roxanne
Susan Barboza
ENGL101-1501B
March 2, 2015

Compare and Contrast Roxanne vs. Cyrano De Bergerac

Although Roxanne and Cyrano De Bergerac are based on the same story, the nature of the characters and the ending in the two stories are different. People would rather see Roxanne and Charlie together and happy then the character of Charlie being killed as in Cyrano. In the following essay, I will be comparing and contrasting Roxanne and Cyrano De Bergerac in order to demonstrate how in the newer version, Roxanne and Charlie end up together and happy, whereas the original version kills off the character of Cyrano. I feel that Roxanne was a better movie because it has a happy ending unlike Cyrano De Bergerac that has a tragic ending. Isn’t it better to assume that the characters would rather have a fist fight than a sword fight? Isn’t it easier to accept the character as a firefighter rather than a French cadet? I believe so. To me, isn’t it more genuine to have the movie set in modern times in our country than Cyrano which is set in a time and place that no one alive can relate to? For example, the plots are the same, the ugly man wants the attractive girl but she is being swayed by looks rather than brains, but they are very different characters. Steve Martin’s Roxanne portrays love and happiness while Rostand’s Cyrano is a complicated and serious man, but both are similar in the way that they both appealed to people of that generation. I connected more with the version of Roxanne than the original version because it was easier to understand because it was more natural; as such, there was more to relate to because the fist fights were in a bar rather than a sword fight in a movie theater. Many people today think that sword fights are outdated and far fetched. I myself have witnessed fist fights in a bar, although I have never witnessed a sword fight and that is why I related to the revised version. A great twist was what the characters professions were. Firefighters are an astonishing parallel to the cadets. In some ways the change from the cadets to the firemen is a parody. The cadets are steadfast who are ready to engage in a battle, they are too serious and the fight scene is violent, however, the fireman get in a fist fight and they are a bunch of goofy men that are completely clueless. This makes the newer version funny and engaging compared to the original which was way to serious and we see how Charlie tries to win Roxanne over for Christian, when all along he wants her for himself, but is too shy and scared to tell her his true feelings. It is the same plot for both movies but different approaches. Roxanne’s hobby is astronomy and we assume she is very bright just as Rostand’s Roxanne was. Le Bret and Argonaut, portrayed as a more believable character, Dixie, she takes on the role of Charlie’s best friend and in the story she sneaks Charlie’s name on a letter he wrote for Christian so Roxanne can find out that it was he, not Christian who was the romantic. With new characters and modern settings it helps us to understand and relate to this beautiful love story by Rostand, giving the character’s and setting a current plot that helps society identify with this masterpiece. Is this tragedy lost or would you say it is simply more trustworthy? A standout amongst the most significant changes is the distinction in what happens after Christian cheerfully hurries to Roxanne’s room after the scene on the balcony. In the first movie, Cyrano keeps his assertion to help Christian and divert De Gouache from intruding on Christian and Roxanne, In the present day variant though, Charlie sends the old women to interrupt Roxanne and Christian, a great many people would presumably have done a likewise thing. The individual who is infatuated with another person won’t simply sit back and watch another move in, They would steal the chance to keep them from being together. Next is the way Roxanne leaves rather then deal with Cyrano and his fellow cadets in the first movie, or for this situation Charlie and his fellow firefighters. I had a hard time tolerating the thought that Roxanne would go to the extremes to be with Christian. Steve Martin makes it more worthy by having her leave for her cosmology and after that return on the grounds that she missed Chris. The letters are still composed, yet Charlie didn’t need to risk his life to mail them as Cyrano did. Without a doubt it may be less sentimental yet all the more persuading. Additionally, Martin’s form is not a disaster whatsoever and Cyrano would presumably flinch at the possibility that someone would remake the play without killing Cyrano. In conclusion, Steve Martin is attempting to clarify Rostand’s subjects in Cyrano to the overall population of the present day world and it’s simpler to accept the story when it’s set in a place that people can relate to and have a happier ending.