Cyrano de Bergerac Comparative Essay

Introduction

The Cyrano De Bergerac film is founded on Edmond Rostand's work produced in 1847. Both movies have similar target audiences, and they use various effects to entertain their audiences. They make use of relevance, substance, and style to make their work captivating and enjoyable for the audience. Ferrer's Cyrano is a vibrant, manly warrior, and a hopeless romantic, whose honor means more to him than love, or life itself. Cyrano's romantics are verified from these statements, "The dream of being loved, even by a homely girl, is one forbidden me. Forbidden by this nose of mine that precedes me everywhere by fifteen minutes. So, then, I love.... Whom? Why! It is most natural! I love.... it could not be otherwise, the loveliest of the lovely!" (Rostand, 40) Ferrer radiantly plays the part of the romantic hero because he keeps his love silent to honor his friend. Unable to betray his best friend, he is doomed to live of a lonely man pining for the woman he loves. In the 1950 era, the audience preferred a much more dramatic part for the romantic hero, and this film is an excellent example of a tragic drama for the period in which it was produced. The producers of the movie Roxanne retell Rostand's story because they wanted to capture the contemporary audience in a way that is relevant, and at the same time engaging. Actor and director Steve Martin star in this entertaining comedic reworking of the classic 1897 play. In the two movies, the story's significance lies in its exhibition of the contention amongst style and substance: the way that the apparent appearance of an individual frequently stows away what lies inside.

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In a summary of 1951 film Cyrano de Bergerac, the primary character Cyrano is urgently enamored with the charming Roxanne, however, expect that she'd never adored him back because of his colossally strong nose. Cyrano says "It will fit her like a glove! Human vanity is so credulous that Roxane will never doubt the letter was written for her!" (Rostand 94). Roxanne is additionally cherished by the smooth Christian, who lamentably can't assemble two following words with regards to pursuing. Cyrano consents to help Christian win Roxanne by conveying him the correct words for his late night interests and love letters; along these lines, Cyrano can in a roundabout way express his enthusiasm for the captivating Roxanne. Together they mesmerized Roxanne, and she eventually fell in love with Cyrano's personality and Christian's pleasing appearance. However, Christian ended up dying on the battlefield and Cyrano's honor keeps him silent about the truth that they were his words Roxanne fell in love (94). A long time later, Cyrano's deceptive nature is uncovered, and he kicks the bucket in the arms of his treasured Roxanne, who understands that she has hugely adored Cyrano from the start.

In the 1987 film Roxanne, to relate to the audience of the more modern time, the producers have modified and shaped the story in a way that is more acceptable than overly dramatic previous version. Actor and comedian, Steve Martin plays Charlie D. Bales, the fire chief in a small American town. Charlie is quick-witted, athletic, and skilled at many things, but he has a very considerable sniffer which he is very conscious. He loves Roxanne Kowalski, a stunning astronomer, but she is fascinated with Chris, a good-looking but dull fireman. Charlie is touchy about his nose which he cannot have surgery to fix because of a terrible allergy to anesthetics. He speaks to the target of his love in the only way he can: he writes pronouncements of love in letter form and allows Chris to give them to Roxanne as if they were his own. One day Roxanne accepts a letter from Chris telling her that he has left her for another woman and skipped town. Charlie's friend confesses that the letters Roxanne thought were from Chris were genuinely written by Charlie. Roxanne challenges him about the letters, and they end up in a dispute. In the end, Charlie and Roxanne absolve each other and Roxanne declares her love for him and his distinguishing nose. She says that flat nose people are boring and bland and that his nose gives him character (Rostand, 96-101)

Likewise, the two adaptations have the same; yet somewhat unique principle characters have a similar influence. Cyrano/Charlie is magnetic, graceful, and cunning with a humongous nose. Ladies cherish Cyrano/Charlie as a companion, however, nothing more. In the 1951 form, Cyrano is a notable sword contender who battles individuals. In Roxanne, Charlie is the fire boss who battles fires. Cyrano is Roxanne's removed cousin in the more seasoned adaptation; however, in the more current form, Charlie and Roxanne meet when they are grown-ups and are companions. Christian/Chris works for Cyrano/Charlie in the two variants, and he is getting however not sharp. Cyrano and Charlie both appreciate talent and personality in a person, and yet they include the appearance on the list also. Furthermore, the admiration for both Cyrano and Charlie is due to their noble gestures. They hold back their love for Roxanne for good causes. Cyrano is admired by Rostand's audience because he had sacrificed all his money to reimburse the crowd watching the play and he lied to Christian about how Roxanne loved him more for his words than his looks so that he could die happily. Charlie's job as a fireman also makes him appreciated in our time because he is risking his life rescuing others, animals or humans.

Conclusion

Overall, Cyrano de Bergerac inspired the people in the 1950's era because Cyrano echoed their picture of authentic romantic hero-someone who was willing to forfeit the declaration of his love to honor his friendship with Christian. The ending of the film was theatrical and much admired as well as expected. On the other hand, in Roxanne plot was more cheerful as a whole and concluded with the hero living "happily ever after." Though I enjoyed both films, the rough almost stagy performance in Cyrano De Bergerac did not capture my attention as much as the easier to understand and more comical version of Roxanne.

Work Cited

Rostand, Edmond. "Cyrano De Bergerac." World's Great Plays. (1944). Print.