All around, the streets spread out like a film set for a historical epic. Today the city of cobbled streets and steps retains its ancient charm, with delightful squares, and little alleys, secluded gardens, stately homes, half-timbered houses and even a royal palace, now housing the Town Hall.Īt the centre of the irregular quadrilateral that forms the old town is the Jacques Dubois Square, site of the impressive Maison du Pilier Rouge – recognisable, as the name suggests, by the red pillar that supports the corner, as well as by the red timbering of the facade. And the backdrop for many of these scenes is the Plantagenet City, beautifully preserved behind a great Roman wall for over 15 centuries. The story takes place during the reign of Louis XIII and tells of how Cyrano, convinced that his large nose makes him too ugly to win the love of the beautiful Roxane, woos her with the wit and charm of the written word on behalf of dashing but tongue-tied Christian de Neuvillette.įrom the opening scene in the theatre, right through to the bittersweet ending, Cyrano appears, sword in hand, demonstrating his skill with word and weapon, renouncing his love for his beautiful cousin in favour of his rival, and reflecting on the physical defect that has shaped his destiny.
It is here among the cobbled streets and half-timbered houses that Jean-Paul Rappeneau set many of the scenes of his version of the classic tale by Edmond Rostand. The city has a close connection with the ancient royal House of Plantagenet – Henry II, king of England was baptised in the cathedral, and the old walled city ( Vieux Mans) is also known as the Cite Plantagenet. In particular, the seventeenth century staircase in the west building is named after Depardieu because of its association with the agile swordsman he portrayed so well. The school dates back to 1599 and the old buildings are a popular filming location. A good starting point to explore the filming locations of the award-winning Cyrano de Bergerac is the Lycee Montesquieu near to the old centre of Le Mans.
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