Books2Movies Club discussion

Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand is one of the plays I always wanted to read. The story is so enticing (and easy to relate to), about the man who loved but didn't dare to profess his love in person in fear of being shunned for his ugliness, so he used a proxy to do so. Although inspired by the real life person, Cyrano de Bergerac, this entire plotline is said to be completely fictional.

There were so many adaptations and movies inspired by the play! Let's get started :)

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The first two adaptations we should mention are those straight-forward ones, Cyrano de Bergerac (1990) and Cyrano de Bergerac (1950). The former one, with Gerard Depardieu in the title role, is, I am absolutely certain, the most famous one, and the one you all should watch. And rewatch! It won so many awards. The latter one is the first English attempt, and José Ferrer even won an Oscar for his performance as Cyrano. It is in the public domain; you can watch it for free on Internet Archive.

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There are many retellings of the story. I'll first mention those intended for the adult audience, even those that are perhaps just slightly inspired by the play. The first one is Love Letters (1945) with Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten, that is actually Ayn Rand's adaptation of the novel Pity My Simplicity by Christopher Massie (I couldn't find it on GoodReads) that was inspired by it (a bit convoluted, I agree). It was nominated for four Oscars, and won one for the Best Actress. The second, Electric Dreams (1984), is a weird one, with a computer as a proxy. It might be interesting to watch as a curiosity! Roxanne (1987) is undoubtedly the most popular adaptation of the story, adapted (and changed quite a bit) and played by Steve Martin. The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996) is the one I grew up with. I loved it so much back then, and I still do. The Ugly Truth (2009) with Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler isn't strictly a retelling, as only the part of the movie uses the elements of the story. At least I think so, I should watch it again to be certain, but as I didn't much like it the first time, maybe you should just tell me what do you think?

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Now on to teen retellings of the story! Let It Shine (2012) is a Disney's effort, and I heard it was very good one. There are two Netflix movies inspired by the play, Sierra Burgess Is a Loser (2018) and The Half of It (2020), each with the different twist to the story. I didn't see either, if you did, can you share what did you think of them? The last two are a Canadian #Roxy (2018) and a German Das schönste Mädchen der Welt (2018). Both received some praise for which we might try to watch them, if they are available on stream. Oh, forgot to mention Whatever It Takes (2000) with young Shane West and James Franco in the high school. No credit given, but inspired by the premise.

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If you are into Asian movies, you might give yourselves a taste of old Japanese cinema with Toshiro Mifune, Aru kengo no shogai / Samurai Saga (1959). Koreans gave their own modern retelling of the story, Si-ra-no / Cyrano Agency (2010). Bollywood's effort was also an interesting one, Oohalu Gusagusalade / Imaginations Whispered (2014).

Naturally, there are also theatrical adaptations of the play. Maybe you've seen one? I am personally aware of Cyrano de Bergerac (2008) with Kevin Kline and Anne Hathaway, and Cyrano de Bergerac (2019) with James McAvoy. There was also recently on off-Broadway a musical adaptation with Peter Dinklage in the main role. As for that latter one, an adaptation directed by Joe Wright and starring Peter Dinklage is currently being filmed. It is planned to be released in 2022. I would love to watch that!

Alright, I think I covered as much as I could find about the topic at the moment. If I missed something, please share with us! Have you read the play? Have you seen any of those adaptations mentioned above? What do you think we should watch and what we should skip? Please share your thoughts and impressions with us!

The book is on my nightstand, I am ready to read this, but I am afraid not before these holidays. Some other things are taking up my time at the moment :(

There is a French film you might be interested in too - about Edmond Rostand himself and how this play came to be: Edmond (2018).