duminică, 27 august 2023

Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond de Rostand - 10 out of 10

 

Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/01/nominated-for-2-golden-globes-cyrano.html

10 out of 10

 

 

This seems to be the most popular play in the history of France – just like representations of Agatha Christie, was it The Mouse Trap, have been on stage for so many decades, constituting a record – and we have had so many adaptations http://realini.blogspot.com/2014/06/cyrano-de-bergerac-by-edmund-rostand.html

 

One has Steve Martin as a modern day Cyrano de Bergerac http://realini.blogspot.com/2017/03/note-on-roxanne-adapted-by-steve-martin.html who is instructing the fireman who is helplessly in love, but unable to say anything smart how to seduce Roxanne aka Daryl Hannah, and we have also had the majestic (back then) Gerard Depardieu as the man with the big nose.

In the beginning of Monty Python’s Life of Brian http://realini.blogspot.com/2017/03/monty-pythons-life-of-brian-bymonty.html we have another ‘Big Nose’, but that is a humorous exchange, as a prophet was talking about ‘blessed are the cheese makers’, and an argument ensues, and suddenly you have ‘Big Nose’

 

Nevertheless, this note is more about the ‘making of’ Cyrano de Bergerac, as it is presented in a fabulous film I have seen last night, after which I looked for an entry to attach my note to, but since I have not found Cyrano, Mon Amour aka Edmond, I thought well, why not attempt to connect some thoughts to…Cyrano

In the plot of Cyrano Mon Amour, Edmond Rostand is a married poet, who has a very unsuccessful premiere, after which he becomes depressed and it looks as if his family, the wife and two children, would have a hard time, since he is not able to provide as an author, but things may change when he meets Constant Coquelin

 

The latter is portrayed by one of the greatest actors in the world, Olivier Gourmet, seen in Those Who Work http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/03/those-who-work-aka-ceux-qui-travaillent.html among other splendid films – Constant Coquelin is a flamboyant, curious, courageous, impulsive figure

The meeting of the two might lead to the creation of Cyrano, albeit it would be a long way, and other ingredients are necessary, for the project is plagued by many misfortunes and there are challenges from the start, such finding financing, which is provided by two men, if their favorite will star in the performance

They have a…brothel, called something with Poules aka Hens, and Maria Legault had been one of the sex workers employed by the two, they appear to have a ménage a trois, in what is otherwise a quite conservative narrative, at least for French standards, when the hero is about to have an affair, he says…no

 

Jeanne d’Alene will be the muse that Rostand needs, albeit he loves his wife, the latter had ceased to inspire him, she believes in him, has supported the author, but it is the intense inspiration, the awe and admiration that Jeanne feels for Edmond Rostand that would set him on (artistic) fire, and there is more…

This reminds one of The Honeymoon Effect, explained in the Harvard Positive Psychology lectures http://realini.blogspot.com/2017/07/positive-psychology-on-youtube-by.html of Professor Tal Ben-Shahar, the most popular in the history of that fabled institution, this is what tends to happen after two years of marriage, or relationship, when tedium may set in, and then partners may look for someone different

 

Jeanne has a connection that is similar with the one in the would be Cyrano, she corresponds with a friend of Rostand, but the fellow is not gifted, just as we have this situation explained in Cyrano de Bergerac, and the author is in fact writing letters to Jeanne, which would eventually land in the hands of the wife

However, unlike in most films and stories we know, the husband is honest when he explains the situation, the fact that he is not unfaithful, for yes, Jeanne inspires him (as mentioned, her case will emerge in the play) but this is exclusively a platonic relationship, he loves his wife and he is grateful to her…

 

Challenges abound, for Coquelin is banned from the stage, and edict from the Minsiter of Culture is clear, he must not act, for he has broken some clause with the Comedies Francaise, and furthermore, the star of the show has an accident and the premiere may be jeopardized, cancelled and then all the effort would be in vain

This reminds me of the story read recently about the making of Shakespeare in Love, which had had financing based on the participation of Julia Roberts, but she wanted Daniel Day Lewis to be Shakespeare and when he had to decline, because he had already been involved in In The Name of The Father, she abandoned the whole thing

 

The producers had Hugh Grant, Colin Firth and others, but Julia Roberts behaved unprofessionally, to use an euphemism, after all, Gwyneth Paltrow would win the Academy Award for this very film…anyway, spoiler alert, Jeanne knows all the lines, and at the last moment, she saves the opening and the whole play…

Now for a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/unique-in-world.html?q=unique+in+the+world   – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se

 

As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/realini-in-newsweek-participant-in.html

 

 

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