Cyrano review: Peter Dinklage gives a career best in this epic romance

The opening number in Joe Wright’s movie musical CyranoIt is soft and slow. “Something to Say” is a wistful, yearning ode to love, anchored by Roxanne (Haley Bennett), the love interest of Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac. The low-key sequence, where Roxanne sings from her carriage window, “I need someone to die for / Write poems and cry for,” doesn’t hint at the wonderful loudness of the rest of the musical. But Wright’s vision, even in these opening minutes, immediately puts this adaptation in conversation with the cinematic continuum of other Cyrano The film is unique in its adaptations and set apart from any other movie musical.

Wright’s take, based on Erica Schmidt’s musical adaptation of Rostand’s play, Inspiration found in the 1950s Cyrano de Bergerac starring José Ferrer and the 1990 Cyrano de Bergerac starring Gérard Depardieu. However, he reinvents both with a touch of eerie angst, reminiscent Shakespeare in Love. Unlike previous iterations of the character, this Cyrano doesn’t feel romantically hindered by an outsized nose — his conviction that he isn’t suitable for romance comes from his height. He is a gifted writer and his bravery proves that he can rise above his position. Roxanne never returns his affections.

Roxanne is in search of true love. She refuses to wed the Duke De Guiche (Ben Mendelsohn), who is a delightfully evil and grotesque, for his money. Christian de Neuvillette, a handsome new recruit in the army (Kelvin Henry Jr.), has captured her heart. Cyrano, Roxanne’s childhood friend and devoted best friend (Peter Dinklage), lingers in the background feeding Christian heartfelt verses so that he can win Roxanne. The combustible throuple instigates the movie’s dramatic action. The moody ballads by The National’s Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner give the lush, melancholic love story an elegant verve.

Wright’s Cyrano, repeatedly delayed from its original 2021 release date and now nearly abandoned by release company United Artists, is visually attuned and balletically sumptuous — a musical geared toward teenagers, the kind of project that’s been missing from multiplexes for a long time now. Wright’s epic romance is a reminder of how much musicals are geared for grand designs and even grander emotions.

The director takes great pleasure in the poetic movements of the human body: The bakery scene, set to the urgent notes of “Your Name,” is a sensuous arrangement of flesh and food. Black arms and white hands wrap themselves around dough. Pastry chefs lyrically pirouette to Cyrano’s ardent verses. This is not the case in recent musical films like In the Heights, Tick, Tick… Boom!Please see the following: Dear Evan Hansen), Cyrano’s richly framed compositions (by longtime Wright DP Seamus McGarvey) never uncut the intended majesty of the song and dance sequences.

It is amazing how large this Cyrano — reminiscent of that Depardieu version — recalls Wright’s detailed work on his 2012 film Anna Karenina. McGarvey relies on deep field, gliding tracks shots and an impressive array of extras dressed in richly-textured and warm costumes. Valerio Bonelli, editor Wright (Darkest HourAnd Florence Foster JenkinsThe ), are smart enough to not overcut raw emotion. They use fades to create diptychs, and triptychs. (A sterling example comes during the spellbinding “Every Letter,” where Cyrano, Christian, and Roxanne harmonize together.)

Bennett brings Roxanne an unexpected depth despite her shallow concerns. She plays her closer to an intellectual and unfulfilled than a debutante. Her full-throated rendition of “I Need More,” a song about not settling, adds further contours. Bennett’s hypnotic performance gives songwriters a greater sense of resonance and a larger spark of magic.

Peter Mountain/MGM

Roxanne and Christian’s blossoming love is equally transcendent. After Harrison’s turns as troubled teens in the coming-of-age dramas LuceAnd WavesHis innocent and charming performance here is an unexpected delight. He mixes effortlessly with Bennett for a combustible chemistry of idyllic young love that in Mitski’s words, become an irresistible “heat lightning.” They’re so easy to root for, to the point of making cinema fans pine for the days where a success like this would mean half a dozen more romantic-film pairings for Harrison and Bennett.

Cyrano promises Roxanne: “As ever, I am at your service.” In her service, the fragile balance between him giving words to Christian’s passions and protecting Roxanne’s feelings crumbles, leading to irreconcilable damages for the throuple as De Guiche comes prowling. Mendelsohn is the most evil villain of his time and shines brightly in the darkest, most bleak corners of the movie. There’s never been a more ruthless, more vicious De Guiche than his. Every note of his seething rendition of “What I Deserve” digs in like rusty talons through tender skin.

Dinklage’s assured performance advances with equal precision. His interpretation of Cyrano veers closely to Ferrer’s: He plays the prideful poet as a swashbuckling wit. Dinklage’s portrayal of Cyrano is different from his predecessors. He allows an observable vulnerability to permeate the brazen hero.

If there’s one shortcoming in Wright’s film, it’s the songs. The musical lacks the irresistible appeal that makes it an appealing collection of earworms. Often, Dinklage bears the brunt of the weaker material: His low-octave voice closely matches The National’s indelible sound, but the plain monotony will grate for many non-fans. Harrison and Bennett’s approachable vocals, on the other hand, offer much-wanted respite, as does the ensemble performance of “Wherever I Fall,” a mournful sublimation of quiet last wishes into heartbreaking openness.

Peter Mountain/MGM

These hurdles are overcome by Dinklage for the performance that may prove to be his best. His portrayal of the character’s complex roles, including that of morose admirer and hurt confidant to the rugged war hero is less theatrical than those of his predecessors. His groundedness fixes the melodramatic narrative to a realness that holds the character’s naked agony to the surface without succumbing to treacly emotions.

It’s tempting to declare this film a cult classic in the making. But critics shouldn’t make such proclamations — audiences should. But Wright’s CyranoThis film, which is on the fringe of Oscar season should be rewarded with the same kind of enthusiastic fans that flocked to the Best Picture-winning movie. Shakespeare in Love. Wright and Dinklage not only create unrequited pain worth crying over again and again, but they also make it worth their while. CyranoThis is one of the most popular movie musicals in the past decade.

CyranoOn February 25, the film will be released in theatres.