow admirable to be like him, and I would not wish him otherwise. His refusal to compromise and his unselfish love make him a true hero. As Cyrano says at the end when he learns of Moliere's plagiarism, "My life's work has been to prompt others". He may be absurdly impractical or even impossible, but perhaps there is a germ of Cyrano in all of us – a feeling of being passed by, and a longing to meet life on our own terms without bending. I wrote a longer appreciation of Cyrano de Bergerac on my blog page i you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2018/08/24/cyrano-de-bergerac-1990/

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/17/23

Full Review

david

le meilleur film de Cyrano de bergerac .

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

Taylor L

Some aspects of Cyrano haven't quite aged well. I'm thinking about having an infatuation with your cousin, and the fact that nose surgery is something that teenage girls now have access to. Apart from that, it's still a classic story of unfulfilled longing, a romance with a poetic style. As the film that brought Gérard Depardieu into Hollywood, it's not difficult to see the capability he brings to the role that's necessary to sell the eloquence and tragedy of the character; in the hands of a lesser actor, the delicate emotional sensitivity and wry wit of our self-loathing and tragicomic hero would not be nearly so well-realized. With a great level of attention to detail from the fake nose that "precedes him into a room by fifteen minutes" to the exceptional set design that brings the plot to life better than any adaptation had before (or since, sorry Peter Dinklage), this 1990 film brought poetry to film in a way that seemed impossible. As long as you can withstand a rather protracted series of death throes with a lot more stumbling and speeches than you would think a man with a fatal head injury could withstand, this 1990 Jean-Paul Rappeneau version remains the definitive take on Cyrano de Bergerac. (3.5/5)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/06/22

Full Review

Tony S

A supposed definitive movie adaptation of Cyrano, at least by French consensus. In spite of never reading or watching the play, I tend to agree. This is an incredible, fictionalized character study of a real person. So, by all means, a French Shakespeare story. And it tells a very relatable story about the insecurity of a man whose wit, mind, and prowess are unrivaled but whose appearance makes him shudder at the prospect of inevitable rejection by another sex. A theme that is so universal that there is hardly anyone who won't connect with it. A debate about what is more important: physical or spiritual intimacy. Combined with the other characters and their emotional duality, by the end you find out that there are no evil people in the central conflict. And everything is motivated by emotions such as jealousy and love. The powerful ending of Cyrano, lamenting the life he wasted on pitiful self-doubt that left him with nothing but his panache, will stick with you partially thanks to a whimsical and melancholic soundtrack. The movie looks great; you can see the budget in every set and scene.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/06/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Ah yes a fantastic Gallic twist of a Shakespeare in Love type play. Witty, romantic, engaging, tragic and brilliant. Well worth a watch.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Jean-Paul Rappeneau

Director

Gérard Depardieu

Cyrano De Bergerac

Anne Brochet

Roxane

Vincent Perez

Christian de Neuvillette

Jacques Weber

Comte De Guiche

Roland Bertin

Ragueneau

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

73%

88%

A Year of the Quiet Sun

54%

53%

Forever Young

95%

86%

Autumn Tale

60%

61%

Racing With the Moon

87%

83%

Persuasion

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

"Dallas" Casting Net: Jennifer Lopez, Luke Wilson, John Travolta

In Other News…Gerard Depardieu Retires

Cyrano de Bergerac: Fathom Events Trailer

0:30

View more videos

View more photos

Ed Potton

Times (UK)

Directed by Jean-Paul Rappeneau in French and based on the 1897 play of the same name by Edmond Rostand, this is comedy-tragedy in the grand style, with sets, costumes and battles to match the rich verse and tormented emotion.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 24, 2020

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: B-

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

There are better love stories, but Cyrano is arguably the ultimate celebration of the romantic spirit… Depardieu makes the part forever his own.

Rated: A-

Mar 2, 2004

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

The result is a nosier Depardieu without loosing sex appeal. [Full review in Spanish]

Nov 11, 2022

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Gerard Depardieu gives a tour de force Oscar-nominated performance in this sumptuous (and best) screen version of the famous play

Rated: A-

Feb 1, 2011

Full Review

Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

More artistry and energy than virtually any American costume drama from that period you could name.

Rated: 9/10

Nov 21, 2010

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Soldier and poet Cyrano de Bergerac (Gérard Depardieu) is in love with Roxane (Anne Brochet), but he's too ashamed to admit it because of his big nose. When a cadet, Christian (Vincent Perez), falls for Roxane, he asks for Cyrano's help in sharing his feelings. Cyrano writes love letters signed with Christian's name, and Roxane doesn't realize that it's Cyrano's words she falls for. She marries Christian, and Cyrano continues to keep the other man's secret, even after tragedy strikes.

Director: Jean-Paul Rappeneau
Distributor: Orion Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance
Original Language: French (Canada)
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 16, 1990, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 20, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.5M
Sound Mix: LC-Concept Digital Sound, Surround