Although having genuine qualities in their own right, both performance and production fail to catch the essence of the play.

Ferrer dominates the film. Like him, it sparkles at the outset. But it begins to die a long while before he does.

Outside M. Ferrer's performance there is much to provoke disappointment.

I feel this is a fairly stock Cyrano, played the way almost any competent (or even exceptional) actor might have played it.