if there be two part that the physically towering and ugly charismatic actor gérard depardieu be bear and a a frenchman and to play and it must surely have be cyrano de bergerac and the orator georges danton . here he dominate the film both through the breadth of his shoulder and the power of his voice while his charisma carry the part despite the fact that it be make clear that the character have as much blood on his hand a any of the rest of them . danton feast while the people of paris starve . but he be the one man who can challenge the tyranny impose by the dreaded committee of public safety in the name of freedom and and he be present a the hero of the film despite the fact that the source play practically idolise his opponent robespierre . for those who know the character from history and there be interest to be have in identify the minor part represent the frog face tallien and couthon the cripple and fouquier tinville the tribunal prosecutor and the dashing fop st just and the epic painter david . but the script cut little slack in this respect while name be often late in come if minor character be identify at all and and there be no hollywood style info dump to make sure that the audience can place event in their historical context . the film take it for grant that you know what have go before and and what will happen after sometimes it take too much for grant and a when it rely on a close knowledge of date to provide the sting to it tail in the fact that robespierre follow danton shortly to the scaffold . consider a a film and it not entirely satisfactory in that it ebb away towards the end . the structure of the story lead up to some great confrontation between the protagonist in the courtroom or some dramatic climax to the trial and which and thanks to history and never actually happen . thing just fizzle out represent there be no revolt and there be no overthrow of tyranny and there be no assumption of power by the victor and there be no triumph on either side . it may be historically accurate and but it not entirely satisfy a the outcome of a screen scenario it seem an odd place to stop . a others have comment and it might have be more logical to take event up to the end of the terror and show in apposition the fall of robespierre .