Movie · 1990 · Drama, Comedy, History, Romance · 2h 17m · PG-13 · French
Curator score: 7.7/10 (57.4K ratings)
Overview
Famed swordsman and poet Cyrano de Bergerac is in love with his cousin Roxane. He has never expressed his love for her as he his large nose undermines his self-confidence. Then he finds a way to express his love to her, indirectly.
Ratings
Curator score: 7.7/10
IMDb: 7.5/10
Letterboxd: 3.78/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Metacritic: 79
TMDB: 7.3/10
Director
Jean-Paul Rappeneau
Production
Hachette Première, Camera One, UGC, DD Productions, Films A2
Cast
Gérard Depardieu, Anne Brochet, Vincent Perez, Jacques Weber, Roland Bertin, Philippe Morier-Genoud, Pierre Maguelon, Josiane Stoléru, Alain Rimoux, Anatole Delalande, Philippe Volter, Jean-Marie Winling, Louis Navarre, Gabriel Monnet, François Marié, Pierre Triboulet, Baptiste Roussillon, Christian Roy, Jacques Pater, Christian Loustau
Curator Review
Verdict
A lavish, emotionally direct adaptation that turns a familiar literary premise into a sweeping romantic tragedy with wit, visual flair, and a standout lead performance. It’s especially rewarding if you like period drama that balances swordplay, poetry, and heartbreak.
Best for
fans of classic romance and tragic love stories
viewers who enjoy ornate period productions
people who like performance-driven historical dramas
audiences drawn to eloquent dialogue and literary adaptations
Skip if
you want a brisk, modern-paced romance
you dislike heightened theatrical acting
you prefer understated realism over grand emotion
Overview
Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s adaptation is one of those rare period films that feels both expansive and intimate. It has the sweep of a historical epic, but its real power comes from the ache at the center of Cyrano’s self-denial and verbal brilliance. The film understands that romantic longing can be funny, humiliating, and devastating all at once.
Worth noting
Gérard Depardieu gives the role a huge physical presence without losing the character’s vulnerability, and the production design, costumes, and swordplay all support the sense of a world run on honor and performance. The film is unabashedly literary, but it never feels dusty; it moves with energy and emotional clarity.
Bottom line
If the story’s old-fashioned romantic idealism works for you, this is deeply satisfying. If you need irony or restraint, it may feel overly grand, but for viewers open to full-blooded melodrama, it’s a rich and memorable adaptation.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Sabrina (3★) · 342 likes
can't relate to being in love with your cousin, but can relate to the big nose
TheGiantClaw (4★) · 138 likes
Many site the great work Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare as the great love story of the ages. Romance, lust, tragedy. Songs, multiple films, and plays are still brought to the masses centuries after the play was first penned. But I think we have missed the true beautiful love story.
Cyrano de Bergerac was written in 1897 by Edmond Rostand and has since had a few memorable film adaptations, this being the most popular and critically hailed as the… more
Alan J Arruzzo (5★) · 104 likes
Everything is great about this film, the cast, the costumes, the music, the cinematography, and especially Gérard Depardieu's performance as Cyrano. Highly recommended.
Jeanaufeminin (5★) · 87 likes
pas realiste, Depardieu parle pas aussi bien quand il veut zouker une minette
manilazic (5★) · 81 likes
'C'est bien plus beau lorsque c'est inutile" is my motto for life