movie musical
“Cyrano”: Peter Dinklage as an esthete
Haley Bennett (l) as Roxanne and Peter Dinklage as Cyrano in a scene from the film “Cyrano”. Photo: Peter Mountain/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc./dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The series hit “Game of Thrones” brought Peter Dinklage world fame as a fantasy hero. In “Cyrano”, the film-musical version of the theater classic “Cyrano de Bergerac”, he now inspires in a different way.
Hollywood star Peter Dinklage has proven that he can fight tough since his breakthrough with the fantasy hit “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian of Narnia”.
Thanks to the series hit “Game of Thrones”, he has had a huge fan base worldwide for years. In the musical version of the world-famous verse drama «Cyrano de Bergerac» by Edmond Rostand, first published in 1897, he now shows new facets of his skills. He captivates as a soulful esthete – and as a singer.
The story basically follows the original: Cyrano de Bergerac (Peter Dinklage), an officer in late 17th-century France, falls in love with the smart and beautiful Roxanne (Haley Bennett). But because he is short, he believes that she cannot and does not want to give him her heart. When cadet Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) wants to conquer Roxanne, his friend Cyrano helps him: he writes her love letters full of poetry, wit and spirit in Christian’s name. Of course, that doesn’t go well in the long run. And then the war takes its blood toll.
Action and lots of romance
There is one major change compared to the original: Rostand’s oversized nose reduces Cyrano’s self-confidence. Here it is his short stature. Because the American screenwriter Erica Schmidt, already the author of the musical “Cyrano”, which was already successful at the theater in 2018, wrote the title role for the 1.35 meter tall Peter Dinklage. Which is not surprising: the two have been married to each other since 2005 and are parents of two children.
After the ravishingly exaggerated German feel-good version of the material entitled “The most beautiful girl in the world” four years ago, now a musical version. It convinces with magnificent equipment, action and a lot of romance. The beautiful message that the inside of a person is more important than the outside comes across in a playful, light and effortless way. How the film, effectively staged by director Joe Wright (“Atonement”), captivates with a beautiful lightness.
Works perfectly as a musical
The melancholic music and the thoughtful songs are particularly inspiring. They were composed by brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner from the American indie band The National. Since «Cabaret», and that’s five decades ago, there hasn’t been a musical film in which action, spoken word, music and songs have been interwoven as harmoniously and pointedly as here. The songs, which do without any cheap catchy tunes, comment on the events and drive them forward. Very effective.
Of course, the singing actresses and actors make a significant contribution to the success. None of them have what is generally considered a “big voice”. But each and every one makes the best of what the throat has to offer. Above all, the charismatic Peter Dinklage is convincing in the title role. Rapidly he leads the sword and the pen. His Cyrano languishes, writes poetry and sings passionately. You believe him every emotional outburst, no matter how violent. Which is why towards the end of the film the handkerchief alarm is announced.