A Tale of Two Cities

"A Tale of Two Cities" is based on the novel by Charles Dickens. The story is not focused on the plight of the poor in Victorian England as with many of Dickens' novels, but rather an exploration of France prior to and in the wake of the French Revolution.

The nice thing about this film is that it has a sense of the scope of the history it portrays but also tells a personal story with connected people from England and France. The essential story concerns a hunted French aristocrat, an English barrister and a French woman whom they both love. These characters are not only linked to each other but to the French Revolution via the French aristocrat. The film shows the indiscretions by the aristocrats, the desperation of the beggars in Paris prior to the Revolution and but the arbitrary actions of Committee of Public Safety after the Revolution equally well. The transition with the storming of the Bastille was handled well. Importantly this film is in the end a very touching tale of self-sacrifice.

Dirk Bogarde is Sydney Carton, the English barrister of the story. Bogarde is effective at portraying Carton's transition from a comical though shrewd drunkard to a man that achieves a degree of nobility (pardon the pun). Dorothy Tutin and Paul Guers were also solid leads Lucie Manette as Charles Darnay. Donald Pleasence has a relatively small but memorable role as the profiteering spy Barsad. Christopher Lee is well-suited to his oft-played role as a villain, who in this case is a haughty and despicable French aristocrat. Rosalie Crutchley's performance as Madame Defarge also deserves note. Defarge is a truly chilling woman, and Crutchley brings out the transition from quiet glaring knitter to overwrought Reign of Terror fanatic very well. "A Tale of Two Cities" tells a personal story of a group of characters and self-sacrifice but also how France replaced its former repressors with new ones.

Dirk Bogarde was sufficiently established for Rank to allow him to star as Sidney Carton in this adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic novel

With someone of Bogarde's track record in the lead Betty Box could afford to gamble by casting the distinguished stage actress Dorothy Tutin - then young enough to be described as "a pretty little doll" - as his leading lady.

It's pretty perfunctory, and Bogarde's certainly no Ronald Colman, but he's louche enough at the outset, Rosalie Crutchley is a perfect Madame Defarge and Christopher Lee is a fine substitute for Basil Rathbone in the earlier version as the Marquis St. Evremonde; while it's fun to see 18th Century France peopled by such obviously British actors as Cecil Parker, Athene Seyler, Ian Bannen Leo McKern, Alfie Bass and Donald Pleasance.

Though I gave the 1935 version of Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities" a higher rating (before seeing this version), I'd have to say that this film, directed by Ralph Thomas, is probably better for the most part. This movie, done in black and white, captures the atmosphere of the Dickens novel - the filth and the cruelty - beautifully. No Hollywood gloss here. The cast is strong: Dirk Bogarde, Dorothy Tutin, Donald Pleasance, Ian Bannen, Christopher Lee, Alfie Bass.

Though Sydney is one of Ronald Colman's great roles, it also proved to be a great role for Dirk Bogarde. As much as I love Ronald Colman, he can't quite help but come off as noble, whereas, you really could believe that Bogarde was a drunk and a waste before his final moments. Both men had the great gentleness required for the role. The end of this particular adaptation is very simple and beautiful.

I highly recommend both versions. This one, I think, is closer to the Dickens 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.

The 1935 film is a classic, and this film from 1958 is very close to that, the second-best adaptation by quite some distance. It looks very beautiful, the black and white photography skillful and well-suited to the story, the revolutionary scenes are still powerful despite not being in colour. Richard Adinsell's music score is bombastic, haunting and also a real beauty to listen to. A Tale of Two Cities is very intelligently scripted with a lot of dramatic weight though occasionally a little on the ponderous side, while the story- even when straight-forwardly adapted- is still as powerful and moving as one would expect, with the ending quite heart-breaking in its tragedy. The direction shows command of the source material and the ability to bring out the best of the cast. Dirk Bogarde is great and very charismatic, plus he probably hasn't been more handsome than he is here. Dorothy Tutin's Lucie is fetching and heartfelt, Christopher Lee is wonderfully vicious and truly hissable and Rosalie Crutchley brings chills as Madame Dufarge if occasionally a little too histrionic. Overall, excellent and a very easy close second-best adaptation. And it is true that it deserves to be judged on its own terms, the whole "the book is better" and "any film/TV series that doesn't follow the story to the letter is immediately terrible, and books shouldn't be seemingly improved upon"(Agatha Christie and Jane Austen adaptations are prone to this in particular) are tired old clichés. 9/10 Bethany Cox