Jean-Paul Rappeneau makes period romance move briskly without hurrying its feelings. We value his willingness to be funny and openly emotional, though in Cyrano de Bergerac the music sometimes insists on feelings the acting has already earned.
Fi1m perspective
In Cyrano de Bergerac (1990), a man speaks in verse and sounds as though he wants to win a quarrel, not demonstrate his education. Rappeneau and his co-writer Jean-Claude Carrière keep Rostand's verse, while the delivery makes room for haste, vanity and longing. Gérard Depardieu's swordsman can face ridicule but cannot imagine someone overlooking his nose. We were moved by that conviction because Depardieu makes it believable even in a man so ready to boast. Rappeneau lets him be ridiculous without making his pain a joke.
The quickness has roots in his comedies. Rappeneau co-wrote That Man from Rio (1964), then began directing features with the screwball comedy A Matter of Resistance (1966). The Married Couple of the Year Two (1971) continued his mixing of comedy, romance and adventure. Extensive preparation and rewriting helped achieve that lightness, allowing complicated stories to move without making the audience feel the effort. Cyrano de Bergerac brought international attention, and The Horseman on the Roof (1995), adapted from Giono's novel, continued the literary work.
The theatrical opening of Cyrano de Bergerac shows his confidence with crowds, but the film's strongest attraction remains one awkward man. Depardieu is allowed to be wounded, boastful and difficult, and the other lovers sometimes struggle to seem as interesting. That imbalance matters in a romance, however much pleasure the central performance gives us. Jean-Claude Petit's score is also occasionally too insistent, underlining longing we can already hear in the verse. These are modest reservations about a film whose director usually gives the actors enough freedom to justify its large emotions.
Later came the ensemble comedy Bon Voyage (2003) and Families (2015). Across nearly fifty years Rappeneau made only eight features, with long preparation periods helping to explain the gaps. The care is audible in Cyrano de Bergerac: the speed and changing emphasis keep the speech direct, especially when the poet supplies words for another man's courtship. We can enjoy the language while following what each person hopes to get from the exchange. Start there, even if the prospect of a verse romance sounds like work.
Biography
Jean-Paul Rappeneau was a French film director and screenwriter. Born in Auxerre, he began his career as an assistant and screenwriter, collaborating with Louis Malle on Zazie dans le métro (1960) and Vie privée (1961), and co-writing That Man from Rio (1964).
His directorial debut was A Matter of Resistance (1966). He later directed and wrote several films starring major French actors, including The Married Couple of the Year Two (1971), Lovers Like Us (1975) and All Fired Up (1982). In 1990 he directed and co-wrote the adaptation Cyrano de Bergerac, which won the César Award for Best Film and Best Director. Subsequent works include The Horseman on the Roof (1995) and Bon Voyage (2003).
Rappeneau died in 2026 at the age of 94.
