A Tale of Two Cities
December. 25,1935The exciting story of Dr. Manette, who escapes the horrors of the infamous Bastille prison in Paris. The action switches between London and Paris on the eve of the revolution where we witness 'the best of times and the worst of times' - love, hope, the uncaring French Aristocrats and the terror of a revolutionary citizen's army intent on exacting revenge.
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I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much
Excellent, Without a doubt!!
When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
Jack Conway's "A Tale of Two Cities" is based on the popular Charles Dickens novel of the same name depicting the events of the French Revolution and happens to depict them very well, and thanks to how Conway directed this movie it is also one of the finest period pieces that I've ever seen. The movie stars Ronald Colman in a role he always felt that he was born to portray as Sydney Carton an alcoholic British lawyer who defends a young Frenchman named Charles Darnay (Donald Woods) who happens to be a relative to an aristocrat named Marquis St. Evremonde (Basil Rathbone) who he differs from in every way in terms of political philosophy, and all the poor French citizens who are victims of the reign of King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette, and as punishment they wanted to kill all of the aristocrats as well as all of their relatives all the way down to babies which is a very sickening idea thanks to clouded judgment. Carton is also defending him for the sake of his wife (Elizabeth Allan), daughter,her maid (Edna May Oliver) and the rest of her family of which he credits for sobering him up, and as a result he decides to sacrifice himself for the sake of his friends which is his plan for getting Darnay out of prison. Although Colman felt he was born to play the role of Sydney Carton he strongly refused to play the dual roles of Carton and Darnay which are supposed to be lookalikes in the story. Though I didn't read the novel I do know that the novel starts with the words "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." which I couldn't think of any better words that Dickens wrote to best describe this story. The screenplay along with Conway's sure handed direction makes you relate to both the British and the French citizens but the problem with the French people is that they let their emotions get the best of themselves and they totally acted out of revenge towards aristocrats and racism towards British people. The performances are very good but Colman is so good in this role that he makes the role of Carton his own and was unfortunately snubbed for a best actor Oscar nomination probably due to the fact that his performance was far too good for the Academy, this is a great film that is hardly remembered anymore, and is one of the finest films that the year 1935 had to offer.
I consider Dickens one of my favorite authors, but the truth is I've only read a few of his works. I haven't read "A Tale of Two Cities," but I was not surprised to find it a very compelling story, populated by memorable, likable characters, graced with intriguing drama, and commenting on the cruelty and injustice perpetuated by both sides of the French Revolution. Some characterizations and flourishes are a bit too much (the storming of the Bastille, although wonderfully constructed by Lewton and Tourneur, is marred by some over-the-top titles) but for the most part it's a rock solid film, easily watchable and quite enjoyable. Excellent production value and strong performances. It made me want to read the novel, which is perhaps the finest thing an adaptation can accomplish.
Though Tale of Two Cities has been done since this film, in 2 hours and 10 minutes this one captures the book as well as any ever made. It is Ronald Coleman's signature performance. It features Reginald Owen who would later on be in the Dicken's classic A Christmas Carol and Basil Rathbone who would become Sherlock Holmes in the cast.It was the best of times in London and the worst of times in Paris as the French Revolution is in full swing with many people being sent to their deaths via a justice system gone wild. This story is how one man and his family manage to avoid their fate with circumstances and the ultimate sacrifice by a friend.This film is dated but MGM did a fine job bringing this classic to the screen and today the film is still a very effective drama.
"A Tale of Two Cities" is a brilliant film--one of the best adaptations of a classic story that I have ever seen. However, in this there is a problem...at least for folks like me. I am so familiar with the story that the film, no matter how great it is, is all repetitive--and I know exactly what's coming next (just like what happens when I see "The Three Musketeers"). There simply are no surprises other than the interesting choice to have DIFFERENT actors play the two leading male roles (in other versions, it was played by the same actor--in a case of "identical strangers"--a silly idea. If you are NOT thoroughly familiar with the story, then it certainly is a must-see, as it is probably the best version out there--mostly because Ronald Colman is such a wonderful actor and the film brims with class and wonderful 1930s Hollywood polish from start to finish. Excellent throughout and a great story.