There have been many adaptations of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac. They range from the Gerard Depardieu classic, released in 1990, to more modern adaptations like Roxanne (1987), and reimaginings such as Sierra Burgess is a Loser (2018) and The Half of It. More recently, James McAvoy played the titular character in Jamie Lloyd’s reimagining of the French romance onstage.
Now, Peter Dinklage has taken on the role of Cyrano in a musical version of the story, helmed by Joe Wright. The director of a mixed bag—Pride and Prejudice (2005), Pan (2015) and Atonement (2007)—Wright has nonetheless cemented himself as the king of the frilly period piece. This latest trailer was released on the 6th of October, by MGM.
Cyrano is the tale of a man who society deems to be ugly and unworthy of love. He falls madly in love with his cousin (this part is often glossed over) Roxanne, who in turn falls for the dashing Christian—a new recruit in Cyrano’s regiment. Christian isn’t the brightest, and so Cyrano offers to ‘make’ him romantic. And so the story goes. Peter Dinklage here plays the titular hero, reprising his role from the 2018 stage adaptation which inspired the screenplay.
This latest trailer shows us a mix of tableaus that resemble Anna Karenina‘s stunning set pieces, colour-blind casting, and of course with the odd musical number thrown in.
While Roxanne is being wooed by the Cyrano-Christian dream team, she is also being pressured to marry another man, altogether making her a very eligible bachelorette indeed. The trailer, however, shows us little of Roxanne’s characterisation in this version, something which has varied widely as productions put their own spin on the classic tale. Is she a feminist studying literature as in Jamie Lloyd’s production? Or is she simply a beautiful young woman whom men hang their hopes and dreams upon?
Language and poetry are a huge part of Cyrano—the crux of the tale, in fact. As an adaptation of Erica Schmidt’s 2018 stage musical, the trailer suggests that much of this language has been translated into song in an effort to make the story more cinematic. Following a speckled history of musical adaptations going down the same route, it is unclear whether Cyrano will be a smash hit or a lead balloon.
Words by Maddy Raven
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