Mill Valley Film Festival 44

This new musical adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac shares the original’s 17th-century setting but offers a few tricks
of its own. Cyrano (Peter Dinklage) is a gifted poet and skilled duelist who secretly loves the beautiful Roxanne (Haley Bennett) but believes himself unlovable. After she confides in him her passion for the handsome cadet Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), Cyrano ghostwrites love letters to Roxanne on behalf of the tongue-tied suitor. Filming during the pandemic, director Joe Wright says he was determined to make something “really beautiful.” With songs and score by members of The National, as well as colorful costumes and choreography, this sumptuous production fits that bill, but the show’s secret weapon is Dinklage, who perfectly embodies Cyrano’s pride, wit, and romantic yearning. Wright adds, “It feels like it’s the kind of movie that I need to be making, especially now.” –Richard Peterson