AllMovie

Anthony Burgess translated and adapted this staging of Edmond Rostand's 19th century theatrical classic. Derek Jacobi (of I Claudius) fame stars as Cyrano de Bergerac, the ski-nosed poet, philosopher and swordsman. Believing that the beautiful Roxanne will shrink from his ugliness, Cyrano woos her by proxy, feeding the handsome but empty-headed Christian the honey'd words of love that will win the lady's heart. Jacobi is given powerhouse support by the Royal Shakespeare Company, including the exquisite Sinead Cusack as Roxanne. Videotaped for British television, Cyrano de Bergerac was telecast in America on selected PBS and cable-TV outlets.