One of France's literary treasures commands the screen with this "exceptionally graceful adaptation" (Los Angeles Times) that received a Best Foreign Film Golden GlobeÂ(r) and five OscarÂ(r) nominations*, including Best Actor for Gerard Depardieu! Cyrano (Depardieu), a master swordsman and poet, feels he cannot woo his beloved Roxane (Anne Brochet) due to an unfortunate physical flaw: his grotesquely large nose. Resigning himself to helping another suitor, the dashing yet tongue-tied Christian (Vincent Perez), Cyrano uses his mastery of words to win Roxane forhim. But when Roxane finds that she has fallen for Christian's mindand not for his beautywhich of her two suitors will finally possess her heart? *1990: Foreign Language Film, Art Direction-Set Decoration, Costume Design (won), Makeup

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This edition is a matted letterbox, which means that it's actually a 4:3 TV image with the full image reduced to fit on the screen of a traditional TV screen and has black mattes on the top and bottom.

However, it should have been presented in anamorphic widescreen - which gives the same presentation on a 4:3 TV but also fits a widescreen television set.

As it is, it will not display properly on a widescreen tv - the image is either stretched out (so that everyone and everything is flat) or is enlarged beyond the border of the tv screen - thus cutting off the subtitles! My wide television has 6 separate display formats but I cannot format a full image on my screen that is not warped or severely cropped. Extremely disappointing.

I'm hoping for a new true anamorphic widescreen edition to be released eventually, but at least I have the film for now.

9 of 9 found the following review helpful:

Excellent and beautifulJun 04, 2007
By J. Michael
I take Cyrano seriously. For me, Rostand's play, as known to me through Brian Hooker's translation and Jose Ferrer's performance, is a force that has never ceased to inspire, sustain and enrich my life since I first came across it in high school. I show no patience for translations or productions that fail (as I see it) to convey the poetry and grandeur of both the language and the characters. Having said that, I thought this French production of Cyrano was magnificent and will be seen as the definitive modern version for many years to come.

As opposed to the 1950 Jose Ferrer classic, whose sets were rather bare, and whose supporting cast was somewhat cartoonish (which still doesn't detract from Ferrer's tour de force), this production achieves both realism and romance in its beautifully lavish and detailed sets and costumes, not to mention its expertly chosen cast. At all times, you are made to feel as if you were really there, watching real people converse in 17th century France (although I realize that real people don't speak in rhyming couplets), but at other times, such as with the balcony scene, you are transported into a dream or a poem, which is right and proper for this play. I had doubts about Depardieu, but I was able to see him as Cyrano, at least physically. However, he struck me as somewhat too blustering and not as refined as I would expect the character to be (Ferrer was much cooler and nobler, in my view), but I suppose Depardieu knows more about French panache than I do. Unfortunately, the English subtitles employ the execrable Anthony Burgess translation, but that won't be too much of an annoyance to anyone who already has the lines of Hooker rolling around in their head. This is a great movie which should be treasured by any fan of Cyrano, although I would recommend that newcomers should see the Ferrer version first.

8 of 9 found the following review helpful:

What's French for "Marveleous"?Jun 11, 2000
By Amie Staley
I loved this movie. It's poetic, tragic, romantic and full of wit. Gerard Depardieu's Cyrano was perfect. He wasn't acting, he WAS Cyrano. His love for Roxanne tugged at my heart. It was a noble thing for Cyrano to help Christian woo Roxanne with his beautiful poetry. That kind of giving is a rarity. For fourteen years he kept his secret, all in the name of his love for Roxanne. Even as he was dying, he still denied that it was he who wrote the letters, but Roxanne realized the truth as her eyes were opened to what had been right in front of them for years. I highly recommend this film, whether you speak French or not(Thank goodness for subtitles). It's a tear jerker. And it will make you laugh as well. Cyrano's wit is without rival, especially during the duel scene. The movie was well-acted and well-filmed. And the costumes were great. "Cyrano de Bergerac" is just superb all around.

5 of 5 found the following review helpful:

The Ultimate CyranoMar 14, 2008
By Victor Wolfram "retired musician"
Seventy-five years ago, when I was 12 years old, I saw Walter Hampden play Cyrano on a New York stage. Now Depardieu has given me the ultimate Cyrano. The supporting actors also deserve praise, and the entire production merits a place in the top ranks of French cinema. Of course, Rostand's play lacks credibility, but when it is done this well we suspend our disbelief. Even beyond the superb acting, excellent photography and elaborate crowd and battle scenes, this movie's perfection is in the details. The English subtitles are credited to Anthony Burgess of "Clockwork Orange" fame; at the very least they are based on the Burgess translation of the stage version, and offer an Anglophone audience a graceful equivalent of the form, meter and rhyme of Rostand's original French poetry. The background music is noteworthy, but a final touch of perfection could be missed by most viewers. As the credits roll at the end of the film, the background music mirrors the typical closing form of many 17th-century French ballets and operas, and we hear a French Chaconne.

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