A Tale of Two Cities (1958)

During the French Revolution, French national Lucie Manette meets and falls in love with Englishman Charles Darnay. He is however hiding his true identity as a member of the French ... See full summary »

Director:

Ralph Thomas

Writers:

Charles Dickens (by), T.E.B. Clarke (screenplay)

Stars:

Dirk Bogarde, Dorothy Tutin, Cecil Parker

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dirk Bogarde	...	Sydney Carton
Dorothy Tutin	...	Lucie Manette
Cecil Parker	...	Jarvis Lorry
Stephen Murray	...	Dr. Manette
Athene Seyler	...	Miss Pross
Paul Guers	...	Charles Darnay
Marie Versini	...	Marie Gabelle
Ian Bannen	...	Gabelle
Alfie Bass	...	Jerry Cruncher
Ernest Clark	...	Stryver
Rosalie Crutchley	...	Madame Defarge
Freda Jackson	...	The Vengeance
Duncan Lamont	...	Ernest Defarge
Christopher Lee	...	Marquis St. Evremonde
Leo McKern	...	Attorney General-Old Bailey

Storyline

During the French Revolution, French national Lucie Manette meets and falls in love with Englishman Charles Darnay. He is however hiding his true identity as a member of the French aristocratic Evrémonde family, who he has denounced in private. The Marquis St. Evrémonde in particular was a cruel man, those he wronged who have vowed to see the end of the family line at any cost. Lucie's father Dr. Alexandre Manette, in fact, was imprisoned in the Bastille for eighteen years because of actions of the Marquis. Into their lives comes English barrister Sydney Carton, who enjoys his alcohol to excess. Carton earlier defended Darnay in a trial on trumped up charges of treason. Carton doesn't really like Darnay in part because Carton also loves Lucie, he realizing that that love is unrequited. But Carton does eventually learn of Darnay's true heritage at a critical time. Carton takes extraordinary measures to ensure Lucie's happiness during this time, which has the potential to be explosive ...

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Plot Keywords:

revolution | french revolution | guillotine | sacrifice | political unrest | 

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Taglines:

An immortal story... A brilliant cast... An unforgettable film of the French Revolution

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance | War

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 August 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gia tin agapi tis sti laimitomo

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rank Organisation, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paul Guers is dubbed.

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Goofs

During the final scenes of the tumbrels rolling to the guillotine, Sydney Carton and the other characters in the tumbrel appear to switch sides. First, they are on the right, then on the left, then on the right again.

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Connections

Version of The DuPont Show of the Month: A Tale of Two Cities (1958)

User Reviews

A classic film version of a classic novel

This is a classic film version of one of Dickin's classic novels. Arguably his best novel (though the critics tend to dismiss it - it has a straightforward plot and structure), it translates into an exceptional film.

For those who don't know the story, it concerns the fortunes of the Manette and St Evremonde families at the time of the French revolution. In a Romeo and Juliet type situation, Charles Darnay (alias St Evremonde) loves Lucie Manette, whose father Darnay's uncle had wronged. Now living in London, neither can escape the terrible events in Paris, and they are drawn to a climatic conclusion as the guillotine falls on aristocrat and commoner alike.

The real hero of both novel and film is Sydney Carton (Dirk Bogarde), an English lawyer who initially defends Charles Darnay against a charge of treason, and later comes to love Lucie, now married to Darnay. The conclusion of the story, for Sydney Carton at least, is both tragic and inspiring, and Mr Bogarde certainly does justice to the role.