Cyrano de Bergerac (1950)
The original Cyrano de Bergerac is incredibly famous, and even though there have been other versions that have become beloved in their own ways, the 1950 still holds a very high bar. If you haven’t seen it yet, you might wonder why. It’s a low-budget movie, with producer Stanley Kramer doing as much as he could with very little studio support. The battle scenes in particular show that not much money went into the movie, and those with supporting roles weren’t the greatest actors. The reason why it’s such a great version is because of José Ferrer. He played the role on Broadway and reprised it for the screen with infinite polish, making acting look easy. It’s been said that Laurence Olivier spoke Shakespeare as naturally as if he were breathing, but José Ferrer played Cyrano more naturally than blinking.
From his first scene, you can tell he’s an accomplished, trained actor with great talent. It doesn’t matter if he has subpar costars, or if the sets behind him are cheap; he’s the only one you’re paying attention to and the only one you remember when the movie’s over. Joe won an Oscar for his fantastic performance, and also a Rag award – a very rare occurrence. Very few people win both the Academy and Hot Toasty Rag awards, so he should be very proud.
I had seen three other versions before watching the original, and even though I loved Gérard Depardieu in 1990, I was still extremely impressed by José Ferrer. If you like the basic story, even if old movies aren’t typically your preference, try this one out to see a master at work.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More José Ferrer movies here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1987's Roxanne here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1990's Cyrano de Bergerac here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 2000's Whatever It Takes here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 2008's Cyrano de Bergerac here!
From his first scene, you can tell he’s an accomplished, trained actor with great talent. It doesn’t matter if he has subpar costars, or if the sets behind him are cheap; he’s the only one you’re paying attention to and the only one you remember when the movie’s over. Joe won an Oscar for his fantastic performance, and also a Rag award – a very rare occurrence. Very few people win both the Academy and Hot Toasty Rag awards, so he should be very proud.
I had seen three other versions before watching the original, and even though I loved Gérard Depardieu in 1990, I was still extremely impressed by José Ferrer. If you like the basic story, even if old movies aren’t typically your preference, try this one out to see a master at work.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More José Ferrer movies here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1987's Roxanne here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1990's Cyrano de Bergerac here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 2000's Whatever It Takes here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 2008's Cyrano de Bergerac here!