A Tale of Two Cities (1935)

A pair of lookalikes, one a former French aristocrat and the other an alcoholic English lawyer, fall in love with the same woman amongst the turmoil of the French Revolution.

Directors:

Jack Conway, Robert Z. Leonard (uncredited)

Writers:

Charles Dickens (novel), W.P. Lipscomb (screen play)

Stars:

Ronald Colman, Elizabeth Allan, Edna May Oliver

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ronald Colman	...	Sydney Carton
Elizabeth Allan	...	Lucie Manette
Edna May Oliver	...	Miss Pross
Reginald Owen	...	C.J. Stryver
Basil Rathbone	...	Marquis St. Evrémonde
Blanche Yurka	...	Madame Therese De Farge
Henry B. Walthall	...	Dr. Manette
Donald Woods	...	Charles Darnay
Walter Catlett	...	Barsad
Fritz Leiber	...	Gaspard
H.B. Warner	...	Gabelle
Mitchell Lewis	...	Ernest De Farge
Claude Gillingwater	...	Jarvis Lorry Jr.
Billy Bevan	...	Jerry Cruncher
Isabel Jewell	...	Seamstress

Storyline

Alas, an aristocrat and a barrister on the same plateau. This is the story of a revolution, a revolution that occurred in France known as the Reign of Terror. The barrister, the town alcoholic and man of disrepute, is in love with a beautiful woman, who marries the aristocrat and bears a beautiful baby girl. The baby girl is infatuated with the barrister, and he her because of her mother. The ultimate sacrifice occurs and a man's soul goes forward.

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Plot Keywords:

knitting | vengeance | french revolution | guillotine | self sacrifice | 

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Taglines:

The most dramatic love story in the history of literature!

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

Charles Dickens' 'A Tale of Two Cities'

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min 121 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film's earliest documented telecast took place in Seattle Saturday 1 June 1957 on KING (Channel 5); it first aired in Portland OR 21 June 1957 on KGW (Channel 8), in Minneapolis 17 July 1957 on KMGM (Channel 9), in Baltimore 11 September 1957 on WJZ (Channel 13), in Philadelphia 13 September 1957 on WFIL (Channel 6), in New Haven CT 27 September 1957 on WNHC (Channel 8), in Altoona PA 11 October 1957 on WFBG (Channel 10), in Phoenix 24 October 1957 on KPHO (Channel 5), in Chicago 26 October 1957 on WBBM (Channel 2), in San Antonio 25 November 1957 on WOAI (Channel 4), in Los Angeles 29 November 1957 on KTTV (Channel 11), and in Honolulu 3 December 1957 on KHVH (Channel 13); in San Francisco it was shown 8 June 1958 on KGO (Channel 7), but New York City television viewers didn't get their first look at it until Sunday 22 November 1959 on WCBS (Channel 2).

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Goofs

In a meal scene just before Sydney meets Lucie's baby, a crew member is seen in a reflection in the window.

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Quotes

[after the Marquis' coach runs over and kills a peasant child, he gets out of the coach and speaks to the onlookers]
Marquis St. Evremonde: It's extraordinary to me that you people cannot take care of yourselves and your children. One or the other of you is forever in the way. How do you know what injury you might do to my horses?

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Connections

Referenced in Dad's Army (2016)

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Soundtracks

Egmont Overture, Op. 84
(1809-10) (uncredited)
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven
Freely arranged by Herbert Stothart
Played as background music

User Reviews

A Worthy Adaption of an Excellent Novel!

I read the book "A Tale of Two Cities", by Charles Dickens, in ninth grade, and to my extreme surprise, it became my second favorite novel of all time. That's why I was thrilled to get my hands on this acclaimed film version, starring Ronald Colman as about my favorite literary character I've met, among a terrific cast.

I am slightly biased, since I was comparing the film very strongly to the novel. Fortunately, the movie did not disappoint - it was excellent! They had to cut much material that was in the novel or else the movie would go on foooooooreeeeeeeeeveeeeeeeerrrrrrr....but they kept the important scenes and kept the essence of Dickens's classic. They also found the right balance between the scenes with our heroes, Lucie Manette, Charles Darnay, Dr. Manette, and Sydney Carton (among others) in London, and the material featuring the Defarges and other peasants in Paris. And they made it compelling, not boring and droning.

The cast, like I said, is very ideal, but I will mention those that stand out the most. Elizabeth Allan surprised me by giving Lucie - who is the world's most annoying and flimsy character in the novel - genuine character and substance, even though Lucie doesn't get to actually do much. Blanche Yurka was absolutely perfect as Mme. Defarge; she was cold and frightening, yet you could sympathize with her without thinking she was too mushy. Edna May Oliver was a treat as Miss Pross, capturing the image of the seemingly strict yet warm maid in the Manette household.

But what I was really judging the movie upon was my imaginary boyfriend, Sydney Carton. Ronald Colman was impeccable as the unlikely hero. He got the different "sides" of Carton right - drunk, insolent, and smart-alecky in one scene and tenderly romantic in the next. The film version also added more humor to Carton, which fits his character well. (The scene in which he pretends to flirt with Miss Pross was not in the novel, but it is one of my favorites.) Sydney Carton's selfless act of sacrifice (and his comforting of the frightened seamstress) are extremely moving. Wonderfully done.

My only real qualifier is that, to my surprise, Charles Darnay (Donald Woods) and Sydney Carton didn't look that much alike. Darnay had sharper features, whereas Carton...ah, Ronald Colman has these lovely brown eyes, giving him a slightly puppy-dog look sometimes. Oh well - the movie made it fairly clear that they were supposed to look alike. Besides, how easy is it casting dopplegangers?

Overall, if you have read "A Tale of Two Cities," there's a darn good chance you're going to like this film. And if you haven't read the book, you may like it anyway. Either way, I highly recommend it.