Film: Cyrano

There have been many versions on stage and screen of Edmond Rostand's beloved 19th century play about Cyrano de Bergerac, a proud, brilliant soldier and his secret love for the beautiful and passionate Roxanne. These have included the 1990 swashbuckling version with Gerard Depardieu and Steve Martin's 1987 version 'Roxanne' which ends happily for the hero with the big nose.

Cyrano, directed by British film director, Joe Wright, is a worthy addition to the existing canon. This new version, is a musical, written originally for the theatre by Erica Schmidt, with her husband Peter Dinklage (Tyrion in the Games of Thrones) in the title role as Cyrano. Wright saw this while in America and was so taken by it and the performances that he determined to bring it to the screen, and engaged Schmidt to write the screenplay. Not surprisingly the film still bears very much its theatrical roots, even though the "stage" now overflows into the whole Sicilian town of Noto, full of alley ways and baroque buildings and cascades up the blackened slopes of Mount Etna for the final battle scenes.

In the original play, Cyrano's handicap is that he has a disfiguring huge nose, which arouses comment, and makes him believe that no woman will ever love him, In this version, its not his nose, but his dwarfism, that marks him out and makes him feel unworthy of the love of a beauty such as Roxanne. She is besieged by lovers so is very demanding, looking for both brilliance and beauty in her suitors.

Dinklage with his expressive, slightly mournful face, is perfect in the role, as the sensitive man, who hides his pain behind outward bravado and wit. Haley Bennett's Roxanne comes across as a bit of wilful, demanding minx rather than a mature woman of letters. She falls for the handsome Christian, a new recruit in Cyrano's regiment, as he does her, but demands that he win her by writing her romantic love letters. Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr), adorable as he is, is inadequate to the task, not having the education, experience or ability to write the beautiful missives she desires. The more mature Cyrano offers to write them for him. This gives Cyrano the opportunity to pour out all his long suppressed feelings of love and passion for the unattainable Roxanne. Not surprisingly this deception causes all kinds of complications and problems. The play explores how neither man feels adequate in himself to meet her expectations. Christian despite being younger is actually braver in love than Cyrano. He is more prepared to face reality and even rejection in pursuit of the truth. He demands that they come clean and let Roxanne chose between them, even though he believes that Roxanne will probably chose Cyrano, despite his physique. Cyrano's tragedy is that he is too frightened and too proud to do this.

Although I enjoyed the film well enough, particularly the amazing fight scene, when the diminutive but fierce Cyrano bests ten assailants in a wonderful and believable display of swordsmanship. Overall I wasn't so keen on the general slightly art-house feel about the film which I felt detracted from the raw emotion of the story. This was particularly the case at one point with the rather camp soldiers balletically dancing about with their rifles and swords. This seemed rather at odds with the underlying tragic morality tale. But that's musicals for you! Even so well worth a look, particularly for Dinklage and if you know and love the story. In cinemas from 25th February onwards.

Watch the official trailer here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e8apSFDXsQ