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A Tale of Two Cities

  • 19351935
  • PassedPassed
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
5.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Elizabeth Allan and Ronald Colman in A Tale of Two Cities (1935)
Official Trailer
Play trailer1:24
1 Video
41 Photos
  • Drama
  • History
  • Romance

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.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.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.

IMDb RATING
7.8/10
5.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Directors
    • Jack Conway
    • Robert Z. Leonard(fill-in director)
  • Writers
    • Charles Dickens(novel "A Tale of Two Cities")
    • W.P. Lipscomb(screen play)
    • S.N. Behrman(screen play)
  • Stars
    • Ronald Colman
    • Elizabeth Allan
    • Edna May Oliver
Top credits
  • Directors
    • Jack Conway
    • Robert Z. Leonard(fill-in director)
  • Writers
    • Charles Dickens(novel "A Tale of Two Cities")
    • W.P. Lipscomb(screen play)
    • S.N. Behrman(screen play)
  • Stars
    • Ronald Colman
    • Elizabeth Allan
    • Edna May Oliver
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 76User reviews
    • 20Critic reviews
    • 87Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 2 nominations total

    Videos1

    A Tale of Two Cities
    Trailer 1:24
    A Tale of Two Cities

    Photos41

    Elizabeth Allan, Claude Gillingwater, and Edna May Oliver in A Tale of Two Cities (1935)
    Basil Rathbone and Norman Ainsley in A Tale of Two Cities (1935)
    Lucille La Verne and Blanche Yurka in A Tale of Two Cities (1935)
    Ronald Colman, Claude Gillingwater, Edna May Oliver, Reginald Owen, Henry B. Walthall, and Donald Woods in A Tale of Two Cities (1935)
    Ronald Colman "A Tale Of Two Cities" 1935  MGM
    Elizabeth Allan, Ronald Colman, Edna May Oliver, and Blanche Yurka in A Tale of Two Cities (1935)
    Elizabeth Allan and Ronald Colman in A Tale of Two Cities (1935)
    Elizabeth Allan, Ronald Colman, and Donald Woods in A Tale of Two Cities (1935)
    Elizabeth Allan, Fay Chaldecott, and Henry B. Walthall in A Tale of Two Cities (1935)
    Elizabeth Allan and Fay Chaldecott in A Tale of Two Cities (1935)
    Claude Gillingwater and Buster Slaven in A Tale of Two Cities (1935)
    Lucille La Verne in A Tale of Two Cities (1935)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ronald Colman
    Ronald Colman
    • Sydney Cartonas Sydney Carton
    Elizabeth Allan
    Elizabeth Allan
    • Lucie Manetteas Lucie Manette
    Edna May Oliver
    Edna May Oliver
    • Miss Prossas Miss Pross
    Reginald Owen
    Reginald Owen
    • C.J. Stryveras C.J. Stryver
    Basil Rathbone
    Basil Rathbone
    • Marquis St. Evrémondeas Marquis St. Evrémonde
    Blanche Yurka
    Blanche Yurka
    • Madame Therese De Fargeas Madame Therese De Farge
    Henry B. Walthall
    Henry B. Walthall
    • Dr. Manetteas Dr. Manette
    Donald Woods
    Donald Woods
    • Charles Darnayas Charles Darnay
    Walter Catlett
    Walter Catlett
    • Barsadas Barsad
    Fritz Leiber
    Fritz Leiber
    • Gaspardas Gaspard
    H.B. Warner
    H.B. Warner
    • Gabelleas Gabelle
    Mitchell Lewis
    Mitchell Lewis
    • Ernest De Fargeas Ernest De Farge
    Claude Gillingwater
    Claude Gillingwater
    • Jarvis Lorry Jr.as Jarvis Lorry Jr.
    Billy Bevan
    Billy Bevan
    • Jerry Cruncheras Jerry Cruncher
    Isabel Jewell
    Isabel Jewell
    • Seamstressas Seamstress
    Lucille La Verne
    Lucille La Verne
    • The Vengeanceas The Vengeance
    • (as Lucille LaVerne)
    Tully Marshall
    Tully Marshall
    • Woodcutteras Woodcutter
    Fay Chaldecott
    • Lucie - the Childas Lucie - the Child
    • Directors
      • Jack Conway
      • Robert Z. Leonard(fill-in director) (uncredited)
    • Writers
      • Charles Dickens(novel "A Tale of Two Cities")
      • W.P. Lipscomb(screen play)
      • S.N. Behrman(screen play)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit
    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.
    • knitting
    • vengeance
    • french revolution
    • guillotine
    • self sacrifice
    • 48 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • The most dramatic love story in the history of literature!
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • History
      • Romance
    • Certificate
      • Passed
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Actor Ronald Colman agreed to play the role of Sydney Carton with the sole condition that he not also be required to play the role of Charles Darnay, as was usually expected in adaptations of the Dickens novel. The plot of 'A Tale of Two Cities' turns on the physical resemblance between the two characters. Colman had long wanted to play Sydney Carton, and was even willing to shave off his beloved mustache to play the part.
    • Goofs
      Sydney Carton attends Christmas Eve services ca. 1780 during which "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" is sung to music by Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), and John Francis Wade's Latin hymn, "Adeste fideles," is sung in Frederick Oakley's (1802-1880) translation as "O Come, All Ye Faithful."
    • Quotes

      Sydney Carton: It's a far, far better thing I do than I have ever done. It's a far, far better rest I go to than I have ever known.

    • Crazy credits
      Adeste Fideles known in English as the holiday carol, O' Come All Ye Faithful plays as a The End title appears on screen. This, despite the fact that, the movie has nothing to do with Christmas!
    • Connections
      Edited into The Story That Couldn't Be Printed (1939)
    • Soundtracks
      La Marseillaise
      (1792) (uncredited)

      Written by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle

      Played during the opening credits and often in the score

    User reviews76

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Storming the Bastille, 1930s Style
    I haven't read Charles Dickens' famous novel since high school, so I can't remember how faithful this film adaptation is. I'm sure much is excised from the book, as it would have to be in any adaptation that isn't 15 hours long. But as a stand-alone film, this version of "A Tale of Two Cities" is an awfully good one, and contains a lot of entertainment value.

    Ronald Colman does most of the heavy lifting and is superb in the lead role. But two stand outs from the supporting cast are Blanche Yurka as the infamous Madame De Farge, the personification of an activist spirit taken to monstrous extremes, and Edna May Oliver, a proper English lady who won't let a few thousand French revolutionaries intimidate her. The best scene of the film is the smack down between the two characters, one of the best cat fights committed to celluloid.

    "A Tale of Two Cities" received two Oscar nominations in 1936, one for Best Picture in a year with ten nominees, and the other for its film editing, courtesy of Conrad Nervig, the man who won the very first film editing award when the category was introduced in 1934.

    Grade: A
    helpful•7
    0
    • evanston_dad
    • Nov 21, 2017

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 25, 1935 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Charles Dickens' 'A Tale of Two Cities'
    • Filming locations
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 8 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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