#edmond rostand's

[postcard-from-the-past]

Sarah Bernhardt playing the lead role in Edmond Rostand's play of l'Aiglon, about the life of Napoleon II. Rostand had written L'Aiglon specifically for Bernhardt, and it became one of her signature roles.

French vintage postcard

[lepetitdragonvert]

La princesse Mélissinde et le chevalier Bertrand / Princess Melisande and Bertrand

Artist : Auguste François Gorguet (1862-1927)

[schweizercomics]

Swashtober 12: Cyrano de Bergerac!

From the play by Edmond Rostand, based on the life of the historically big-nosed 17th century writer and wit who *actually* fought like a hundred fellers on his own at the Porte de Nesle (he also really chased off that actor, and wrote great love letters, many of which were published and subsequently cribbed by Rostand for the play).

[pegasusdrawnchariots]

Ça,—je vous le promets !

[in-love-with-movies]

Cyrano (2021)

[ninadove]

You know what? I used to make fun of the guy(s) who wrote the French Wikipedia article on Actual Cyrano for very passive-aggressively debunking the historical inaccuracies in the play.

Like. Of course Actual Cyrano, who had his way with the ladies and possibly the gentilshommes of his time, wasn’t actually stuck in a deadly love triangle. Of course Molière didn’t actually steal “Que diable allait-il faire dans cette galère?” from him. Edmond Rostand is not a lying liar who lies, he’s taking obvious creative liberties — there’s nothing to debunk!

But now? Now I understand. Whoever wrote this was probably traumatised by Dumas père.

Dumas père will grab your hand, look you dead in the eyes, and make shit up about French history with the utter confidence and total lack of reliability of his musketeers. Things like a secret marriage between Anne d’Autriche and Mazarin. Things like completely reinventing the paternity of two (2) kings of France. And he will present it all as fact in his footnotes. His source is that he pinky-swears that it’s true. The balls on this man

[notsodumbww2captain]

Every time I read Cyrano, I’ve always wondered one thing : what the hell the Gascons thought Cyrano did with Christian ?

Like Le Bret knows he loves Roxane and would do anything to make her happy but the others ?

They are watching this man killing everyone mocking his nose for the last fifteen years but when an abnormally handsome dude do the same he hugs him and they start hanging out 24/7, he even delivers his mail during a WAR, what did the Gascons thought about that ?

Brissaille : Do you think Bergerac is …*bends his sword*

Cuigy : Oh definitely.

[bunniesandbeheadings]

Does anyone know if there’s a way to watch a full performance of Edmond Rostund’s L’aiglon opera?

I feel like tagging @margridarnauds is my best bet but if anyone else could help that would also be amazing!

[thebusylilbee]

Edmond (2019)

[ballumville]

'After all, what is a kiss? A vow made at closer range, a more precise promise, a confession that contains its own proof, a seal placed on a pact that has already been signed; it's a secret told to the mouth rather than to the ear.'

Such pretty lips... such pretty boys...💋💖🥰

[postcard-from-the-past]

Edmond Rostand on a vintage postcard

[bright-thehawksflight]

Chirstian and Roxane are married. The cadets leave Paris at daybreak. In-between is one long night, which someone will spend writing a letter that he never plans to send...

Aka guess who was so unbelievably bored at work today that she wrote an angsty Cyrano fic? Hoping the link works, here it is, enjoy! 

[lerry-hazel]

The Count's Scarf

Strangely enough, one more thing I find fascinating about real original Rostand’s «Cyrano » is de Guiche.

I'm not saying I like de Guiche – he's a dick all right: but he is not the antagonist.

We’ve established previously that Cyrano’s true enemy is The Evils Of The World. De Guiche does nasty things to Roxane and Lignière: but his only direct confrontation with Cyrano is the one about the white scarf. Where de Guiche is not the Evil to Cyrano’s Good; he’s the Ordinary to Cyrano’s Extraordinary. And, by defeatedly admitting Cyrano’s superiority, – de Guiche technically wins

[pegasusdrawnchariots]

Poetic cinema: when Cyrano starts hallucinating (?) in Act V & eventually faces the front of the stage & says...

"Qu'est-ce que c'est tous ceux-là ?—Vous êtes mille ?" "Who are you all? Are there a thousand of you?"

...at the audience. Staring out at the crowd as if seeing them for the first time.

On the one hand, it's always good for a nervous laugh for the audience to break up a bona fide four-hanky finale.

But on the other, in the midst of Cyrano's dazed ramblings — the chant of the Gascony cadets, Copernicus this, Molière that — blindly addressing a "vous" that no-one else can see — speaking to the Grim Reaper as if there, tangible & visible before him — in the midst of all this, this line is a piercing moment of clarity between us & him. We've been getting a very good look at him for quite a while. We see him, naturally. But now, for the first time in 3 hours, he sees us.

(& on a third hand, bring out another hanky for when this line is addressed to a packed theatre. Cyrano, who's convinced that everyone finds him repulsive, sees that a thousand people have paid & stayed to see his story. Doubly poignant that Edmond Rostand wrote this thinking that Cyrano de Bergerac the play would be a flop ;-;)

Praise upon praise to productions who cause Cyrano to stare out into the auditorium at this line & sweep his gaze over the audience members 🤍 In a witty play full of subtle asides, a play that starts in a theatre (!!), this is the only 4th-wall break we have, & even then it can be played off as solely within the storyworld if the director wishes. Cyrano has a fatal head wound. Of course he can't see us, this is just part of his hallucinations.

In either case, the next line pointed at the audience is also good for a fond chuckle for our favourite bataillard, whose self-professed pleasure is to make new enemies:

"Ah ! je vous reconnais, tous mes vieux ennemis !" "Ah, I recognise you all, my old enemies!"

It segues us gently back into his delusions as he starts slashing at phantoms.

But there was a moment of doubt before! Was that really a delusion? A theatre character with one foot in the grave (or one foot on the other side of the curtain, so to speak) starts losing his mind & catches a brief glimpse of the audience. Of course, as the monologue continues, it's revealed exactly who/what Cyrano is addressing & he is safely enclosed back in the storyworld. But that shimmering moment, that stunned "who are all these people?" compels me 💗

[e-ste-tica]

“Orsù che dovrei fare? Cercarmi un protettore, eleggermi un signore, e come l’edera, che dell’olmo tutore accarezza il gran tronco e ne lecca la scorza, arrampicarmi, invece di salire per forza? No, grazie!

[…] Sudar per farsi un nome su di un picciol sonetto anziché scriverne altri? Scoprire ingegno eletto agl’incapaci, ai grulli; alle talpe dare ali, lasciarsi sbigottire dal rumor dei giornali? E sempre sospirare, pregare a mani tese: Pur che il mio nome appaia nel Mercurio francese? No, grazie!

Calcolare, tremar tutta la vita, far più tosto una visita che una strofa tornita, scriver suppliche, farsi qua e là presentare? Grazie, no! Grazie, no! Grazie, no!

Ma....cantare, sognar sereno e gaio, libero, indipendente, aver l'occhio sicuro e la voce possente, mettersi quando piaccia il feltro di traverso, per un sì, per un no, battersi o fare un verso! Lavorar, senza cura di gloria o di fortuna, a qual sia più gradito viaggio, nella luna!

Nulla che sia farina d'altri scrivere, e poi modestamente dirsi: ragazzo mio, tu puoi tenerti pago al frutto, pago al fiore, alla foglia purché nel tuo giardino, nel tuo, tu li raccolga! Poi se venga il trionfo, per fortuna o per arte, non dover darne a Cesare la più piccola parte, aver tutta la palma della meta compita, e, disdegnando d'essere l'edera parassita, pur non la quercia essendo, o il gran tiglio fronzuto salir anche non in alto, ma salir senza aiuto!„

[ninadove]

Does Edmond Rostand know his writing has me in a chokehold 127 years later? Does he know I keep quoting him in fics? Does he know I’m seriously considering binging all Cyrano adaptations and retellings I can find For Science™? Ghosts exist and his haunts me.