Peter Dinklage in the romantic drama Cyrano

Cyrano is a timeless story by award-winning director Joe Wright ( Pride and Prejudice, 2005 ), about a love triangle with a handful of emotions and beautiful music. It is based on a late 19th-century theatrical play about Cyran de Bergerac (Peter Dinklage), a French poet who lived and worked in the 17th century. 

Cyrano is a man ahead of his time, who impresses with his fierce play on words in verbal competition and brilliant fencing in a duel. Unsure of his physical appearance, Cyrano is convinced he is not worthy of the love of a loyal friend, the dazzling Roxanne (Haley Bennett). Cyrano has yet to express his feelings for Roxanne, and she falls in love with Christian at first sight (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.).

Director Wright once said that from an early age he identified with the character in the original French version of the theater play on which the film is based.

"I was one of those kids who felt weird and unworthy of love, which connected me to the story," he once told BBC News. "It's about the human need to connect and how we often fail at it." The director who brought us film classics like Pride and Prejudice (2005) and Atonement (2007) continues; "Perhaps this film tells something that I believe to be true, and that is that we are more alike than we are different, despite our appearance."

Who is Cyrano de Bergerac?

The theatrical play was written in 1897 by Edmond Rostand and tells the story of Cyran de Bergerac, a man born with a very large and ugly nose, which made him feel rejected.

In the original theatrical drama, Cyrano is a talented poet and an excellent swordsman who is secretly in love with a woman named Roxane, who is herself a lover of poetry. 

Cyrano, aware of his appearance and in fear of rejection, is looking for a way to reveal his true feelings to Roxane. Roxane initially begins to fall in love with a handsome military cadet named Christian, but since Christian is not good at writing, Cyrano gets involved in the game and starts writing songs and love letters instead of Christian.  

The film illustrates several themes - the power of language, deception, and the complexity of relationships in the love triangle, and the inner struggle in which external appearance and internal value collide. According to director Wright, the film is about “how often we fail to connect with other people for fear of how they will perceive us”.

Favorite Peter Dinklage, widely known for his role in the Game of Thrones series, is planning several new film projects, and for actress Haley Bennett this will be her debut role.

In cinemas from January 21, 2022

ACTORS: Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Ben Mendelsohn

DIRECTED BY: Joe Wright

SCRIPT: Erica Schmidt

PRODUCERS: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Guy Heeley

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Erica Schmidt, Sarah-Jane Robinson, Sheeraz Shah, Lucas Webb, Matt Berninger, Carin Besser, Aaron Dessner

MUSIC: Bryce Dessner & Aaron Dessner

GENRE: musical / romantic drama