CYRANO DE BERGERAC starring Derek Jacobi! YAY!!!

[thehefner]

After years and years of searching and hoping, someone has FINALLY posted the entirety of Derek Jacobi in CYRANO DE BERGERAC (with the translation by Anthony Burgess of A CLOCKWORK ORANGE fame):

This just barely surpasses RICHARD II as my favorite Jacobi performance of all time. The balcony scene never fails to bring tears to my eyes once he gets to, "Oh GOD how I love you!" Furthermore, this is possibly my personal favorite ever production of CYRANO DE BERGERAC, above the Ferrer and Depardieu film versions and the lovely Geriant Wynn Davies stage version here in DC a few years back. Anyone seen the Kevin Klein version with Jennifer Garner?

I'm hoping to talk Henchgirl into cuddling around the laptop to watch this sometime. She fears it'll be too depressing, but I'm like, "No, no, it's a tragedy, granted, but one that sweeps the soul in grand dramatic swashbuckly flair! CYRANO isn't just depressing! It's magnificently depressing!"

Comments

[angrylemur.livejournal.com]

Cyrano De Bergerac isn't depressing, it's hilarious!

... seriously wait is it not a comedy? OH MY GOD, I've been living a lie.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Yes, well, I think it's hilarious too! I do! Just the kind of hilarious where I sob my eyes out!

[tompurdue.livejournal.com]

> "No, no, it's a tragedy, granted, but one that sweeps the soul in grand dramatic swashbuckly flair! CYRANO isn't just depressing! It's magnificently depressing!"

Exactly! The ending is so wonderfully manipulative you can't help but be impressed by how you can see right through it and STILL weep like a little girl.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Fuckin' absolutely! If you do get a chance to check out the Jacobi version, I'd like your thoughts!

Man, I want to play Cyrano so badly someday. That's a dream role right there.

[bitemetechie.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes, I know you be right in the other room and I could call you in here for this, but:



Scotty loves his scotchy scotch scotch scotch.

[kiffie.livejournal.com]

*makes a strangled sound*

*looks at her slow-as-molasses connection*

*weeping*

I'll have to wait 'til I'm back at school to see this. :(

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

It's worth it! As I recall. I bet it still is!

[lillbet.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping to talk Henchgirl into cuddling around the laptop to watch this sometime.

"Cuddling around the laptop." Ah, modern romance. And at the same time, the most DEPRESSING phrase of all time. The couch, folks, get adaptor cables so that you can watch the damn thing on tv and stop scaring old Auntie Liz, willya?

Also, Steve Martin version is full of win.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Hey, until the Wii can play YouTube videos less jumpily or CYRANO finally hits DVD, we have to make do! This ain't about being whippersnappers, consarn it!

See, I love Steve Martin from that era, but I couldn't stand ROXANNE because the whole time I kept thinking, "Oh, hey, yeah, that's an 80's revision of the original line, hm, yeah, not an improvement." Damn my snobbery!

!!!!!

[pure-doxyk.livejournal.com]

OMGOMGOMGOMG -- Cyrano is my FAVORITE STORY OF ALL TIME, and I've NEVER SEEN THIS VERSION.

I WILL CONTINUE TYPING IN ALL CAPS UNTIL, AND POSSIBLY ALSO AFTER, I HAVE SEEN IT. OMGOMGOMGOMG!

You are my hero today, seriously. WHAT A FIND!!

(Also, tell Henchgirl it's got my 100% guaranteed seal of Not Depressing In A Bad Way -- it *burns* me to think there's people out there that know not what of the mighty Cyrano!)

(Cyrano is, funnily enough, one of the many reasons I love anime -- so many of the awesome main characters are drawn with these HUGE NOSES, because it's their conception of Westerners that our noses stick out to HERE -- well, mine actually does, but that's beside the point (though possibly not beside the point of my rabid Cyrano-fandom) -- that Vash, Spike, Guts, all these great heros all echo Cyrano to me in various ways. CYRANO IS GOD. We can argue over whether Harvey Dent sits at his right or left hand. ;)

Re: !!!!!

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Didja see it yet, didja didja didja? And did you see the Kline version? If so, how was it?

We can argue over whether Harvey Dent sits at his right or left hand. ;)

He's both, ya thilly. ;p

Re: !!!!!

[pure-doxyk.livejournal.com]

Oh for Pete's sake. I totally should have seen that one coming. >.<

I haven't! I keep trying! And no, I've never seen the Kline version -- is it, like, your mission to add to my wait list, or what??

;)

Re: !!!!!

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Heck, I'm just curious to know what you, my CYRANO authority, would have thought of it, and if it's worth my seeing! Hell, it probably is, one way or another. But it's more important that you see the Jacobi and report back with thoughts! Please!

Re: !!!!!

[pure-doxyk.livejournal.com]

Okay, I've watched the first three parts of the Jacobi one...and ohmygod, YES. He NAILED that role, and the translation is really impressive, too! REALLY impressive--I need to find a written copy of it, stat, for re-memorization purposes. (One year I swear I'm going as Cyrano for Halloween. Got the temperament, got the nose, and now I have some skill with a sword too! ;)

Thanks again for the wonderful links! You may like having this one around, too--this is a playlist of all the parts of this Cyrano in order: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=14D0A4E858BD436F

Re: !!!!!

[pure-doxyk.livejournal.com]

Oh, I should add that Sinead Cusack as Roxane is also terribly exciting...I haven't seen enough to judge her on it yet, but she's an actress I really like, generally, and one I would totally pick for the role (if she were young enough...which in 1985, she was!)

any chance for a re-up?

[timba1210]

It's been a few years, but I found this post, and I'd love to see this performance. Any chance you can reupload and post the links? Thanks!