It is Ferrer’s strong, physical presence that sets him apart from the other interpretations. However, it is not as over emphasized as Kline’s comedic performance.
He is comical at times when he corrects Christian (Christian points to Cyrano instead of Roxanne when he is speaking to her). Like Depardieu, Ferrer also conveys Cyrano to be a wonderful, passionate speaker (“And what is a kiss when all is done?…A moment made immortal with a rush of wings unseen…A new song sung by two hearts to an old simple tune”). Jose Ferrer’s 1950 portrayal of Cyrano shows a dramatic interpretation of the character with his strong, physical presence. The words seem to flow much better than English translations.
#Cyrano de bergerac film 2008 movie
However, the movie version is in French, so it does stay true to the original text of the play in that sense. The director adds rain to the scene to give it a melancholy tone, but without the speech Cyrano is not as heartbroken as he should be. He doesn’t recite the ‘my words, my kiss’ speech, which is an important part in most interpretations as it shows Cyrano in a state of despair. At the end of the balcony scene, he walks away and turns back to look at Roxane and Christian as they embrace. Depardieu underplays Cyrano and it is therefore hard to believe he loves Roxane. However, as he delivers these lines there is no change in the tone of his voice. Staying true to the text, Depardieu maintains Cyrano’s mastery of words (‘How shall we define a kiss?…the O of love on waiting lips…a way to know the other’s heart and touch the portals of his soul!”). Depardieu stays close to the play’s description of Cyrano, however he lacks the amount of passion the character requires. Gérard Depardieu depicts the character of Cyrano in the 1990 French movie “Cyrano de Bergerac”. Although Kline’s performance is based on a comical interpretation of the play, he manages to have a sincere moment in this scene. He manages to shed a tear during one point of his speech, and stares at Roxane lovingly throughout. During his balcony speech, his love for Roxane is powerful and sincere. However, in this scene Kline steps away from the comedy to show Cyrano’s softer, sensitive side. Similarly, in this interpretation Christian uses Cyrano as a mount to climb up the balcony, which was not in the original play. This line is not in the original play, but is added in this stage adaptation to get laughs. When Cyrano wins the kiss for Christian, Cyrano asks, “what are you waiting for?” to which Christian, who was so eager for the kiss moments before, nervously responds “I’m not sure now is really the right time”. They also add extra lines in this production to heighten the comedy. Throughout the scene, Kline continues to draw out laughter from the audience with his witty lines (“by the sound of it a woman and a man! Oh, I see what they mean…a priest”). Kline stares at him in disbelief and smiles, putting his index finger to his head to imply that Christian is not very bright. When Christian is trying to call Roxane onto the balcony, he yells her name abruptly. An example of this is when Kline’s Cyrano makes fun of Christian’s stupidity. He does this with an over exaggerated acting style, and using his facial expressions and body language to emphasize the comedy. Since he is performing for a live audience, he acts in a way that will bring out the most laughter, as he is feeding off their immediate reactions. Kevin Kline’s 2008 stage adaption takes a comedic approach to the character of Cyrano and the play as a whole. The balcony scene is a clear example of how differently these actors have interpreted the character. All three actors offer different characterizations of Cyrano, although many of Cyrano’s main traits (particularly his large nose) remain. Kevin Kline portrayed Cyrano in a stage production of the play in 2008, French actor Gérard Depardieu depicted him in a 1990 French movie adaptation, and in 1950 Jose Ferrer played Cyrano in a movie adaptation, for which he won an Oscar. There have been many interpretations of Edmund Rostand’s play “Cyrano de Bergerac”, but three versions stand out.
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