6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Too self-conscious to woo Roxanne himself, wordsmith Cyrano de Bergerac helps young Christian nab her heart through love letters.
Starring: Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Ben Mendelsohn, Monica DolanMusical | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
French: DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
There was a real life Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac, though most people acquainted with his supposed biography are most likely relying on the highly fictionalized account given by Edmond Rostand in a play Rostand wrote in 1897, and which has subsequently become a staple of theatrical troupes globally. Numerous adaptations of Rostand's work have been offered through the years, including several film versions like the 1950 Cyrano de Bergerac, which won Jose Ferrer an Academy Award for Best Actor. Two things would seem to set this particular Cyrano apart from many other adaptations, the first and probably most noticeable being that this outing does not hinge on the conceit of the problematic "physical deformity" being Cyrano's outsized nose, but instead on the fact that the character, played here by Peter Dinklage, is a dwarf. The other supposed innovation, namely making this into a kinda sorta musical, is actually rather old hat, as I actually got into at least somewhat in my now long ago Blu-ray review of the 1950 film. And speaking of awards, none other than everyone's favorite (ex) nun marrying Baron, Christopher Plummer, took home the Tony Award for Best Actor for appearing as de Bergerac in another musical called Cyrano which had the literary imprimatur of none other than Anthony Burgess as its librettist and lyricist. That musical came and went rather quickly on the Great White Way, despite some general acclaim for both Plummer and the score (which I highly recommend those with an interest seek out and listen to), but other adapters have returned to the Rostand source material repeatedly to attempt to make it "sing and dance". Among the many other musical adaptations are ones by Leslie Bricusse and Frank Wildhorn (Bricusse and his long time writing partner Anthony Newley were actually announced as working on adaptation in the sixties which never came to fruition), and another by a Dutch writing team with the surname van Dijk (another flop on Broadway despite several Tony nominations). Unfortunately for this "singing and dancing" Cyrano, the songs may not overly excite those with an interest in musical theater, though my hunch is fans of the band The National (members of whom wrote the song score) might disagree. But there's a probably deliberate stylistic approach to the songs that some may feel works against its historical milieu and in fact may end up distracting (not in a good way) more than aiding the production.
Cyrano is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer and Universal Studios with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Captured with Arri Alexa LF cameras and finished at 4K (both data points courtesy of the IMDb), this is an often ravishing looking presentation. Just yesterday I was on record again in my The Humans Blu-ray review as stating I sometimes don't like the murky appearance of Alexa captures, but even though this film at least occasionally indulges in the same yellowish grading and/or lighting choices that you can also see in The Humans (though perhaps not to the same degree), there's a really remarkable and often beautiful clarity to the imagery here. Fine detail is exceptional in close-ups, where you can virtually count the pores on the actors' faces. The ludicrous makeup some of the men wear is also almost palpable looking, with little clumps of powder clearly visible. The film spends a lot of its first acts in warmly burnished tones that pop very well, only to suddenly change things up with some almost monochromatic looking footage that was shot on Mount Aetna.
Cyrano features a nicely immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track that takes full advantage of the continuous underscore to provide a bed of surround activity from which other effects like ambient sounds can emerge, often quite invitingly. Several big production numbers provide really good engagement of the side and rear channels, and some of Cyrano's legendary sword fights also feature good effects work. All of the instrumental and vocal forces sound flawless from a fidelity standpoint, and I'd argue the singing in this film is actually surprisingly well done, considering the fact that probably none of the leads is known as a singer. Some of the actual underscore is quite effective, and for a good example of some of the stylistic variances between the actual sung material and other cues, listen how the style clearly changes to more of a pastiche "historical" style during the first theatrical performance that Cyrano interrupts. Stylistic analyses aside, the track is full bodied with excellent fidelity and some appealing dynamic range. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.
If you're a fan of The National, you're probably going to unabashedly love this version of Cyrano. Others may feel, as I did, that the music never really melds consistently with the source material, though just about everything else in this adaptation is well wrought and emotionally satisfying. Technical merits are first rate, and with a potential caveat from your resident musical theater curmudgeon, Cyrano comes Recommended.
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