Cyrano de Bergerac Film Response

Jessica Ruiz-Jones 11-11-2013

After watching Cyrano de Bergerac, I had a much better understanding of the comment made in class that it requires true talent to accurately portray Renaissance plays in today’s world. Incorporating the talent of famous actors and actresses such as Kevin Kline and Jennifer Garner allowed for the production to be one that truly takes the audience back to the 17th century. The only other exposure I have had to this classic is from Wishbone, the PBS kid’s series which featured a dog playing Cyrano. While I was able to get the general idea of the plot from this source, I was able to gain a better insight into the historical aspects of theater through watching this production.

I find it particularly interesting that it was unacceptable for women to participate in acting. While I understand the concept that women’s rights were much different during this period in history, I was more curious as to how they were able to portray certain scenes. For example, during the scene where Roxanne passionately kissed Christian, I was wondering how this was presented during the Elizabethan performances. Furthermore, I could not help but to wonder how the audience reacted to the act of cross-dressing. After all, during this time, the crowds were very rowdy, and I suspected the groundlings were probably making crass comments regarding the fact that men were acting out women’s roles to this extent.

In search for answers, I found that I was thinking too much into the past imagining that the audience's perception is different than it is today. On modern shows, there are instances where a gay man has to play a straight one, and he may have to kiss a woman. While the audience is aware that he is homosexual in real life, it is understood that they are acting. Furthermore, there were ways to fake intimate moments. Just like we watched during the technical aspects of film and how they are able to make a punch look completely realistic, it is possible that the actors could make visual accommodations that would allow a kiss to take place without actual contact (Cross).

I found the costumes of particular interest, and I know there must have been a lot of research that went into assigning the correct attire to bring the century to life. During this time in theatrical performances, actors wore clothing of the time. In the 1600’s, lace and linen collars were becoming popular, replacing the ruff that existing previously. We saw this in the costumes worn by the actors. Cyrano was shown wearing collars that were relevant to this change in fashion. The clothes worn by Garner were also relevant.

Women’s clothes normally had either a high or very low neckline, and we saw representations of both of these popular Renaissance fashions. The blue dress Garner wore featured a lower neckline, while her black dress presented a great example of the high neckline (Western). I did find her blue dress to have a lot of the ruffles that had been replaced during this era by lace and linen, but, just as fashions can overlap today, these hints of fashion likely found their way into the new attire as the transition took place.

Queen Elizabeth was a big fan of the theater, and I found it interesting in how the costume designers incorporated her style into the outfits worn by the actresses. In today’s world, people across the nation await to see what Princess Kate will be wearing when she leaves the hospital and what Michele Obama will be donning when she appears at a national function. In her time, Queen Elizabeth was actually intrigued by fashion design, so it is only natural that those performing on stage would dress to impress someone of such prestige that also took interest in their work. It took the work of many craftsman including tailors, embroiderers, cappers, shoemakers and hoisers to complete her look (Google). The clothes worn by the modern actresses did a great job at mimicking the clothing worn by Queen Elizabeth, and I can imagine that her fashion taste was strongly reflected during the original performances of plays such as Cyrano de Bergerac.

During the Renaissance period, those in high society tended to be attracted to literature full of prose and verse narrative, and chivalric romance was a popular theme. I feel that the plot of the story accurately portrays the type of performance people of this time were in the market for. In the modern world, I think it is more difficult for us to understand Garner’s role. To start, she was madly in lust with Christian, and she didn’t even seem to care that she had no idea who he was or what he stood for. When she began receiving letters from him and developed the false impression that he was a man of intelligence, we watched as her lust began to become something deeper. However, when she actually met him in person and began to see his true intellect come to light, she went from one extreme to another. She transitioned from not caring at all who he was at the beginning to completely shunning him. It seemed to me that she would have made an exception and compensated his looks for his brains as she seemed willing to do early on.

After considering this, I realized that, during this time in theater, masculine heroism was a predominant factor when it came to courting. Therefore, Garner’s initial attraction was justifiable as Christian exuded the aura that was attractive as a soldier. The letters she received, however, caused her to become a dynamic character as the audience watched her values change. She began to develop a stronger attraction toward the words she read. This is likely the reason she had such a strong and long-lasting friendship with Cyrano. He possessed the intellect she appreciated, but there was no attraction until she heard his speech through the lips of someone who represented masculinity to her (Chivalric).

Jealousy has always been present in society, and we see it as it brings havoc to people’s lives every day. The MSSU football coach who was recently shot dead by a jealous estranged husband is a perfect example. I found it interesting that Cyrano took a unique approach to this type of conflict. We know he felt jealousy, because his demeanor diminished when Roxanne announced that she was in love with Christian. From the beginning of the play, however, we saw that Cyrano was a very cunning man of his time, even outsmarting the high-class citizens. I think the concept of his using Christian’s good looks to better his chances was a clever incorporation.

The performance of Cyrano de Bergerac was one filled with history, and the crew did an excellent job at taking a piece of the past and putting it into context in the modern world. From the clothes and design to the very plot, I found myself in a world of another time. The actors did a great job at bringing the play to life, and I was able to receive a much more relevant understanding of the historical aspects of theater than the PBS show was able to offer.

Works Cited

“Cross Dressing in Renaissance Theater” Yahoo Answers. June 2012. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index…

“Western Europe Fashion” Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/…/1600%E2%80%9350_in_Western_Europe…

Google Books. “Queen Elizabeth’s Wardrobe Unlock’d..” Janet Arnold. 1998. http://books.google.com/…/Queen_Elizabeth_s_Wardrobe_Unlock…

“Chivalric Romance.” Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chivalric_romance