The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2021 - Issue 30

bitefilms P eter Dinklage and Haley Bennett embark on a not- so-easy task to bring the epic film Cyrano back to life, which Erica Schmidt wrote based on her 2018 stage musical of the same name (taken from the 1897 Edmond Rostand play Cyrano de Bergerac ) and produced byWorking Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner. The songs were chosen by brothers Bryce and Aaron Dessner, which were all beau- tifully orchestrated by director JoeWright.Wright shot the movie in Sicily during the pandemic and premiered at the Telluride Film Festival this autumn. Cyrano , the immensely original version by Schmidt, sets the tone in 17th century Paris, following the prevailing swords- man and brilliant poet Cyrano de Bergerac as he duels his way through and out of trouble while harbouring a deep secret he’s determined to take to his grave. Cyrano is madly in love with the sensitively intellectual Roxanne (portrayed in a fiery performance by the glowing Haley Bennett), but because he’s convinced of his ugliness and unworthiness, he can never confess his true feelings to her. Meanwhile, Christian (the consistently exceptional Kelvin Harrison Jr), a handsome nobleman lacking in expressive language instincts, also in love with Roxanne, enlists the help of Cyrano to write his love letters to her for him.The two men must then battle for Roxanne’s love, all while singing songs. While the original story’s protagonist sports an oversized nose, screenwriter Erica Schmidt reimagines Cyrano as a little person, recruiting none other than her husband, Peter Dinklage to play the lead role. Released Date: 14 January 2022 www.universalpictures.co.uk/micro/cyrano Cyrano