Cyrano De Bergerac

Starring:Linda Moglia, Angelo Ferrari, Pierre Magnier, Alex Bernard, Umberto Casilini, Maurice Schutz, Gemma De Sanctis, Roberto Parisini
Director: Augusto Genina
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Director Jean-Paul Rappeneau and cowriter Jean-Claude Carriere had the brilliant idea of casting France's most lovably vulnerable hunk, the massive Gerard Depardieu, in one of French literature's meatiest roles: the sword-wielding poet Cyrano. Equipped with a massive nose and a heart to match, Depardieu soars as the heart-broken soldier who must lend his words of love to another man to woo the woman he yearns for. Rappeneau spared no expense in taking this Edmond Rostand play into realistic locations for the battle scenes in the second act, making the film as exciting as it is romantic and funny. Depardieu attacks the role in great gulps, consuming all the oxygen in any room he enters. Macho but sensitive, he creates a larger-than-life Cyrano, whose wrenching sadness at the lack of interest from his lady love will have you reaching for the tissues. --Marshall Fine

Description

One of France's literary treasures commands the screen with this "exceptionally graceful adaptation" (Los Angeles Times) that received a Best Foreign Film Golden GlobeÂ(r) and five OscarÂ(r) nominations*, including Best Actor for Gerard Depardieu! Cyrano (Depardieu), a master swordsman and poet, feels he cannot woo his beloved Roxane (Anne Brochet) due to an unfortunate physical flaw: his grotesquely large nose. Resigning himself to helping another suitor, the dashing yet tongue-tied Christian (Vincent Perez), Cyrano uses his mastery of words to win Roxane forhim. But when Roxane finds that she has fallen for Christian's mindand not for his beautywhich of her two suitors will finally possess her heart? *1990: Foreign Language Film, Art Direction-Set Decoration, Costume Design (won), Makeup

Customer Reviews:

Excellent and beautiful.......2007-06-04

I take Cyrano seriously. For me, Rostand's play, as known to me through Brian Hooker's translation and Jose Ferrer's performance, is a force that has never ceased to inspire, sustain and enrich my life since I first came across it in high school. I show no patience for translations or productions that fail (as I see it) to convey the poetry and grandeur of both the language and the characters. Having said that, I thought this French production of Cyrano was magnificent and will be seen as the definitive modern version for many years to come.

As opposed to the 1950 Jose Ferrer classic, whose sets were rather bare, and whose supporting cast was somewhat cartoonish (which still doesn't detract from Ferrer's tour de force), this production achieves both realism and romance in its beautifully lavish and detailed sets and costumes, not to mention its expertly chosen cast. At all times, you are made to feel as if you were really there, watching real people converse in 17th century France (although I realize that real people don't speak in rhyming couplets), but at other times, such as with the balcony scene, you are transported into a dream or a poem, which is right and proper for this play. I had doubts about Depardieu, but I was able to see him as Cyrano, at least physically. However, he struck me as somewhat too blustering and not as refined as I would expect the character to be (Ferrer was much cooler and nobler, in my view), but I suppose Depardieu knows more about French panache than I do. Unfortunately, the English subtitles employ the execrable Anthony Burgess translation, but that won't be too much of an annoyance to anyone who already has the lines of Hooker rolling around in their head. This is a great movie which should be treasured by any fan of Cyrano, although I would recommend that newcomers should see the Ferrer version first.

""We All Have Our Wounds" ~ A Romantic Film For The Ages.......2007-06-03

Note: French with optional English and Spanish subtitles.

This French language film adaptation of the classic 'Cyrano de Bergerac' released in '90 is without question the most enjoyable 138 minutes in front of the television screen I've experienced in quite some time. Everything about this production is absolute perfection; cinematography, settings, music, screenplay and of course acting.

Gerard Depardieu is an unstoppable force of nature as the eloquent but hot-headed Cyrano. He thunders and rages about one moment only to suddenly turn ethereal and wax poetic the next. The lovely Anne Brochet is a wonderful compliment to the blustering Cyrano as his unattainable Roxane and Vincent Perez delivers a strong performance as the handsome but slow tongued Christian.

The dialogue is crisp, textured and witty, however if you're French impaired as I am you'll probably have trouble keeping up with the subtitles. But that's OK, you'll just catch the missing parts the next time you watch and you will definitely watch again and again.

Depardieu and Brochet are the ultimate Cyrano and Roxane.This is Jean-Paul Rappeneau's masterpiece........2007-05-11

How sad that a person can forego the deepest and best that life has to offer because they feel that their "ugliness" cannot outshine their inner beauty?
Such is the well known CYRANO de BERGERAC,a man with such a large nose that this self-perceived impediment causes him to over develop his rapier wit and tenderness of soul, never being able to feel the sense that he could be loved for who and what he is.

Having seen this Rostand play done on stage, Gerard Depardieu and Anne Brochet simply light up the screen in this Jean-Paul Rappeneau directed version of the French Classic as the "deformed" Cyrano and his object of love,his cousin,Roxane.Vincent Perez,always the handsome leading man, does a marvelous comedic turn as Christien, the love-struck cadet who is a bumbler at words to whom Cyrano lends his poetic tongue to win Roxane for him.

What I find exceptional about this CYRANO is Rappeneau's tremendous attention to the smallest of detail regarding the customs and historical facts concerning the times.The story is already a winner, but Rappeneau makes this also a film that is interesting to people who love accuracy concerning history and custom.There is also a proper treatment of the comedic side of this tragedy that I find lacking in other versions.Rappeneau knows how to make us both laugh and cry in his CYRANO thus keeping a proper balance of the tender and the comedic.

Anne Brochet as Roxane is allowed to be the beauty that she is (unlike her plainess in ALL THE MORNINGS OF THE WORLD) and she is the ideal actress to bring Roxane to the big screen.She has a fragile beauty and depth rarely found!

Depardieu is, well what can one say,THE BEST.Others may disagree,but Depardieu is the first actor ever to make me love Cyrano de Bergerac.Others were okay,but Depardieu IS Cyrano.

As to format,I personally find the digital video transfer version still superior to the dvd in both picture quality and sound.The dvd is" scrunched" looking while the vhs version is not.In any format, though,this is the definitive CYRANO in my book.The english tranlation is perfectly accessible and the subtitles are very clear and not rushed.If you "parlez francais" then all the better this CYRANO.

An excellent companion film that covers the exact same time frame would be MARQUISE (French) starring Sophie Marceau.

Great play, miscast Cyrano and a dull, flat English translation.......2007-02-01

"Cyrano" is one of the greatest verse plays ever written.

Unfortunately Gerard Depardieu is no Cyrano. He's a great, clumsy side of beef, not a shining flame encased in the middleweight body of Hercule Sevanien Cyrano de Bergerac. With the best will in the world, his performance seldom achieves adequacy and never brilliance.

The English translation was especially commissioned for this film. It is undistinguished, prosy and dull. It has little of the wit and less of the poetry of the old standard translation commissioned in the 1920s by the great American actor Walter Passmore.

Get the Jose Ferrer version. This one's a dog.

A classic.......2007-01-16

In this film the story is told with the vigour and intensity it deserves. The actors performances are outstanding, so that you see and hear something new every time you watch. The music is beautiful and one can practicly feel the cool fog in the night and the morning mist, smell the delicous patisserie and sense the omnipresent powerplay between the classes.

Average customer rating:

Tale of Two Loves
Great version...but a problem with audio
Wonderful Wit
My own dear love I love you not.....
'Beautiful?!?'

Cyrano de Bergerac
Starring: José Ferrer , Mala Powers , William Prince , Morris Carnovsky , and Ralph Clanton
Director: Michael Gordon
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyrano De Bergerac
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Cyrano de Bergerac (Cliffs Notes)

ASIN: B0000D1FFU
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Amazon.com

Edmond Rostand's ineffably romantic play about the big-nosed soldier and swordsman with a poet's soul looks stagey in this 1950 film adaptation. But, thanks to a heartfelt performance by Jose Ferrer (who won an Oscar for the role), the beauty of Rostand's words shines through. Ferrer plays Cyrano, who is in love with the beautiful Roxanne but is unable to tell her so for fear that she will reject him because of his extremely prominent nose. In a heart-breaking turn, she confesses her love to him--but it is love for another man, a soldier under his command named Christian. Christian, however, is a good-hearted but tongue-tied youngster, and so the older Cyrano woos Roxanne vicariously by supplying Christian with his own words of love, most famously in a balcony scene in which Cyrano speaks for himself while pretending to be Christian. Ferrer is tender, tough, and funny and single-handedly pulls this film to near-greatness. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

Tale of Two Loves .......2007-05-26

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...or maybe it is in the ear of the beholder.

Jose Ferrer plays Cyrano de Bergerac, a witty, chivalrous swordsman who has a flair for quick quips and romantics. Cyrano's one insecurity is something he can do little about, his rather large nose, and this seems to make him reluctant to profess his love for a woman he desperately is in love with, Roxane. Roxane, however, has her love already set on another man (Christian) who has the looks that Cyrano has no hope of competing with.

In a classic story of lost love, and inner and outer beauty, the film Cyrano de Bergerac seems to highlight the idea that physical attraction can only go so far, and that sacrifice is a huge part of love. There is a significant point in the film when both major characters--Cyrano and Christian--have to sacrifice something. Christian's sacrifice in battle is parallel with Cyrano's sacrifice in trying to help Christian win the love of Roxane, and these sacrifices seem to underscore the various meanings of love in the film. While Roxane loves Christian for his outer handsomeness, it is the voice and words of Cyrano, unbeknownst to her, that she falls in love with. This seems to highlight the notion that physical attraction can only work so much magic before it falls flat, that there has to be something deeper.

Another interesting perspective is the two types of battles raging: both physical and emotional. The physical war that Cyrano and Christian fight in seems to coincide with the emotional battle within both of their hearts for Roxane. These seem to equate with both characters different kinds of wounds suffered: Cyrano (emotional, from the idea of not gaining Roxane's love) and Christian (physical, from being hurt in battle).

Clearly a sense of honor is there for Cyrano, and this makes the final climactic scene with Roxane perhaps the best scene in the film.

This is well-performed classic, albeit overlooked, shows that love has more than one dimension.

Great version...but a problem with audio.......2007-05-20

I love this movie. I think that Jose Ferrer is great a Cyrano. My students also liked this version and it was great for showing the consolidation of characters and plot lines. However, the audio inconsistencies tended to be a problem. My students missed lines. On the plus side, they were quiet throughout the movie.

Wonderful Wit.......2007-05-15

This version of Cyrano de Bergerac is timeless. Jose Ferrer embodies the character of Cyrano in a way that Steve Martin's "Roxanne" version of the story never did. I highly recommend this movie for entertainment, as well as, disscusion of wit and humor during the Renescience.

My own dear love I love you not............2007-04-13

Everytime I watched this movie when I was growing up on television, I would cry when he said that one line. Cyrano to me was the very picture of what this time period is like, this is the version that I love more than all others. I was in my local Half Price Books when I saw the book, I picked it up and was thumbing through it when I realized that the DVD of the Jose Ferrar version was attached all for $5.98, joy. I have seen every version of Cyrano, even the Steve Martin take on it in Roxanne. Jose's tenderness and beauty in this part is something that I must admit that I have read some of the reviews and they say that it doesn't seem realistic to them. There was a time when men actually courted women with sweet words and kindness, when being a poet was something that you were praised for. I suppose that there will be people who think that there is something fantasy like in this character but I also know that he is based on a real poet living at the time that it was written. I find that it was something that endeared the character to me. I love Cyrano, he taught me at a young age that it is important to look beyond someone's features and see who they are. I am like the young woman who offered him a feast at the beginning of the movie, my eyes would have held no mocking in them. Jose Ferrer is amazing in this part, this is the one that I looked for and when I found it that Sunday afternoon, I ran to watch it because it had been my one true search for so long. The quality of my DVD is fine, it has that haze of older film but everything can't be HD, get over it and watch the movie.

'Beautiful?!?'.......2007-03-18

I grew up watching a lot of old movies, many of them black & white, there is something magical about them, something that makes them appear sort of dreamlike.
Perhaps it is the combination of the actually clearer contrast (as compared to color movies) with the lower overall film quality (resulting in a kind of 'haze' over the picture, perhaps it is the fact that many of the b&w era actors could actually [i]act[/i]........
I have the Alpha Video version and mine plays fine, except for one or two skips, not bad for a $ 2.00 DVD.....
This is one of my favorite movies of all time, regrettably not very well known in the US, Cyrano one of the most gallant and tragic heroes in literature.
Enough (genuine!) swordplay to satisfy the adventure movie fan, all the romance your girlfriend can handle, language and poetry to please the stoutest of Shakespeareans.
Get this movie. Get the book, too.

Average customer rating:

Tale of Two Loves
Great version...but a problem with audio
Wonderful Wit
My own dear love I love you not.....
'Beautiful?!?'

Cyrano De Bergerac
Starring: José Ferrer , Mala Powers , William Prince , Morris Carnovsky , and Ralph Clanton
Director: Michael Gordon
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyrano De Bergerac
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ASIN: B0001UZZPE
Release Date: 2004-05-18

Amazon.com

Description

The beloved Nineteenth Century tale of romance and swashbuckling comes to the screen in this lavish production from producer Stanley Kramer (Inherit the Wind). A charismatic poet and swordsman with a large nose, Cyrano (Jose Ferrer) reluctantly aids another in the pursuit of his one true love, the ravishing Roxane; the result is pure fun and excitement! Winner of the 1950 Best Actor Academy Award®: José Ferrer and mastered from Original 35mm Nitrate Fine Grain.

Customer Reviews:

Tale of Two Loves .......2007-05-26

Great version...but a problem with audio.......2007-05-20

Wonderful Wit.......2007-05-15

My own dear love I love you not............2007-04-13

'Beautiful?!?'.......2007-03-18

Cyrano de Bergerac / The Son of Monte Cristo

Average customer rating:

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE, DOUBLE YOUR FUN
GREAT VALUE
WORLDS GREATEST SWORDSMAN
Cyrano at his best
Superb Cyrano

Cyrano de Bergerac / The Son of Monte Cristo
Starring: Louis Hayward , Joan Bennett , George Sanders , Florence Bates , and Lionel Royce
Director: Rowland V. Lee , and Michael Gordon
Manufacturer: Marengo Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyrano de Bergerac
The Black Swan
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The Count of Monte Cristo

ASIN: B00005N8AR
Release Date: 2001-08-28

Description

Cyrano de Bergerac (1950, 107 min.) - The classic story of Cyrano, the tragic wit renowned for his nose and unrequited love for the beautiful Roxanne. Jose Ferrer won an Academy Award for his protrayal of the title role. "The Son of Monte Cristo" (1940, 105 min.) - Under the cover of night, aristocratic dandy Edmond Dantes, Jr. (Louis Hayward) transforms himself into 'The Torch.'

Customer Reviews:

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE, DOUBLE YOUR FUN.......2007-02-28

No, I am not pushing Wrigley's Doublemint Gum. Quite the contrary, there is absolutely nothing "gumming up the works" in these two stunning releases from MARENGO FILMS. I went through every release of CYRANO DE BERGERAC on the DVD market before trying the MARENGO version, and I can now say all competitors pale in comparison. Throw away all those other dupey, soft focus copies with hissing sound. MARENGO has made it possible to see CYRANO just as it was on a theater screen in 1950. The picture is razor sharp and the sound is loud and clear from start to finish. What a joy it was to watch such a beautiful transfer of this marvelous film!

And the exact same can be said for SON OF MONTE CRISTO. After going through nearly all of the other horrible transfers of this title, I am delighted to report that MARENGO has hit the nail squarely on the head. The picture and sound are both truly exquisite.

And folks, take a look at the low, low price. You get two fantastic films in fabulous transfers for less than you generally pay for just one DVD title. Three cheers for MARENGO FILMS!!!

GREAT VALUE.......2004-12-02

Like the other reviewers here have stated, the transfers are very good. I read a reviewer at "DVD Town" who wrote that this transfer is much better than a previous Marengo release of "Cyrano." Aside from the quality, the stories of both movies are very interesting. "Son of..." is a good movie I had never heard of before.

WORLDS GREATEST SWORDSMAN.......2003-09-12

First... these two prints are FANTASTIC... the sound is PERFECT.
If you like real heroes you will love Cyrano, if you like love stories you will love Cyrano, if you like swashbucklers you will love Cyrano... Can you tell I LOVE THIS MOVIE... The Son of Monte Cristo was enjoyable too... it's a kick to see Clayton Moore without his mask...! Excellent product from Marengo Films.

Cyrano at his best.......2003-07-25

Cyrano is a classic figure and this film brings out the essence of his grace. The imperfect hero, the long nose, the malancholy, the honor of it all is captured to perfection in this film. The print and sound are wonderful.

Marengo Films has done a very nice job of paring this with The Son of Monte Cristo. Obviously the "B" title of the double feature, this print is also excellent. Watch for Clayton Moore in his early acting days before he became, The Lone Ranger. The price paid for these two films is a bargain.

Superb Cyrano.......2001-11-21

Marengo Films has put together two fine films on one DVD. The quality of the prints is superb as is the sound. A fantastic bargan.

Cyrano de Bergerac (Broadway Theatre Archive)

Average customer rating:

Been looking for this forever!!!
Peter Donat as Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyranno with Panache!
Certainly hard to imagine a better version
Not the Best Version

Cyrano de Bergerac (Broadway Theatre Archive)
Starring: Jane Atkins , Andy Backer , Joseph Bird , Earl Boen , and Roger Aaron Brown
Manufacturer: Kultur Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyrano de Bergerac
Six Characters in Search of an Author (Broadway Theatre Archive)

ASIN: B00008AORH
Release Date: 2003-01-28

Description

In Edmond Rostand's swashbuckling yet bittersweet comedy, the characters experience emotions on a heroic scale. The play's hero, Cyrano, is a magnificent wit whose pride masks a deep insecurity about his appearance—specifically, his abnormally large nose. His compelling love for the beautiful heroine, Roxanne, is the motivating force behind all the action in the play. With words from his own poet's heart, Cyrano wins Roxanne for another man, the tongue-tied but handsome Christian. Stars Peter Donat (War of the Roses) and four-time Oscar® nominee Marsha Mason (The Goodbye Girl).

Customer Reviews:

Been looking for this forever!!!.......2006-09-18

I am so excited! I first saw this ACT presentation of Cyrano on A&E in the '80's and I fell in love with it - I have emailed everywhere to get a tape/DVD of this, and gave up - I couldn't find my play version of Cyrano, and when I searched for a copy on Amazon, I saw listed the Peter Donat/Marsha Mason 1972 version I had seen on A&E!!! If you are a fan of Cyrano, get this - It ranks up there in it's interpretation of Cyrano - The beauty of the word. The genius of Rostand!
You can truly get just about anything on Amazon!

Peter Donat as Cyrano de Bergerac.......2005-10-04

I actually saw this version on TV back in the '70's and, at that time, I was astounded by Donat's performance. He is so natural, so believable, and so grand. Cyrano de Bergerac is my favorite play, and the director and actors have captured the beautiful spirit of Rostand's work. I have taught this play in high schools over the years and used other fine film versions as part of the class, but I always wished I could find a copy of the Donat version. Now I have. It was worth waiting for.

Cyranno with Panache!.......2005-04-17

"These are things you might have said if you had some trace of wit or letters with which to color your discourse, but of wit you have none, and of letters you have but three: a-s-s."

That's a quote from Cyranno's repartee before the opening swordfight in this magnificent version of Rostand's play, from the golden days of PBS and its "Theater in America" series, hosted by Hal Holbrook. Here one encounters the snappiest dialogue and Peter Donat's peerless portrayal of the hero as soldier-poet and Platonic lover. If you are a serious Cyranno fan (meaning you cherish language as much as he did), this is the Cyranno for you. Bid Jose's dumbed down, B movie treatment (Oscar or no) -- as well as Gerard's sluggish fat guy -- adieu, and celebrate Donat's Cyranno, the lean fighting machine of language, combat and altruistic love, according to the highest ideals of the West.

Certainly hard to imagine a better version.......2004-03-20

I, too, saw this production on PBS in the 70's and I felt it was of the highest quality. NO ONE does Cyrano better than Donat the younger, and Marsha Mason shows true emotion as her true love dies. The duel in the tavern is spectacular, NOT for the swashbuckling, but for the way the wit and wisdom of Cyrano dispatches his foe. This is a must see of must sees.

Not the Best Version.......2003-09-19

In my opinion, the best version still remains Jose Ferrer's 1950 classic when he won an Oscar for best actor as Cyrano (a role he had already won a Tony award on stage), then comes the Derek Jacobi version with the Royal Shakespeare Company, followed by Girard Depardieu's version before this presentation with Peter Donat in the title role.

Adapting the Brian Hooker translation (my preference over the Burgess and wasn't 'dumbed down' as the prior reviewer states but translated and intrepretated by a young American poet to make the play accessible to the English speaking audience -- sometimes literal translations lack 'panache' and overall continuity of language) of the Edmond Rostand play, I found Donat's protrayal, while sensitive, to be weak. There is no command in his voice or definitive inflection in his delivery... for instance, the refrain of the duel at the Hotel de Bourgogne, that was fairly dramatic as the punctuation(!) to the end of the duel is delivered in the same bantering manner Donat used for the entire ballard... not really bad but bland and uninvolving. Likewise the scenes in Ragueneau's shop, where Cyrano delivers the 'What would you have me do? Seek for the patronage of some great man...' speech or even the balcony scene where Cyrano finds 'his own voice' was not dynamic and didn't resonate like I believe it should. These were long, confident, almost rallying speeches that seemed to lack conviction in this production.

As for the two other main roles in this production I've made a quick comparison to the Jose Ferrer version (the only other that used the Brian Hooker translation). Roxanne, Marsha Mason is probably a hair better in her delivery, although Marla Powers probably 'acted' more like Roxanne in her glances and gestures. For Christian, this is difficult because his character isn't really as defined by Rostand but I prefer William Prince... because IMHO, the character of Christian isn't a simpleton like the way Marc Singer played it, he just didn't articulate well around women -- we've all experienced the difficulty with speaking to someone we're are interested in; while William Prince didn't make the Christian character particularly strong, he didn't babble through the entire play either. after all, Christian did discern Cyrano's secret and confronted him at the Siege of Arras in Act 4 while torn between his highest desire for Roxanne and the probable loss of this in doing what is right; he had one of my favorite lines in the book, where he tells Cyrano to let Roxanne choose between the soul and the physical shell because, 'I'm tired of being my own rival.' the guy was clearly forthright and can think.

Customer Reviews:

Classic film .......2006-06-04

This is the black and white 1950 version of Cyrano De Bergerac starring Jose Ferre and Mala Powers.

Jose won an academy award for best actor in this film.

A must have for the classic film lover.

Alfano - Cyrano de Bergerac / Alagna, Manfrino, Rivenq, Ferrari, Troxell, Schaer, Barrard, Rittelmann, Habela, Guidarini, Montpellier Opera

Average customer rating:

Alagna & Alfano - An Amazing Cyrano!
A winner in every way! Bring back Alfano!
A wonderful recording of a minor work
A stand out, in spite of the score.
Cyrano put to musak

Alfano - Cyrano de Bergerac / Alagna, Manfrino, Rivenq, Ferrari, Troxell, Schaer, Barrard, Rittelmann, Habela, Guidarini, Montpellier Opera
Starring: Roberto Alagna , Nathalie Manfrino , Richard Troxell , Nicolas Rivenq , and Marc Barrard
Director: George Blume
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007RO4IA
Release Date: 2005-05-10

Amazon.com

This is, by operatic standards of fidelity, a very faithful musical treatment of Edmond Rostand's classic drama about the swashbuckling poet and swordsman with the big nose. The music is competent but not spectacular; that quality is found in the libretto. The title role is expertly filled by Roberto Alagna, who not only has the best tenor voice in France but also turns out to be an accomplished actor in a demanding role. He is well-supported by a cast that clearly loves the story, its various characters and its often brilliant dialogue.

Franco Alfano is best-known for his completion of Turandot which was not quite finished at Puccini's death. Among his other work, he produced one operatic masterpiece of his own, Cyrano, which was long neglected but now has a fitting representation on home video. The opera also exists in an Italian translation, but Alfano originally used the superior French text by Henri Cain, which is used in this production.

Nathalie Manfrino is charming as the beautiful but superficial Roxane, whom Cyrano loves hopelessly through his whole life without telling her, and Richard Troxell characterizes precisely the handsome but not particularly bright Christian, whom Cyrano assists in his wooing. The chorus, orchestra, sets, and costumes are all excellent, helping to make this a first-class production. --Joe McLellan

Customer Reviews:

Alagna & Alfano - An Amazing Cyrano!.......2006-07-25

I don't understand those who find Alfano's score here "unmusical." There seems to be an increasing number of people who think music stopped being beautiful with Beethoven or, perhaps, Verdi.

Well, call me a sap, but I'm writing this through (yet again) a veil of tears. The entire final act of Cyrano simply overwhelmed me.

Just about every aspect of this production is flawless, and it makes as strong a case for the revival of this opera as I can imagine. First off, there is the Cyrano of Roberto Alagna. We first see him before the opera starts darting down the stairs of the opera house and running through the lobby. Once the opera begins, he makes a sensational entrance from the back of the house, moving among the audience, before hopping up on the stage. There is no way to describe his performance as anything less than simply sensational. The performance finds him in excellent voice, thrilling top notes and with his natural ability in French means the text is sung with
elegance and plenty of panache. Whether running, strutting like a peacock, swashbuckling or hiding from view, Alagna's every move is executed with the elegant grace of a dancer. It is a joy watching someone have this much fun in a role. He executes some fine sword fighting and even as diminutive as he is, makes this character larger than life. His arioso "Oh! Paris!" which
ends the first scene begins so hauntingly beautiful and then builds to a crashing, thrilling and exciting conclusion. The call to arms for the Cadets of Gascony (I don't know what it's properly called) is as rousing as one could hope for. I'd have joined the Muskateers, too!

Richard Troxell strikes all the right balances as Christian. The duet between he and Cyrano pledging their alligence to become "one man" develops beautifully, and rushes into an breathless finish.

Alfano's music opening Act II is, in my opinion, no less successful than Massenet in Manon at conveying musically, and eloquently, a sense of a specific time without actually resorting to composing 18th century style music.

What a gem is the Roxane of Nathalie Manfrino. Physically and vocally she could be the twin of Christiane Oelze - nowhere more so then in the final act where, with Alfano's so very French music she recalls Oelze as Melisande. Manfrino is a genuine beauty and the voice, a lovely lyric with some wonderful bloom to the top notes, constantly impresses. Like Alagna (and Troxell) her acting felt genuine, one believed her Roxane at every turn. There were times I was a little angry with her shallowness and cruelty towards Christiane, but it all works out.

The physical production is gorgeous - and by Alagna's brothers, David and Frederico, with costumes by Christian Gasc. I don't know how long they all worked on this, but the flow of this Cyrano, the quality of the acting is as fine as one could hope to see in any opera video.

There were plenty of gorgeous musical highlights; the amazing Balcony Duet, with everybody firing on all cylinders; the wordless chorus sung by the soldiers . . . , so many others.

It is, however, the final act that absolutely destroys me. Alfano's score here, so heavy on the woodwinds, descending scales played on flute, the vibrant buzz of the reeds, and with swirling strings, it could easily be mistaken for Debussy (especially with the uniformly excellent French coming from this cast). Alagna's transformation of Cyrano, from cocky now tired and weak, but no less proud is a heartbreaker as soon as he arrives at the convent. As his death approaches, the score grows more and more delicate, passages sung by Roxane unaccompanied, also reminiscent of Debussy, but with Alfano's own stamp (which I'm getting to know better and better and like, more and more). As Cyrano reads the final letter to Roxane, the clarinet takes a soaring melody that shoots right to my heart. I know, some of ya'll think I'm nuts, but this music - this act - I find overwhelmingly poignant.

The efforts of all involved pay off in a wonderfully theatrical and musically exquisite performance. For the longest time I believed Alagna could do nothing better than his performance in that amazing Don Carlos from the Chatelet (also with inspired casting), but this Cyrano really is a creature that touched me as profoundly as anything I can immediately think
of.

A winner in every way! Bring back Alfano!.......2006-03-23

This is a lovely production of a lovely and undeservedly forgotten opera. The performances and fine, the sets and lighting brilliant, and the opera itself is beautiful and lyrical. Some unfairly criticize the opera's music as being average or boring. Not so! While there is little that could be hummed on the way out of the opera house, the entire score is lushly romantic and gorgeous. Forget the humming.

Alagna is riveting in the role. Three cheers!

Do not miss this very fine modern opera!

A wonderful recording of a minor work.......2006-03-14

This is a truly rewarding experience- when the production values including a first-rate French cast headed by Alagna and Manfrino elevate a so-so opera to the highest possible level. Compared to other famous opera houses recent productions, this one is simply overwhelming. Do not miss it! It's worth every penny...

A stand out, in spite of the score........2005-07-04

Once you get over the fact that the score for Cyrano de Bergerac by Franco Alfano is mediocre, at best, with little melody and little to remember, everything else about this DVD stands out for its high quality: impressive set design, fine costumes, great cinematography and outstanding musical presentation from the Orchestre Nationale De Montpellier, Marco Guidarini, conducting. The stand out feature of this DVD, recorded at the Festival de Radio France et Montpellier, in 2003, is that it is a current production, and filmed as you would expect to see in a movie, as opposed to a stage production, even though it opens in front of the curtains. With the exception pf Cyrano's (Alagna's) entrance from the rear of the audience, a technique that I found a little distracting, as I suspect some members of the audience did as well, the rest of this production was perfect in almost every detail. Each scene is set by David and Frédérico Alagna with perfection, giving the production a rich feel that is complemented by smart period costumes by Christian DASC and effective lighting by Aldo Solbiati. Robert Alagna is simply brilliant in the role of Cyrano, Nathalie Manfrino is captivating and sensual in the role of desired Roxane, and Richard Troxell is empathetic and compelling in the role of the tongue-tied Christian. The production value of this DVD, and this takes into account the strong acting from a talented cast, is its saving grace, and is reason enough to own it. Indeed, the performances were so strong that I found myself being drawn in, in spite of the disappointing musical score. The DVD contains a brief "backstage" look at the cast in and out of costume, and provides some, though not enough, background insight that could easily have made a separate DVD. The quality of the DVD is superb as is the sound. If you own an older version, you might want to update to this George Blume version of Cyrano and see what a fresh approach can do to a story that is as romantic and seductive as this. You won't be disappointed.

Cyrano put to musak.......2005-06-13

Well no one could accuse Cyrano of being melodic. There are a couple here and there, but nothing you would be able to take home with you. It actually seems that Alfano is doing his best to avoid melody. Lots of lines are chanted on one note. What we have is really an old time Hollywood movie where the music plays an important but subservient role and aids the story. And of course Cyrano is a good story - I admit I wept at the ending just as I did everytime I saw the film with Ferrer. Alagna is a little young for the part, or maybe Ferrer was too old. But you just can't get over the nose. It's obviously fake and wouldn't be a problem in the audience, but on video it just stands there and draws attention to itself. His singing and acting tho are wonderful as is the rest of the cast. The production is good - sticks to the original story - no director's tricks. I've often wondered what really happened to Italian opera after Verdi outside Puccini. Cyrano gives us an idea what was going on.

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A rather special silent film!
Silent Cyrano Easily Holds Its Own.
Phenominal color achievement

Cyrano De Bergerac
Starring: Linda Moglia , Angelo Ferrari , Pierre Magnier , Alex Bernard , and Umberto Casilini
Director: Augusto Genina
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
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Cyrano de Bergerac
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Cabiria

ASIN: B00004W19B
Release Date: 2000-09-26

Description

The most beloved of all love stories! Edmond Rostand's play "Cyrano de Bergerac" was a triumph from the moment of its premiere on December 28, 1897. It has become the most popular play of the modern French theater, and Cyrano, despite an ugly visage dominated by an enormous nose, has become a world-beloved symbol of generosity, magnanimity of spirit and beauty of soul. In adapting "Cyrano de Bergerac" to the silent cinema, director Augusto Genina and scenarist Mario Camerini retained the beloved poetic language of Rostand's original work. The grandeur of costume, setting and action is captured not only in impressive staging and sensitive performances but also through the filmmakers' bold decision to present almost the entire work in the highly stylized and beautiful Pathe Stencil Color process. Three years were devoted to the by-hand coloring of "Cyrano de Bergerac," so that this 1922 film was not fully released until the Fall of 1925! With this beautiful release, this rarely-seen silent classic can take its place with the all-time greats!

Customer Reviews:

A rather special silent film!.......2004-12-22

For me, the most obvious special feature of this film is its beautiful and rare Pathe Stencil colouring which, according to the DVD's notes, took three whole years to do! Unlike the early two-colour Technicolor, this method really was like a work of art in soft watercolours or similar, and is perfectly suited to the setting of France in the 1600s with its glorious and elegant costumes. This combination alone already won me, but all other aspects of this film are also of a high quality. I was most impressed by Pierre Magnier who made the character of Cyrano De Bergerac very human and real to me (despite the somewhat artficial nose!) Apart from the touching and inspiring story which shows that true love is more than skin-deep and rather a matter of someone's inner soul, the new orchestral musical accompaniment (composed by Kurt Kuenne, conducted by Timothy Brock) is also wonderful and quite appropriate. Even without the special attraction of its lovely Stencil Color, I'm sure this would rate as a film of very high standard. There is quite a lot to read in the intertitles, but they are easy to read and follow (English being underneath the Spanish) and in a style that also suits the story and atmosphere nicely. It obviously took a lot of effort to make this film (details of the Pathe Stencil Color technique explained in the DVD notes) and David Shepard has likewise gone to some effort to make it available to us today to appreciate and admire once again. Definitely a must in any silent film collection, and no doubt a treat for Cyrano De Bergerac fans in general.

Silent Cyrano Easily Holds Its Own........2001-09-23

I have always been attracted to the story of CYRANO DE BERGERAC. I first encountered it as a Classics Illustrated comic book in the early 60's (which I still have). Later there was the famous 1950 film with Jose Ferrer which appeared on television many times while I was growing up. In college I had the opportunity to read Edmond Rostand's original play (but not in French). Years later came Steve Martin's adaptation ROXANNE and finally the 1990 Gerard Depardieu film which for me is the definitive version. Now comes the 1925 French film which I first saw in 1996 shortly after it was released on video. This silent CYRANO can easily hold its own against the others. Of main interest is the incredible Pathe' Hand Coloring used which involves a variety of techniques including stencil coloring and hand painting. This is one of the few surviving examples of this lost art and is worth it alone just for that. But there is much more. The performance by Pierre Magnier as Cyrano is the heart and soul of the film as it needs to be. He strikes just the right balance of cocky arrogance and heart on sleeve romanticism. Linda Moglia and Angelo Ferrari are fine as Roxanne and Christian although there is little for them to do except advance the plot. The performances are remarkably free of the histrionics which are usually associated with silent films. Even Cyrano's "nose job" is understated and quite believable. The look of the film is ideal. You really feel as if you've been transported to the France of Louis XIII. The director Augustino Genina would later make Louise Brooks' last major film PRIX DE BEAUTE'. While the Depardieu vehicle remains the best version, the 1925 CYRANO DE BERGERAC provides an excellent alternative. One of the best introductions I know of to the art of the silent film. Contrary to what it says on the box, the film is subtitled in Spanish (not French) and English. The effective score by Carlo Moser sounds a little weak in performance. Perhaps that is why the ensemble is listed as the Alan Smithee Orchestra conducted by ALAN SMITHEE (the fictional name used when a director wants his/her name removed from a project).

Phenominal color achievement.......2000-12-06

Too often films of the silent era come to us in chopped, cropped, and abused formats. "Cyrano" is flat out gorgeous with its detailed Pathecolor process, giving the scenes a fairy-tale coloration that easily rivals the old two-strip Technicolor. The performances are without the silent hyperbole or melodramatic flairs; in fact, when Pierre Magnier's Cyrano becomes expansive with his flourishes, he seems to be parodying the conventions we might expect after a diet of D. W. Griffith epics. The director, Augusta Genina, later went on to direct Louise Brooks' final European film, "Prix de Beaute," and his gifts with both spectacle and introspective moments are in strong evidence here. An amazing find!

Cyrano De Bergerac (Original French Version with English Subtitles)

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Cyrano De Bergerac (Original French Version with English Subtitles)

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ASIN: B000AXTHOC

Product Description

Soldat et poète, Cyrano de Bercegac manie avec autant de verve les mots que l'épée. Il aime secrètement sa cousine Roxane, mais la laideur que lui confère un nez proéminent l'empêche de se déclarer. Roxane lui demande de se faire protecteur d'un jeune homme qu'elle aime, Christian. Généreux, Cyrano vient en aide à son rival qui manque d'esprit pour déclarer sa flamme.

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Cyrano De Bergerac
Starring: Jose Ferrer
Manufacturer: Allied Artists Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000A345BW
Release Date: 2005-07-12

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