One movie I think they did do well. Very well indeed.

I haven't seen the Depardieu version of Cyrano de Bergerac, but I did see the 1950 José Ferrer version. Absolutely superb!

Since it was in black-and-white, the production values may not have been up to the lavishness of the Depardieu version, but the total production was a genuine masterpiece. As portrayed by Ferrer, Cyrano's spiky exterior covering the tender soul of a poet deeply in love, but tragically afraid to express himself for fear of being laughed at because he thought the size of his nose made him "ugly," is positively heart-rending at times. Poor Christian, caught up in passions beyond his understanding, is also a tragic figure, and Roxanne's growth as a human being, from a young girl dazzled by a young man's beauty to a woman who eventually understands that there are things far more important than a handsome face, also makes her a tragic figure ("I have never loved but one man in my life, and I have lost him—twice. . . ."). With all that tragedy, why do I love this play so much?

Ferrer's portrayal of Cyrano was so impressive that for three days after I first saw that movie, for some reason, the faces of the people I saw around me seemed flat and featureless. I have a videotape of the movie, which I pull out and watch from time to time.

Don Firth