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josh_caporale 's review for:
Cyrano de Bergerac
by Edmond Rostand
I first came across the Cyrano de Bergerac play through the 1987 film, "Roxanne," starring Steve Martin as C.D. Bales, a firefighter based on Cyrano de Bergerac with his funny-looking nose and poetic personality, while Daryl Hannah played Roxanne. I always appreciated the humor, but yet the sweet charm that Roxanne had to offer. At some point I knew I needed to get around to reading the play and now I found that great opportunity to do so. I appreciate the play for is merit and feel that it is an important play to examine, but by no means do I find this to be the "perfect play." I feel that there are moments that, while accurate to the necessary extent, are a bit aged. The biggest example being the fact that Cyrano and Roxane are cousins. While the two were cousins in real life, this has been deemed as a fictionalized account that is meant to concentrate on Cyrano's admiration for Roxane and how he helps the man she is in love with, Christian de Neuvillette, to pursue her. While Cyrano is unattractive and has a peculiar looking nose, Christian is not a great speaker, especially around women. On the contrary, Cyrano is very well-spoken and has a terrific way with words, while Christian is incredibly attractive. The two decide to team up to help Christian pursue Roxane, much to the dismay of Comte de Guiche, who wants Roxane for himself.
One of the familiar aspects from the film adaptation, Roxanne, that caught my attention was the 20 Nose Insults that took place in the film. Cyrano recites this at the beginning of the play and it only solidifies how much I admire his character. While he is confident when he needs to be, he is not the kind of person that is going to take credit or seek out special treatment for his deeds, and this is a trait that I highly admire about him. I think this makes the play much more enjoyable to read, even if his backdrop and the sequence of events are not great.
The reason I bumped this play from what I was planning to give it at 3 1/2 stars to 4 stars is because I feel people should read this play. Cyrano de Bergerac is such a charming figure in literature, whether this fictionalized version or the real-life figure in which he is based, and that carries a great amount as far as the flow of the play is concerned. While Christian does not necessarily possess a great deal of dimension and Roxane only carries as much as a general female figure would carry in the 1600s, Cyrano's actions really flesh out that admiration and compassion for one another and provide it with all the greater emphasis. After (or before) you read this play, I would look into acted adaptations of this play, but I would highly encourage you to check out Roxanne the movie. This film is faithful to the core of the play, even if it changes some of the specific details.
One of the familiar aspects from the film adaptation, Roxanne, that caught my attention was the 20 Nose Insults that took place in the film. Cyrano recites this at the beginning of the play and it only solidifies how much I admire his character. While he is confident when he needs to be, he is not the kind of person that is going to take credit or seek out special treatment for his deeds, and this is a trait that I highly admire about him. I think this makes the play much more enjoyable to read, even if his backdrop and the sequence of events are not great.
The reason I bumped this play from what I was planning to give it at 3 1/2 stars to 4 stars is because I feel people should read this play. Cyrano de Bergerac is such a charming figure in literature, whether this fictionalized version or the real-life figure in which he is based, and that carries a great amount as far as the flow of the play is concerned. While Christian does not necessarily possess a great deal of dimension and Roxane only carries as much as a general female figure would carry in the 1600s, Cyrano's actions really flesh out that admiration and compassion for one another and provide it with all the greater emphasis. After (or before) you read this play, I would look into acted adaptations of this play, but I would highly encourage you to check out Roxanne the movie. This film is faithful to the core of the play, even if it changes some of the specific details.