Cyrano de Bergerac (1950)
Poet-swordsman Cyrano de Bergerac loves his cousin Roxane from a distance, convinced his famous nose makes him unlovable, and instead ghostwrites the love letters of a handsomer, tongue-tied rival for her hand.
Adapted from Edmond Rostand’s 1897 verse play using Brian Hooker’s blank-verse English translation, Cyrano de Bergerac won José Ferrer the Academy Award for Best Actor for a role he had already made his own on Broadway.
Background
Cyrano de Bergerac was directed by Michael Gordon and adapts Edmond Rostand’s 1897 verse play, using Brian Hooker’s blank-verse English translation. Jose Ferrer starred in the title role, a part he had already performed on Broadway, and the film won him the Academy Award for Best Actor. The production was made in Hollywood, and its costume and period design reflect the romantic adventure style of the era. The film’s running time is about two hours, and it was released in 1950.
What to watch for
Ferrer’s performance is the centerpiece, and he plays Cyrano’s wit, swordsmanship, and wounded pride with a voice that moves between bluster and tenderness. Watch the scene in which Cyrano ghostwrites love letters for his handsome rival, which drives the romantic plot. The duels and swordplay are the film’s action high points. Pay attention to the balance between Cyrano’s comic rhetoric and his private sorrow about his nose, which carries much of the film’s emotional weight. The verse dialogue, drawn from the Hooker translation, gives the film its distinctive tone.
