One of the best films i have seen

A Brilliant Conflict

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Michael Gordon's "Cyrano de Bergerac" was a pleasant experience as long as it was carried by the flamboyant eloquence and thunderous voice of actor Jose Ferrer, which means a good portion of the film. But Edmond Rostand's iconic play isn't just the tale of a poet and a fighter, it is also an iconic romance, the story of a magnificent love triangle, where the looks of a man, and the wits of another create the perfect suitor for the heart of Roxane who's not a bland heroine either.But Jose Ferrer, who won the Oscar for that role (and it was the only nomination) was good, too good, so good he made any role thankless. Young but witless Christian (William Prince) and the beautiful Roxane (Mala Powers) are unfortunately no match for Ferrer who owns the show whenever he appears. It's all natural when it comes to Cyrano who is a larger-than-life character (let alone the scenery) but the irony of the story lies on the way Cyrano must keep a low profile, to allow the romance between Roxanne and Christian to blossom.Cyrano provides the good lines to Christian and consoles himself by the way she's truly conquered by the power of her love, it's as if she still loved a part of her doomed cousin. This is love by proxy, but the power is left intact and you can tell from the emotional involvement of Cyrano that he's accept his fate as half a doom, half a blessing. But Jose Ferrer is such a presence that the film's level of excitement inevitable fades where he's not there. His "nose" is so big it overshadows any other flaws. And reality joined fiction at the Oscar ceremony.Ferrer wasn't even present at the ceremony but his voice was enough, you could tell it was Cyrano winning, and it's only fair that the other iconic performance of Cyrano de Bergerac, by Gérard Depardieu, won a similar award. Cyrano de Bergerac is just a daydream of any actor but not any actor can pull such powerful, over-the-top yet exhilarating performances. Ferrer does a magnificent job but even his performance can't make up for the rather, bland theatrical look, more apparent at the beginning, but the blurry black and white cinematography gives it the look of the TV movies we watched in little side.The sword fights choreographs are actually very convincing and you could really hear the crossing of irons, but there are moments though that betrayed some low budget aspect and it doesn't really help to enhance the enjoyment of the story. One could think that the French version, considered now as the classic one did the film a disservice, in fact, it didn't, one could watch it with more forgiving eyes. And it's a fair adaptation of Rostand's play but it needed a bigger budget and maybe a French version after all. The last line about the "panache" has been translated by "white plum", and I humbly believed it was a mistake, Cyrano has always been about a sword, a big nose, and a panache. But not in the meaning of a white plume.

Try as I may, I can't imagine seeing anyone play the role as well as the unforgettable Jose Ferrer. He had all of the elements that make for such a faithful and total performance— voice, diction, carriage, all of the dramatic elements that such a larger-than-life character demand. And of course, that climatic barroom sword fighting scene, done with such aplomb by the brilliant stage actor. I have no doubt that the idea for the sword fighting scene in "The Princess Bride" was a direct takeoff of that memorable fight scene. Many, many years after I'd first seen the classic B&W film on television, I had the honor of working with the then much older Ferrer on the set of the TV series, "The Love Boat," the veritable graveyard of old and forgotten actors. When I approached him to shake his hand, I said: "You were the greatest Cyrano who ever lived." Since few people on that set even knew who he was, I think he was doubly appreciative of my high praise, as evidenced by his broad smile. He was a true gentlemen, both as gracious and warm as you can possibly imagine. R.I.P.

A great performance by Jose Ferrer highlighted by his receiving of the Academy Award for best actor of 1950 in this film based on the Edmund Rostand novel.A story of tragic love, Mala Powers played Roxane, the girl who admits at film's end that she has lost 2 loves.Set in the 1600's, the film tells the tragic tale of Cyrano, a poet playwright, philosopher, and swordsman who loves Roxane but feels rejection because of the size of his nose.When she professes love for Christian, he guides him through the words in expressing his love for the lady.There is politics in this film. I wish it had been stated even more. With war against Spain calling, Christian takes up his duties and his promptly killed.While a tragic fate awaits Cyrano at the hands of other conspirators, his death scene and acting throughout the film will be widely remembered as the part that was meant for him.

I would love to say that this is a great movie. It isn't, not by a long shot. Made on a skimpy budget with largely second-rate actors, this movie very seldom rises to the magnificence of one of the truly great masterpieces of French theater.Except when José Ferrer is playing Cyrano. He is not, in my opinion, as good as Gérald Depardieu, but very often he takes a fusty old translation and makes it live. Had the adaptation of the play been better, i.e., had Cyrano been given more of his lines and in a better translation, I'm sure that Ferrer would have shone even more. As it is, he is the one shining star in this otherwise very mediocre production of a true masterpiece. Make sure you see the Depardieu movie, which is glorious. Make sure you don't see the Kevin Kline New York theater production, which is leaden. But if you can appreciate a movie for one stellar performance, watch this as well. Ferrer deserved a better script and a better production, but he does a very fine job with what he's dealt here.