I waited 25 years for this to be available on video. I was afraid that the years had caused my remembrance of this production to be inflated, but it was every bit as good as I remembered. Peter Donat was as good as any Cyrano I've ever seen (WAY less "actorly" than Depardieu or Ferer), and Marsha Mason leaves all other Roxannes in the dust. Why is Roxanne always cast as a lightweight ingénue? Mason's Roxanne was a woman of spirit and substance - a fitting match for Cyrano.
The previous comment that asks "...do they really help a viewer to feel emotion?" is way off base. When Marsha Mason as Roxanne laments "I have loved one man in my life, and I have lost him twice!" it breaks your heart.
I never miss a chance to see Cyrano performed, and I have seen a dozen productions of this great play, live and on film. This is the production against which all others should be measured.
The previous comment that asks "...do they really help a viewer to feel emotion?" is way off base. When Marsha Mason as Roxanne laments "I have loved one man in my life, and I have lost him twice!" it breaks your heart.
I never miss a chance to see Cyrano performed, and I have seen a dozen productions of this great play, live and on film. This is the production against which all others should be measured.