HAVE YOU EVER LOVED SOMEONE?

In 2018, Edmond Rostand’s ”Cyrano de Bergerac” inspired a stage musical featuring new songs by The Nationals duo Aaron and Bryce Dessner, starring playwright Erica Schmidt’s husband Peter Dinklage. Obviously, this time height is the challenge for Cyrano, not an outsized nose. In the hands of Joe Wright, it’s perfect fodder for the big screen. Locations, cinematography and costumes are key in a film that takes us along for quite a ride; Dinklage holds our attention as the tragical Cyrano and the music reinforces our emotions. Ben Mendelsohn chews the scenery (and who can resist that?) as the nobleman who demands Roxanne’s attention. 

2021-U.S.-U.K.-Canada. 124 min. Color. Widescreen. Produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Guy Heeley. Directed by Joe Wright. Screenplay, Book: Erica Schmidt. Cinematography: Seamus McGarvey. Music: Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner. Costume Design: Massimo Cantini Parrini, Jacqueline Durran. Cast: Peter Dinklage (Cyrano de Bergerac), Haley Bennett (Roxanne), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Christian de Neuvillette), Ben Mendelsohn, Monica Dolan, Bashir Salahuddin.

Last word: “Once we managed to raise the finances, which was difficult in this situation, we decided to shoot the movie on the island of Sicily, as a response to some of the practical problems. Shooting during the pandemic, the island of Sicily had very low cases of COVID, unlike mainland Italy. We felt like we might be able to create a very tight bubble there. So, we hunkered down with 350 cast, crew, supporting cast, dancers, and extras. And it was a very international group, which was important to me, given Brexit. I wanted to create a very international, pan-European group of collaborators.” (Wright, RogerEbert.com)