Cyrano (film)

Cyrano is a 2021 musical romantic drama film directed by Joe Wright and with a screenplay by Erica Schmidt, based on Schmidt's 2018 stage musical of the same name, itself based on the 1897 Edmond Rostand play Cyrano de Bergerac. The film stars Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Ben Mendelsohn.
Cyrano had its world premiere at the 48th Telluride Film Festival on 2 September 2021, had a one-week theatrical run in Los Angeles on 17 December 2021, and was for a wide theatrical release in the United States and the United Kingdom on 25 February 2022. The film was a box office disappointment, grossing $6.3 million on a $30 million budget. However, it received generally positive reviews from critics, for its praise Dinklage and Bennett's performance and soundtrack. It was nominated for several awards, including a Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (Dinklage) at the 79th Golden Globe Awards, four nominations at the 75th British Academy Film Awards and a Best Costume Design nod at the 94th Academy Awards.
==Plot==
Beautiful but penniless orphan Roxanne goes to the theater with the foppish Duke De Guiche, who is in love with her and determined to marry her. Roxanne states her desire to marry for love and while taking her seat, she and newly recruited soldier Christian de Neuvillette see each other and are instantly infatuated with one another. As the play begins, Roxanne's childhood friend, the dwarven Cyrano de Bergerac, objects to the lead actor and chases him off the stage with rhyming insults, then duels a man who calls him a freak for his condition.
Roxanne meets privately with Cyrano, who she fails to realize is desperately in love with her. She tells him she has fallen in love with Christian at first sight and asks him to arrange a meeting. Though heartbroken, Cyrano meets Christian and discovers he is inarticulate and incapable of expressing his feelings. Not wanting to disappoint Roxanne, he writes countless letters expressing his own deep feelings of love for her, which Christian delivers as his own writing.
When Christian and Roxanne finally meet in person, he is unable to match the power of Cyrano's words, which caused her to fall in love with Christian, and he inadvertently insults her. Roxanne declares she needs more than simple platitudes and storms off. Later, Cyrano helps Christian make amends by hiding in the shadows and whispering what to say to Roxanne. She forgives him as a letter from De Guiche arrives with a priest, declaring that he is coming to either marry her or have his way with her. Roxanne and Christian hastily marry and De Guiche, infuriated, arranges for Christian and Cyrano's unit to be sent to the front.
While at war, Cyrano sends Roxanne a letter from Christian every day and risks his own life to keep Christian alive for Roxanne. De Guiche eventually sends their unit on a suicide mission, and Cyrano reveals he has already written a final letter to Roxanne. Christian sees the letter is stained with tears and realizes Cyrano loves Roxanne, and that the man Roxanne really loves is Cyrano. He runs out to meet the enemy's guns and is killed.
Three years later, Cyrano is impoverished and in ill health from war wounds that never fully healed. Roxanne remains his close friend. Sensing he is about to die, Cyrano meets with Roxanne and asks for Christian's final letter. He recites it from memory, revealing that all of Christian's letters were from him, and Roxanne declares her love for Cyrano before he dies peacefully.
==Cast==
* Peter Dinklage as Cyrano de Bergerac
* Haley Bennett as Roxanne
* Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Christian de Neuvillette
* Ben Mendelsohn as De Guiche
* Bashir Salahuddin as Le Bret
* Monica Dolan as Marie, Roxanne's attendant 
* Joshua James as Valvert
* Anjana Vasan as Sister Claire
* Ruth Sheen as Mother Marthe
* Glen Hansard, Sam Amidon, and Scott Folan appear as a singing trio of Guards, credited respectively as Guard #1, Guard #2, and Guard #3.
* Mark Benton as Montfleury
* Richard McCabe as Priest
* Peter Wight as Ragueneau
* Tim McMullan as Jodelet
* Mark Bagnall as Stranger
* Mike Shepherd as Marquis
* Paul Biddiss as The Gate Keeper
* Katy Owen as The Thief
==Production==
It was announced in August 2020 that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had acquired the rights to the film, which was written by Erica Schmidt, based on her stage musical Cyrano. The film was produced by Working Title Films, and Joe Wright was set to direct. Peter Dinklage and Haley Bennett will reprise their roles from the stage musical, with Ben Mendelsohn and Brian Tyree Henry also cast. Kelvin Harrison Jr. joined the cast in September 2020. Bashir Salahuddin later joined the cast to replace Henry. Music for the film was written by members of the National, who also wrote the music and lyrics for the stage musical.
Principal photography began in Sicily (Noto, Syracuse, Scicli) in October 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. All of the vocal performances for the musical numbers were recorded live on set.
==Music==
The film's opening number, "Someone To Say," was released as a single on October 8, 2021, followed by "Somebody Desperate" on December 3, 2021. The latter song was written exclusively for the film and plays during the end credits. The soundtrack was released on Decca Records on December 10, 2021.
==Release==
The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2021. By the end of its festival run, it screened at the Hamptons, Mill Valley, Rome, and Savannah.
The film was widely theatrically released in the United States and the United Kingdom on February 25, 2022. The film was originally scheduled for a limited theatrical release in the United States on December 25, 2021, but the release date was then moved to December 31. In November 2021, the film's release plans were changed by United Artists Releasing in an effort to better position itself for Academy Awards qualification and contention: it had an exclusive one-week theatrical run in Los Angeles on December 17, prior to a planned limited theatrical release on January 21, 2022, before expanding in subsequent weeks. The release date in the US was shifted to a limited release on January 28, before opening wide on February 11. It was shifted again to a solely wide release on February 25, without a limited release, on the same date as its release in the UK. The UK release was originally scheduled for release on January 14, but was postponed by Universal Pictures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic response.
The film was released on streaming in March 9, 2022 and on Blu-ray and DVD on April 19, 2022 by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
It is also the last MGM title to be released before the studio was acquired by Amazon on March 17, 2022.
== Reception ==
=== Box office ===
, Cyrano grossed $3.9million in the United States and Canada, and $2.5million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $6.3million.
In the United States and Canada, Cyrano was released alongside Studio 666, and was projected to gross $2–5 million from 797 theaters in its opening weekend. The film earned $1.4 million in its opening weekend, finishing ninth at the box office. It made $678,783 in its second weekend, finishing eighth. The film dropped out of the box office top ten in its third weekend, finishing eleventh with $398,932.
Outside the U.S. and Canada, the film earned $1.04 million from 10 international markets in its opening weekend.
=== Critical response ===
 
===Accolades===
 
Award 	Date of ceremony 	Category 	Recipient(s) 	Result	
Detroit Film Critics Society 	December 6, 2021 	Best Film 	Cyrano 	 	
Detroit Film Critics Society 	December 6, 2021 	Best Actor 	Peter Dinklage 	 	
Detroit Film Critics Society 	December 6, 2021 	Best Use of Music 	Cyrano 	 	
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	December 6, 2021 	Best Score 	Aaron and Bryce Dessner 	 	
Golden Globe Awards 	January 9, 2022 	Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy 	Cyrano 	 	2022 Golden Globe Nominations: 'Licorice Pizza,' 'Squid Game,' 'West Side Story,' and More
Golden Globe Awards 	January 9, 2022 	Best Actor – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical	Peter Dinklage 	 	2022 Golden Globe Nominations: 'Licorice Pizza,' 'Squid Game,' 'West Side Story,' and More
Hollywood Critics Association 	February 28, 2022	Best Comedy/Musical Film 	Cyrano 	 	
Hollywood Critics Association 	February 28, 2022	Best Actor 	Peter Dinklage 	 	
Hollywood Critics Association 	February 28, 2022	Best Original Song 	Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, and Kelvin Harrison Jr.(for "Every Letter")	 	
Costume Designers Guild Awards 	March 9, 2022 	Excellence in Period Film 	Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran 	 	
Critics' Choice Awards 	March 13, 2022 	Best Actor 	Peter Dinklage 	 	
British Academy Film Awards 	March 13, 2022 	Outstanding British Film 	Joe Wright, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Guy Heely, and Erica Schmidt 	 	
British Academy Film Awards 	March 13, 2022 	Best Costume Design 	Massimo Cantini Parrini 	 	
British Academy Film Awards 	March 13, 2022 	Best Makeup and Hair 	Alessandro Bertolazzi and Siân Miller 	 	
British Academy Film Awards 	March 13, 2022 	Best Production Design 	Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer 	 	
Academy Awards 	March 27, 2022 	Best Costume Design 	Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran 	 	
Satellite Awards 	April 2, 2022 	Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy 	Cyrano 	 	
Satellite Awards 	April 2, 2022 	Best Actor 	Peter Dinklage 	 	
Satellite Awards 	April 2, 2022 	Best Costume Design 	Massimo Cantini Parrini 	 	
==References==
==External links==
* 
* 
* Official screenplay
Category:2021 drama films
Category:2020s English-language films
Category:2020s musical drama films
Category:American films
Category:American musical drama films
Category:American romantic drama films
Category:American romantic musical films
Category:British films
Category:British musical drama films
Category:British romantic drama films
Category:British romantic musical films
Category:Canadian films
Category:Canadian musical drama films
Category:Canadian romantic drama films
Category:Canadian romantic musical films
Category:Films based on adaptations
Category:Films based on Cyrano de Bergerac (play)
Category:Films based on musicals
Category:Films directed by Joe Wright
Category:Films impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
Category:Films produced by Tim Bevan
Category:Films produced by Eric Fellner
Category:Films shot in Sicily
Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
Category:Universal Pictures films
Category:Working Title Films films
Category:Bron Studios films