Vorhang auf für Cyrano (2018)

Vorhang auf für Cyrano: Directed by Alexis Michalik. With Thomas Solivérès, Olivier Gourmet, Mathilde Seigner, Tom Leeb. December 1897, Paris. Edmond Rostand is not yet thirty but already two children and a lot of anxieties. He has not written anything for two years. In desperation, he offers the great Constant Coquelin a new play, a heroic comedy, in verse, for the holidays. Only concern: it is not written yet. Ignoring the whims of actresses, the demands of his Corsican producers, the jealousy of his wife, the stories of his best friend’s heart and the lack of enthusiasm of all those around him, Edmond starts writing this piece which nobody believes. For now, he has only the title: “Cyrano de Bergerac”.

“Paris, 1897. It has been two years since the young Edmond Rostand, poet and playwright, has run out of inspiration. One day, on a whim, he offers a role to the great actor Coquelin aîné, that of Cyrano de Bergerac. The trouble is that Edmond hasnu0026#39;t written the beginning of a line. But a promise is a promise and, inspired by what happens in his surroundings, and carried by his gift for poetic language, he gradually produces lines in which no one believes but which will prove to be the framework of an immortal masterpiece.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe initial idea, to make Edmond Rostand the hero of a play and then of its filmed adaptation, is simply wonderful. Because, if his u0026quot;Cyrano de Bergeracu0026quot; was staged and filmed more than often, there had been little interest in his person on the screen before this particular movie. You can see the writer as himself in Sacha Guitryu0026#39;s documentary, u0026quot;Ceux de chez nousu0026quot; (1915), as part of a gallery of great artists and writers, and thatu0026#39;s all. He could be imagined a little stiff and pompous, which is most unlikely if you consider his linguistic agility, Alexis Michalik does not see him like that anyway : the Rostand he shows us is young, full of life but shy, inspired but overwhelmed by events.nPlease do not take the film literally but what it actualy is, never claiming to be historical, it is rather a fantasy full of spirit and vivacity around the figure of Edmond Rostand. And even if what happens in it is not an exact reflection of reality, u0026quot;Edmondu0026quot; happily explores the field of inspiration, of the gestation of a work, of the influence of the immediate environment on its content at the time of its making.nIt would be a mistake to be picky about such intelligent and well-paced entertainment, interpreted with contagious glee by a homogeneous troupe. As a tribute, both humorous and sensitive, to a great creator, to theater, to entertainment and to love, u0026quot;Edmondu0026quot; is irresistible.”