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Synopsis:
Cyrano de Bergerac (Depardieu) is witty, intelligent, kind, well loved, romantic and a great
poet. Only one thing protrudes in his way to being a great lover, his rather over sized
nose. For this defect he is not loved by women and in particular by the beautiful Roxane
(Brochet) with whom he is in love. When Roxane falls in love with the handsome but stupid
Christian de Neuvillette (Perez), Cyrano offers him to woo Roxanne with his poetry,
seeing this as the only means by which to express his love. Cyrano De Bergerac
is a film concerned with unrequited love, loneliness, missed opportunities and
selflessness.
Awards:
1990 Academy Awards: Best Costume Design; 1990 Cannes Film
Festival: Best Actor (Depardieu); Technical Grand Prize; 1991 Golden Globe Awards: Best
Foreign Film; 1991 European Film Awards: Best Production Design; 1990 Cesar Awards: Best
French Film; Best Actor (Depardieu); Best Director; Best Cinematography; Best Costume
Design; Best Editor; Best Music Written for a Film; Best Production Design; Best Sound;
Best Supporting Actor (Weber).
Praise for Perez:
Magill's Survey of Cinema:
"The poetic aspect of the film is nowhere more important than in the balcony scene,
in which the handsome but inarticulate Christian de Neuvillette is wooing the beautiful Roxane
while Cyrano hides in the shadows telling him what to say. Depardieu and his two talented
costars, Anne Brochet and Vincent Perez, make this scene entirely credible."
The Charlotte Observer:
"Put Depardieu and young Anne Brochet together, with handsome Vincent Perez as
Christian, the lover and fighter but definitely not the poet, and the souls of these
characters come alive."
The Virginian-Pilot:
"Vincent Perez as Christian manages to suggest that his character is more
than just a handsome non-entity. Scenes have been added to suggest that he was both brave
and knowingly vulnerable - a pretty face with some feeling but an inability to express
himself."
Critic John Hartl:
"Cyrano isn't all Cyrano, fortunately. Anne Brochet makes a splendid
Roxane, as demanding in her way as Cyrano, and Vincent Perez is
convincingly callow as Christian, the young soldier who loves her but is forced to use
Cyrano's words to tell her."
Critic Deborah A. Levinson:
"The film itself is a masterpiece. From the hubbub of the opening scene in the Hotel
de Bourgogne, to the touching final scene at the convent of the Dames de la Croix, almost
every gesture, every inflection, every motion is perfect... Rostand didn't give the
character much depth, but Perez does manage to bring out Christian's primary
motivation - lust, not love."
Wichita Eagle:
"Rappeneau's film is epic, lavish, glorious, exhilarating and achingly romantic...Vincent
Perez plays the handsome but klutzy Christian, sort of a thankless role when you
think about it. We will always root for Cyrano, but Perez's guileless
performance keeps us from resenting Christian."
San Diego Union:
"Not wearing is the tidal flux of movement, as actors spill from
rooms into streets, courtyards and gardens. There's a battle scene with
massed picks and swords that calls to mind paintings by Uccello and films by
Orson Welles and Kurosawa. Even sweet, dim-but-manly Christian is acted with
honest feeling by Vincent Perez while the hissable Comte de Guiche
(Jacques Weber) shows some saving hints of humanity."
San Francisco Chronicle:
"Christian may not be articulate, but in Vincent Perez's performance
he is no fool. When he realizes that Cyrano himself is in love with Roxane,
Perez gives Christian a dignified dimension that adds substance to Roxane's
feelings for him."
San Jose Mercury News:
"Brochet makes an exquisite, exasperatingly myopic Roxane; Roland Bertin is
quite wonderful as Cyrano's most ardent fan, the pastry cook-poet Ragueneau;
Perez is every bit the brash, ungrateful Christian; and Weber makes
off with every other scene as the scorned Colonel de Guiche, whose
admiration for Cyrano finally overcomes his sputtering sense of betrayal."
NY Times:
"Though Miss Brochet and Mr. Perez and the other members of
the supporting cast are good, Mr. Depardieu towers over the production like
some benign sorcerer. He is well served by his associates, but he is the one
who does the miraculous resurrecting."
Movie Film Review:
"The usually tedious role of Christian, Roxane's stupid paramour, is played
with nobility by Vincent Perez.
Matt's Movie Reviews:
"Anne Brochet's gives a captivating turn as the ravishing beauty that makes
men's hearts a flutter at the very sight of her, and Vincent Perez's
swooning good looks (think a Spanish Johnny Depp) is the perfect foil for
the role of Christian."
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