Cyrano is the latest classic tale being reintroduced to a new generation with a movie musical treatment. Based on the famous tale of Cyrano de Bergerac, Peter Dinklage stars as the titular character, a witty, talented swordsman who can stand up to any man yet can’t confess his feelings to the object of his desires, Roxanne (Hayley Bennett). Instead, he opts to assist Christian de Neuvillette, played by Kelvin Harrison Jr., in winning her affections through his letters.
Joe Wright adapts the stage musical into a movie musical masterpiece. One of the standout attributes of his film is the soundtrack, developed by Bryce Dessner, Aaron Dessner, and Matt Beringer of The National. Known for their emotional songs, the melancholic lyrics of Cyrano give his period romance musical a modern sensibility that stands on its own merits. While there are plenty of songs we’d listen to on repeat, which musical number tops our list?
11. “Close My Eyes”
Cyrano and Christian have been sent to war by Duke De Guiche (Ben Mendelsohn); De Guiche does this out of revenge for Roxanne marrying Christian instead of himself. Christian has been away from his new bride for a few months, growing cold and tired out on the war front. Christian’s growing tiredness foreshadows his own death that’s looming. Kelvin Harrison Jr.’s voice is haunting as he sings his longing over the snowy, desolate terrain. For all the standout songs of Cyrano this is one of the shortest, and, frankly, one of the more forgettable songs, treated as a transition into the next act.
10. “What I Deserve”
Duke De Guiche is on his way to Roxanne’s home after sending her a priest that will marry them before he leaves for the war. In his note to her, he tells her that they’ll either marry or, at the very least, consummate their “love.” As he marches through the streets, he sings how he deserves Roxanne as his possession and whatever he isn’t given, he plans to take it. Driven by his lust for Roxanne, his lyrics suggest that he plans to sexually assault her. Every great villain needs a great song; while his motivations and mindset are very clear, unfortunately, this villain song isn’t as strong as it could’ve been. Whether it’s due to Ben Mendelsohn’s vocals or its place in the narrative, it doesn’t stand out among the soundtrack.
9. “Your Name”
As he waits for Roxanne to arrive for their private meeting, Cyrano sings this ballad as he writes out his feelings for her in a letter. He pours out his heart by putting his words to a page, revealing the depth of his feelings along with his poetic soul. For instance, he uses terms like “blinding euphoria” to describe what it’s like looking at her; he also introduces the term “overcome” which later becomes its own song. Peter Dinklage’s voice carries the longing mixed with the hope that this meeting will change his life forever, that she may have the same feelings for him. Sadly, the song ends with Roxanne arriving, not hearing the full song of his desire, and confessing that she’s fallen in love with the newest cadet in the army.
8. “When I Was Born”
“When I Was Born” acts as Cyrano de Bergerac’s introductory song after he interrupts the play at the theater. He challenges any man to fight him, and when Valvert (Joshua James) insults his appearance, they begin to duel while he sings this. It’s here that Cyrano exhibits his intellect and his impressive swordsmanship. The angry lyrics discuss his childhood and how he was bullied for his stature. These comments and ridicule from his childhood have hardened his look of the world around him; the lyrics also reveal his disdain for religion, bitter at God for making him this way. The energetic, expository song ends with Cyrano winning the duel, but not before Valvert tries to attack him from behind and Cyrano stabs him with his sword, killing Valvert.
7. “No Cyrano”
Three years after Christian dies, Cyrano visits Roxanne at the convent where she’s living. Roxanne learns the truth about the letters as Cyrano recites this final letter from memory. He collapses and as he lies dying, Roxanne begins to sing this final song from the musical. Gone is the youthful, lightness that Haley Bennett’s voice projected throughout most of the musical. Through the tone of their singing, Haley Bennett and Peter Dinklage communicate how the tragedies of life have worn them down.
Roxanne and Cyrano are plagued by somberness, yet some hope returns when midway through, they both begin to sing the chorus of “Madly.” It’s here where Roxanne reveals that she loves Cyrano. At first, Cyrano only believes that she only loves his words, but she confesses that she loves all of him. Cyrano and Roxanne finally kiss, but this revelation comes too late as he dies peacefully in her arms, ending the film.
6. “Every Letter”
In the only song to feature all three leads, “Every Letter” displays the arrangement of the love triangle and its delicate nature. With a heartbeat rhythm, each of the characters express their desire and anticipate the full expression of their love. With every letter she receives, Roxanne falls deeper in love with Christian (or rather, her idea of him). Christian grows restless from only giving and receiving letters from Roxanne. Cyrano wonders how long he can keep his end of the bargain before Christian and Roxanne meet in person. All three of them feel the angst of not fully being with their beloved, and the uptempo music serves to reflect how time is not on their side and this will come to an end sooner than they think.
5. “I Need More”
Roxanne requests to meet Christian in private after receiving so many of his letters. Christian is convinced he can woo her on his own, but he fails to impress her without Cyrano’s words. In response, Roxanne sings how she wants more from him. As a woman who’s received attention from multiple men over the years, she’s grown tired of hearing the phrase “I love you.” Roxanne needs her love to speak to her poetically without having to say those overused three words. The pop sound matches Roxanne’s steps as she walks back to her home singing in the streets. Hayley Bennett shines in her only solo in Cyrano, in which her powerful voice reflects Roxanne’s adamant demand for more when it comes to matters of the heart.
4. “Someone To Say”
The opening song of Cyrano introduces the audience to Roxanne, a beautiful yet penniless orphan who values romance and independence above all else. As she sings her want song, Christian de Neuvillette arrives into town and sees her reflection as she passes by, to which he follows her to the theater. At the end of the song, Roxanne and Christian lock eyes and the world becomes still around them, not saying a word to each other. It’s the love at first sight that Roxanne’s been waiting for.
Kelvin Harrison Jr. gets to flex his vocal prowess in the reprise, where we get Christian’s perspective on his feelings for Roxanne. Christian loves her but is unable to express his feelings in the way he believes Roxanne deserves. Cyrano suggests that he write love letters to Roxanne for him. Christian explains in the reprise that his father taught him to focus on becoming a great soldier, that wit and poetry are unnecessary for his life ahead. Just because he was raised to study more traditional masculine attributes, he still desires to experience love the way the poets describe. (Side note: the choreography in “Someone To Say” is arguably the best in the film, flowing perfectly with the wistful music)
3. “Madly”
After his duel with Valvert, Cyrano is out for a drink with his best friend Le Bret (Bashir Salahuddin). He confides in his friend and reveals his unrequited love for Roxanne. Cyrano has held on to these feelings for years, keeping Roxanne on a pedestal, and he won’t entertain the idea that she could love him in return. Despite his abilities as a proficient fighter, Cyrano surrenders easily in the battle for love, something Le Bret calls him out on. This short song carries Cyrano across the entire film as a personal creed. Peter Dinklage’s grounded voice mixed with these soulful lyrics sync to create a want song that’s full of longing and heartache, wanting someone who seems out of reach, yet your entire soul revolves around them.
2. “Overcome”
After Christian fails to woo Roxanne on his own, he asks for Cyrano’s help. Speaking from below Roxanne’s balcony, Christian attempts to recite Cyrano’s words, but after getting frustrated, Cyrano begins to sing as Christian from the shadows. Acting as Christian, he explains his speechless nature comes from being overwhelmed by his feelings for her. However, as the song progresses, it’s Cyrano who is professing his unabashed love for Roxanne. In fact, he gets so lost in this freedom, he slips up by bringing up an event that occurred before she and Christian met. It shows how fragile this arrangement really is.
On the other side, Roxanne hears the poetic words of “Christian” and expresses that she finally understands where he’s coming from. What’s tragic is that in being so vulnerable and ready to give herself to the man of her dreams, it’s all a lie. Though Cyrano sings from the shadows, it’s Roxanne who is left in the dark of the deception for over three years. Haley Bennett’s hopeful singing paired with Peter Dinklage’s low, almost sorrowful voice build upon the angst of this arrangement, and, ultimately, the tragedy of their own love story.
1. “Wherever I Fall”
Duke De Guiche orders the guards to join the frontline of the war. Knowing that they’re likely about to die, the soldiers begin sending out their final letters to their loved ones. In Part 1, it focuses on a few soldiers sharing stories of their life and the way they want to be remembered. One man writes to his wife and children, saying he had a great life with them, accepting his inevitable fate. Another man writes to a woman who he never confessed his love to and tells her that he called out her name before he died. The last featured man writes to his father; he tells him how he fought the way his father taught him. Cyrano and Christian are in attendance, and it hits all of them that death is on their doorstep.
Part 2 picks up after Christian finds out the truth that Cyrano is in love with Roxanne. He runs out of the camp and onto the frontline, where he’s gunned down as the chorus chants over him like a battle cry. As Cyrano drags Christian out of harm’s way, the battle rages on and more soldiers are killed, including the son from Part 1 and the troop continues to march ahead.
What makes both parts of “Wherever I Fall” stand out as the best from Cyrano are the personal connections to our loved ones and the legacy we want to leave behind. We all have had people in our lives who we love and would miss when we inevitably leave them; that’s why the soldiers’ stories in the first half of the song hits harder than most of the love songs in Cyrano. Then, there’s the desire to craft a legacy. For these soldiers, these last letters are their remains, the way they want their families to remember them. For Cyrano, this letter is the last time he can freely write his feelings for Roxanne without her knowing it’s him behind the pen. “Wherever I Fall” is emotional yet poignant and fittingly ties the movie musical together in the climax.