Cyrano de Bergerac

Although it's mired in the dirt and the grime of 17th-century France, there's a kind of soaring beauty to Jean-Paul Rappeneau's expansively passionate 1990 Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe winner for Best Foreign Film, perhaps the grandest adaptation yet of Edmond Rostand's play about the swordsman, adventurer, poet, and would-be lover whose heart is held in check by his stupendously large nose. Gérard Depardieu, in the title role, was nominated for an Oscar for his flamboyantly abundant performance, overflowing with wit and romance, as he perfectly balances outlandish bravado and closely held disappointment. Depardieu is evenly matched by everyone around him, including the luminous Anne Brochet as Roxane, whom Cyrano secretly loves, and Vincent Perez as Christian, the tongue-tied soldier whom Cyrano helps to woo Roxane. Presented in a handsome widescreen transfer on an otherwise extra-less DVD release, this lovely, bittersweet, heartbreaking, unforgettable film is highly recommended. (M. Johanson)