A Tale of Two Cities

Director: Jack Conway

Overview

Jack Conway's 1935 adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities is often regarded as the finest film of the classic novel. Set during the French Revolution, the story revolves around two men -- English lawyer Sydney Carton (Ronald Colman) and French aristocrat Charles Darnay (Donald Woods) -- who share similar looks and a love for the same girl, Lucie Manette (Elizabeth Allan). In London Lucie marries Darnay, whose uncle, Marquis St. Evremonde (Basil Rathbone), is one of the most despised men in France. After St. Evremonde shows no concern for a young boy trampled by the Marquis' horse, the boy's father kills him, sparking a revolution. Darnay is persuaded to return to Paris, where he is arrested and sentenced to death. Still in love with Lucie, yet realizing his love will remain unrequited, Carton agrees to take Darnay's place on death row. Built entirely on a soundstage, the production orchestrated by producer David A. Selznick vividly captures France -- particularly Paris and the Bastille -- with its detailed photography and was an enormous success, earning Academy award nominations for Best Picture and Best Editing. The film also marks the film debut of stage star Blanche Yurka as Madame DeFarge. During the '80s, A Tale Of Two Cities was shown in a computer-colorized edition.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/10/2006
UPC:	0012569793699
Original Release:	1935
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Home Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:06:00
Sales rank:	3,358

Special Features

Oscar-nominated short Audioscopiks; 2 classic cartoons: Hey, Hey Fever and Honeyland; Audio-only bonus: radio show adaptation starring Colman; Theatrical trailer; Subtitles: English, Fran?ais, Espa?ol & Portugu?s (feature film only)

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ronald Colman	Sydney Carton
Elizabeth Allan	Lucie Manette
Edna May Oliver	Miss Pross
Reginald Owen	Stryver
Basil Rathbone	Marquis St. Evremonde
Henry B. Walthall	Dr. Manette
Donald Woods	Charles Darnay
Walter Catlett	Barsad
Fritz Leiber	Gaspard
Blanche Yurka	Mme. DeFarge
H.B. Warner	Gabelle
Mitchell Lewis	Ernest DeFarge
Claude Gillingwater	Jarvis Lorry
Billy Bevan	Jerry Cruncher
Isabel Jewell	Seamstress
Lucille La Verne	La Vengeance
Tully Marshall	Woodcutter
Fay Chaldecott	Lucie, the Daughter
Eily Malyon	Mrs. Cruncher
E.E. Clive	Judge in Old Bailey
Lawrence Grant	Prosecuting Attorney in Old Bailey
John Davidson	Morveau
Tom Ricketts	Tellson
Donald Haines	Jerry Cruncher Jr.
Ralf Harolde	Prosecutor
Nigel de Brulier	Aristocrat
Boyd Irwin	Aristocrat
Sam Flint	Aristocrat
Winter Hall	Aristocrat
Edward Peil Sr.	Cartwright
Edward Hearn	Leader
Richard Alexander	Executioner
Cyril McLaglen	Headsman
Frank Mayo	Jailer
Walter Kingsford	Victor, the Jailer
Barlowe Borland	Jacques, No. 116
Rolfe Sedan	Condemned Dandy
Robert Warwick	Tribunal Judge
Dale Fuller	Old Hag
Tempe Pigott	Old Hag
C. Montague Shaw	Chief Registrar
Chappell Dossett	English Priest
Forrester Harvey	Joe
Jimmy Aubrey	Innkeeper
Billy House	Border Guard
Tempe Piggott	Old Hag
Solange dos Santos	English Priest
Elizabeth Allen	Actor
Ronald Coleman	Actor
Herbert Stothart	Composer

Technical Credits

S.N. Behrman

W.P. Lipscomb

S.N. Behrmann

S.N. Behrman	Screenwriter
W.P. Lipscomb	Screenwriter
David O. Selznick	Producer
S.N. Behrmann	Screenwriter

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- A Tale of Two Cities
1. Credits [1:38]
2. Recalled to Life [2:53]
3. News for Lucie [4:12]
4. Spilled Wine [2:42]
5. A Father Reclaimed [4:39]
6. Marquis and His Nephew [4:23]
7. Carton Takes Darnay's Case [5:44]
8. Pinning Barsad [3:47]
9. Certain Resemblance [6:40]
10. The Verdict [3:22]
11. Face in the Mirror [3:24]
12. Christmas Candle [5:37]
13. For a Friend [2:11]
14. Nonmember of the Wedding [4:28]
15. Fast to His Tomb [3:26]
16. Madame Does Not Forget [5:31]
17. Carton's Pledge [4:00]
18. Why? [2:44]
19. Storming the Bastille [3:37]
20. Death Message [4:14]
21. Two Rescue Missions [4:04]
22. On Trial [4:43]
23. Madame for the Prosecution [5:52]
24. Useful Information [3:30]
25. No Hope Now [4:40]
26. Bitter Reflection [3:42]
27. Trading Places [6:34]
28. Miss Pross vs. Madame [3:28]
29. The Seamstress Request [3:55]
30. To the Guillotine [3:43]
31. A Far, Far Better Thing [1:18]
32. Cast List [1:03]

Menu

Disc #1 -- A Tale of Two Cities
Play Movie
Scenes
Features
Audioscopiks
Hey, Hey Fever
Honeyland
1/12/1942 Lux Radio Theater Broadcast
Theatrical Trailer
Languages
Subtitles: English
Subtitles: Français
Subtitles: Español
Subtitles: Português
Subtitles: Off

Editorial Reviews

A Tale of Two Cities is well remembered for its rich production values and the charismatic performance of Ronald Colman as the dissipated lawyer drawn to a cause greater than his personal problems. Jack Conway's directing work is solid, but he was pretty much the hired hand of producer David O. Selznick, who was largely responsible for the film's artistic vision. Selznick had the best of MGM's production team, including composer Herbert Stothart, art director Cedric Gibbons, sound engineer Douglas Shearer, and film editor Conrad Nervig. The result is a first-rate example of the production quality typical of big-budget Hollywood studio films of the mid-1930s, particularly the ones from MGM. Surprisingly, the film received only two Academy Award nominations, for Best Picture and Best Film Editing, as MGM successfully focused its awards efforts for that year on The Great Ziegfeld. For Selznick, A Tale of Two Cities was a stepping stone to greater achievements that peaked with Gone With the Wind. For Conway, it was the height of his career, though he continued to turn out adequate work into the late 1940s.