The Daily Stream: With Joe Wright's Cyrano, Romantic Cinema Remains Alive And Well
(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)
The Movie: "Cyrano"
Where You Can Stream It: Prime Video
The Pitch: Adapted from the classic play by Edmond Rostand, Peter Dinklage stars as the titular Cyrano de Bergerac, a celebrated soldier who is hopelessly in love with his friend and confidant Roxanne (Haley Bennett). Though he is replete with charm and intellect, Cyrano does not believe he could ever be loved by her due to his physical appearance. The play historically manifests the physical difference as an incredibly large nose, but here Cyrano's height and his own insecurities are the barriers preventing this from happening. One day, Roxanne catches the eye of a young soldier named Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). He may have every physical attribute any man would wish for, especially Cyrano, but he believes he does not have the wit to be able to woo a woman like Roxanne. The men decide to concoct a scheme that meshes the best of both worlds, where Christian will act as the vessel for Cyrano's words of love. Roxanne is also the object of affection for the lascivious Duke De Guiche (Ben Mendelsohn), a wealthy fop who Roxanne is using to integrate herself into the spaces of high society, and all of it is told through song with music composed by The National's Aaron and Bryce Dessner and lyrics by Matt Berninger and Carin Besser.
Genuine, primal romance
While there has been a vocal group about the lack of sex in movies (including myself), another element of the human experience I desperately long for more in film is romance — I'm talking about classical, heart-on-your-sleeve romance. This was a staple of storytelling for centuries, and in recent years, the idea of a desire for another person driven solely by primal emotions is just about gone, particularly in mainstream cinema. Thankfully, this is what "Cyrano" wants to deliver, mixed in with equal amounts of heartache. Nothing about this telling of the story winks at the tropes, the old-fashioned storytelling, or anything like that. "Cyrano" is earnest, sincere, and upfront about wanting to pull on your heartstrings.
Nobody is a better fit for this than Joe Wright, whose film adaptations of "Pride and Prejudice," "Anna Karenina," and especially "Atonement" also traffic in a similar impulse of crafting exquisite beauty on screen. He is someone able to find the allure of both the natural world and an entirely artificial one, harnessing them to simply make your heart swell. Shot on location in Sicily, Wright finds the perfect grand scale and gorgeous environment to set this classic romance, wringing every drop of emotion he can out of the material.
The central love triangle also could not have three more open and giving actors working today. Peter Dinklage, who's rarely afforded the opportunity to play a romantic lead, approaches Cyrano with a warmth and tragedy the character is rarely given, as Cyrano was often portrayed as somewhat of a joke. Because he isn't burdened by any prosthetic change to his appearance, we see Dinklage exactly for who he is, never shielding his humanity. His co-stars perfectly match him in that vulnerability, letting us so easily feel what these people feel.
Joe Wright was meant for the musical
Another reason "Cyrano" connects so deeply is that it is a full-fledged musical, although, the songs aren't exactly the ones you will be tapping your toes to. The sounds Aaron and Bryce Dessner have created here are filled with intricate arpeggios and swelling strings which pull the audience inside the music instead of projecting it out at them. They are as lush and sweeping as the classic story is itself. Matt Berninger and Carin Besser's lyrics are equally romantic, having the characters express their desires simply and directly without losing sight of the inherent poetry of "Cyrano."
Because Joe Wright frequently deals in these big emotions, he seemed destined to direct a musical, and he doesn't disappoint. Wright understands that his camera should be there to capture the performance, the choreography, and the emotion rather than dictate it. He lets shots linger, allowing us to bask in the beauty of the movement of the human body, and when he does decide to cut, it isn't for rhythm but to accentuate a detail. The songs are performed live, inviting us to further experience the raw passion firsthand, and in a rarity for a movie musical, everyone here can actually sing. Peter Dinklage may not have the most extensive range as a singer, but this material suits his gravelly bass perfectly, as it was written specifically for him.
This whole project began as a stage production created by his wife Erica Schmidt, who is also the screenwriter, and you can feel it was built out of love. Not only are Schmidt and Dinklage together, but so are Joe Wright and Haley Bennett. Love permeates every frame of "Cyrano," and by the end, I weep profusely because some artists still know how to pour their whole hearts into something.