Cyrano – Movie Reviews by Ry!

Cyrano – A Journey for Love: I’d Give Anything … To Say

The acquiescence of life is a kindling of warmth within.  To see is to feel, and to feel is to connect.  As we come to those things, a moment of wonder is a matter of the instance of a lifetime … especially with love.  In this review, I look at the latest adaptation from director Joe Wright.  An adaptation of an opera classic, this retelling brings about a unique re-threading of the heart.  Through all the newness of the retelling, Cyrano is a musical that strikes a wonderous tone of the human endeavor for love.

The story follows the journey of one Cyrano de Bergerac (Peter Dinklage).  He has strong feelings for one of his closest friends, Roxanne (Haley Bennett), but doesn’t feel worthy of her love.  Through humble dedication, it becomes a reflection of what it means to be true at heart.  From the beginning, there is the obviousness in the foundation for a romantic tale.  Even with the basics that are common (in storytelling), there is an onus to perverse traditional elements with a blending of genres.  Joe Wright (Director) creates a story that is born from the combination of a musical, period piece, modern music/choreography and romance.  What you have is an ambiguous journey that levels through the characterization of Cyrano and Roxanne’s friendship.  In the beginning, you are introduced to them through an aloofness of what they believe defines love.  Through a string of scenes, you have a stark melancholic thread that weaves a beauty of their hearth through musical quips.  The colorful draw of this infusion lifts above the generalities (of the archetypes) to showcase the fragility of the human heart.  On one side, you have Cyrano dancing a fine line between his feeling for his friend.  On the other side, you have Roxanne striking a chord of ambiguity of unnoticing effect.  The weaving of subtle thought on reality becomes an enrapturing detail (for the audience) reflecting on the strength of the acting and musical numbers.  Once this is set, a third angle comes into play with the young Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr).

Christian and Roxanne meet ‘within a moment’, that becomes a define of the underlining notion of ‘love at first sight’.  When things come into Cyrano’s purview, he decides to help Christian win over her heart through his own ability to write poems.  This triangle effect adds a new element that lifts the onus of each character, creating a veracity of emotional disarray.  Through elements of general conversation and intuitive musical scenes (some work better than others), you get a reflection of the personal conflict (in each character).  This reflection of one’s desire is driven through slighted perspective, creating this field of blindness of fault.  The enveloping fervor moves the thread of possibilities, but it also showcases real life consequences.  When everything comes to head, this leads into a finale that brings about the after effect of choice.  This leads into a climax of bittersweet embrace, leading to a relevancy of your own heart.  Cyrano is a musical that drives a unique thread through a classic tale.  An eventful display of love, there is a lot of recognizable traits that show its influence on the modern romance.   If you are a fan of musical, romance, opera or great acting, this is one for you.  I say check it out, a definite good date night at the theaters. 

Full Score – 3.5 out of 5 (Matinee)