Saturday, February 02, 2008

Free? Men Have Killed For Less. And Died.

In the Sunday Telegraph tomorrow, the French production of Cyrano De Bergerac, starring Gerard Depardieu.
I loved the English translation of Rostand's superb verse play; I had my suspicions about the film, even though it was in French.
But these fears were allayed by the excellent entry in Wikipedia for the word 'panache', which was represented in the translation by 'white plume of Freedom'.
I thought the film makers had cut a corner and entered a cheap quality, 'panache' for the last word of De Bergerac.
I(happily) was wrong.
Panache is the exact word from the original French; the film is superb, and faithful. Depardieu represents the very best of Gallic Honour in a film of a play that represents the very best of the Human Spirit, including Gallic Honour.
The Sunday Telegraph is certainly supplying the goods.
I hope it is in the original French, however.
"A man does not fight only to win!"

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