For starters, director and co-writer (with Jean-Claude Carriere) Jean-Paul Rappaneau directs this with vigor and energy, unlike the plodding Ferrer version, which was only watchable because of his performance. And he trusts the material enough to just play it straight, without cynicism or hindsight. Author Anthony Burgess (he wrote A CLOCKWORK ORANGE) has written the subtitles in rhyme, which may be distracting at first, but eventually wins you over - after all, Cyrano is a poet. Also, Anne Brochet (ALL THE MORNINGS OF THE WORLD) is a beautiful Roxanne, and also quite good in the role. And Vincent Perez (INDOCHINE) does well in the somewhat thankless role of Christian, who's endearing to us only because he knows he is no match for Cyrano.
But in the end, it all comes down to Depardieu. He's certainly capable of playing subtle (JEAN DE FLORETTE), but this gives him a chance to show off, once again, his physicality, his passion, his grace, and his power. From his very entrance (when he hounds an actor off of a stage), Depardieu commands our attention. And while some have quibbled with the admittedly mawkish finale, Depardieu makes it work with the breadth of his passion. As I said in my previous article, while Jeremy Irons gives a terrific performance in REVERSAL OF FORTUNE, it's too bad Depardieu didn't win, for this is the best performance of his great career.
For CYRANO, Depardieu basically let the work speak for himself. Richard Harris, on the other hand, apparently got the fifth slot for Best Actor (the others being Depardieu, Irons, Kevin Costner (DANCES WITH WOLVES), and Robert De Niro (AWAKENINGS)) for his work in THE FIELD. Since this was essentially a comeback role for Harris (his 80's work included the Bo Derek TARZAN), it would be nice to report this was a well-deserved comeback, but the film lets him down.
