A Tale of Two Cities (TV 1980)

Dissolute barrister Sydney Carton becomes enchanted and then hopelessly in love with the beautiful Lucie Manette. But Lucie loves and marries Charles Darnay, and remains oblivious to ... See full summary »

Director:

Jim Goddard

Writers:

Charles Dickens (novel), John Gay

Stars:

Chris Sarandon, Peter Cushing, Kenneth More

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chris Sarandon	...	Sydney Carton / Charles Darnay
Peter Cushing	...	Dr. Alexander Manette
Kenneth More	...	Dr. Jarvis Lorry
Barry Morse	...	St. Evremonde
Flora Robson	...	Miss Pross
Billie Whitelaw	...	Madame Therese Defarge
Alice Krige	...	Lucie Manette
Nigel Hawthorne	...	Mr. CJ Stryver
Norman Jones	...	Monsieur Ernest Defarge
George Innes	...	Jeremiah 'Jerry' Cruncher
David Suchet	...	John Barsad
Bernard Hug	...	Gaspard
Valérie de Tilbourg	...	Seamstress (as Valerie de Tilburg)
Robert Urquhart	...	Attorney General
Anna Manahan	...	The Vengeance

Storyline

Dissolute barrister Sydney Carton becomes enchanted and then hopelessly in love with the beautiful Lucie Manette. But Lucie loves and marries Charles Darnay, and remains oblivious to Carton's undimmed devotion to her. When Darnay is ensnared in the deadly web of the French Revolution and condemned to die by the guillotine, Sydney Carton concocts a dangerous plot to free the husband of the woman he loves.

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Plot Keywords:

love | guillotine | french revolution | revolution | espionage | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance | War

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 December 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hallmark Hall of Fame: A Tale of Two Cities (#30.1)

Filming Locations:

Château de Vincennes, Vincennes, Val-de-Marne, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions, Marble Arch Productions, Norman Rosemont Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

162 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Château de Vincennes, Vincennes, Val-de-Marne stood in for the Bastille.

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Connections

Version of A Tale of Two Cities (1958)

User Reviews

I thought the level of emotion was fine

I saw it as part of his characterization that Chris Serandon didn't show very much emotion as Carton in the end. It came across, at least to me, as trying to be strong for the sake of the other characters in the movie. I also thought that that was a great amount of emotion displayed in Darnay's supposed final meeting with Lucie after he is condemned. That aside though, I think I've decided I like the movie better than the book because Charlie is just a little bit too wordy for my taste. That's what we get for paying him by the minute...