The movie opens in a playhouse in Paris and the actor onstage is interrupted by an unseen figure. Told to vacate the stage or suffer the consequences, the actor protests until it is clear that none will protect him. The unseen figure proves to be Cyrano de Bergerac, a perfect specimen of a man with the sole fault of an enormous nose. He is an unmatched swordsman with a razor wit and a gift for poetry. He is a learned scholar and a military genius. However, he loves a woman who does not love him in return. She views him as a brother and asks him to help her meet the man of her dreams, Christian de Neuvillette. Christian proves to be a handsome simpleton with no talent for wooing so Cyrano provides the words - his own heartfelt words - to woo Roxanne - the woman he loves - for Christian. The tragedy!
Jose Ferrer is amazingly good in the role. He has charm and wit to spare. His death scene is rather silly but the rest is top notch. It is no wonder he won the Oscar for this role. It is strange that his great roles - Cyrano (1950), Moulin Rouge (1952), and The Caine Mutiny (1954) - all happened early in his career and then he faded to a TV guest star in his later years.
Lots of fun and highly recommended.
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