Cyrano  ★★★½

THE latest screen version of Cyrano de Bergerac really crept up on me.

It wasn’t on my radar and I didn’t realise this new version was based on a musical until just before it started.

But English director Joe Wright’s Cyrano is a pleasant surprise and a thoroughly engaging watch for a variety of reasons.

Peter Dinklage is terrific as Cyrano, the best thing he has done outside his signature role in Games of Thrones; the supporting cast is strong and includes one of my favourite actors Ben Mendelsohn; the screenplay offers a nice twist on the classic story; and it’s full of dry humour and easily-understood song delivery.

On the negative side, I’m not sure all the songs are that memorable and wasn’t captivated by some of the choreography but, as I’ve stated often, musicals aren’t my forte so what would I know.

The screenplay and the 2018 stage musical are the work of Erica Schmidt who is actually Dinklage’s real-life partner. I’m not sure whose idea it was to shift the original 1897 work’s traditional plot device of Cyrano’s facial features, in particular an elongated nose, to his overall stature, but it works immensely and will resonate with today’s audiences to a far greater extent.

If you’re not familiar with Edmond Rostand’s classic play, it tells the story of Cyrano de Bergerac who pines for the affections of the beautiful Roxanne but his facial features . While he is a skilled poet and worthy partner to any woman, Cyrano has no confidence in pursuing Roxanne due mainly to his facial features.

Roxanne falls in love with another man, Christian de Neuvillette, at first sight and asks her friend Cyrano to introduce them. But Christian is sorely lacking Cyrano’s verbal and written talents and asks his assistance in corresponding with Roxanne.

Cyrano reluctantly agrees to help Christian, resigning himself to having Roxanne at least fall in love with his own words.

Along with Dinklage, the film takes a refreshingly modern approach to its casting with Haley Bennett as the feisty Roxanne and Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Christian, while Australia’s Ben Mendelsohn is a more traditional choice as the villainous De Guiche.

The film is also beautiful to look at, earning itself a nomination for best costume design at the upcoming Oscars.

Jose Ferrer and Gérard Depardieu are the two actors who have probably played the best received traditional versions of Cyrano while Steve Martin famously played a modern, comic take.

I think Dinklage’s performance more than holds its own in comparison.