A Tale of Two Cities (1935)

A Tale of Two Cities is Charles Dickens' gripping story of self-awareness and self-sacrifice during the French Revolution.

Sydney Carton (Ronald Colman) is a brilliant, but jaded, London attorney whose only worry is where his next bottle is coming from. That is, until he meets and falls in love with Lucie Manette (Elizabeth Allan) who rejects him and marries another, Charles Darnay, (Donald Woods) son of a French aristocrat now living in England. Ah well, there's always another bottle!

The story could have ended right there but for the fact that Darnay is called back to Paris to help an old friend, but is himself arrested and sentenced to the guillotine. Carton, knowing himself unlikely to find happiness in this world, goes to Paris and manages to free Darnay, substituting his own life for the life that Lucie loves. His final words before he meets his fate, It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.

A Tale of Two Cities has an absolutely brilliant cast, particularly in Ronald Colman, as the lead, but also in the supporting roles, including Basil Rathbone as the hated French aristocrat Marquis St. Evremond, Henry B. Walthall as Lucie's father, Dr. Manette, Edna May Oliver as the faithful servant, Miss Pross, and Blanche Yurka, who almost steals the show, as the arch villainess Madame DeFarge. Madame DeFarge, a leader of the revolutionaries, knits up a storm and never fails to vote for the death penalty as she sits on the tribunal of the Reign of Terror. Her hatred for the Evremonds, one of whom killed her child with his carriage, drives her to greater and greater excesses in her endless thirst for revenge. All of the other roles, and there are many, are played to perfection and must be seen to be appreciated. The small parts are so colorful; it is a tribute to the skill of the cast. You will definitely not see this attention to detail today, unfortunately.

A Tale of Two Cities was produced by David O. Selznick. Typically the producer does not have much to do with the quality of the film, but Selznick was one of the original studio magnates, following in the footsteps of Irving Thalberg, the father of the infamous studio system that produced so many great films during the twenties, thirties, and forties.

The photography and editing are well done and make for a memorable viewing experience. The direction was also well done, by Jack Conway, including the storming of the Bastille, by second unit director Jacques Tourneur.

A Tale of Two Cities is a film you can see with the whole family. The story is simple enough for the children to understand and compelling enough to keep a teenager's or adult's attention. At the end, you will all just look at each other and say, "Wow."

I you enjoy A Tale of Two Cities, you will also enjoy these other classic movies, David Copperfield, Treasure Island, Prisoner of Zenda, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Sea Hawk, and Captain Blood.




Recommended: Yes