A Tale of Two Cities (1958 film)

Last updated

A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities (1958 film) cinema poster.jpg
Original UK cinema poster
Directed by Ralph Thomas
Screenplay by T. E. B. Clarke
Based on A Tale of Two Cities
1859 novel
by Charles Dickens
Produced by Betty E. Box
Starring Dirk Bogarde
Dorothy Tutin
Cecil Parker
Cinematography Ernest Steward
Edited by Alfred Roome
Music by Richard Addinsell
Production
company
Distributed byRank Film Distributors
Release date
  • 1958 (1958)
Running time
117 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£320,000 [1]

A Tale of Two Cities is a 1958 British film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Dirk Bogarde and Dorothy Tutin. It is a period drama based on parts of Charles Dickens' novel A Tale of Two Cities (1859).

Contents

Plot

Sydney Carton, an alcoholic English lawyer, discovers that Charles Darnay, a man he once defended, is a French aristocrat trying to escape the French Revolution. While he envies the man over the love of a woman, Lucie Manette, his conscience is pricked and he resolves to help him escape the guillotine.

Cast

Production

Ralph Thomas insisted on the film being shot in black and white as he felt the book "was written in black and white, and it's got to be made in black and white." [1] He was influenced by a French film Casque d'Or set in a similar period which was in black and white. [2]

Thomas later said this was a mistake and the commercial after-life of the film would have been stronger if it had been in colour. He said the film "was very self indulgent because I wouldn't listen to advice. It's dangerous to have fashion and power and I was fashionable then." [1]

The film was the most expensive British production of its year. [3]

Filming started 3 July 1957 at Bourges in France for four weeks of location work. The film was shot in the Loire Valley in France, because it was the only place without telegraph poles. Several thousand American soldiers posted nearby in Orléans were used as extras. Shooting took six weeks. "The only way we were able to finish a film this ambitious on such a modest budget was by using a regular crew, so there were no fights, we just tackled it and went on until the finish", said Thomas. [1]

Critical reception

The Guardian called it "a plain and honest version which makes a decent attempt at putting the complexities of the story into two hours." [4]

The New York Times wrote "it is mostly a bloodless and sober, albeit meticulous account that is spun here"; [5]   The Monthly Film Bulletin called it "an eminently respectable but scarcely distinguished addition to the list of filmed Dickens", noting that Rosalie Crutchley's "tirelessly bloodthirsty Mme Defarge – blatantly theatrical but full of gusto – is particularly welcome. This kind of vividness and life is exactly what the film as a whole lacks. [6] However, AllMovie found "a respectable adaptation with a sterling lead performance (Bogarde)"; [7]  and TV Guide wrote "This version strives for the careful attention to detail that mark the best BBC-produced literary translations today....Perhaps this is not as melodramatic as the Hollywood version, but, to some, it is infinitely more satisfying." [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>A Tale of Two Cities</i> (1935 film) 1935 film by Robert Zigler Leonard, Jack Conway

A Tale of Two Cities is a 1935 film based upon Charles Dickens' 1859 historical novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris. The film stars Ronald Colman as Sydney Carton and Elizabeth Allan as Lucie Manette. The supporting players include Edna May Oliver, Reginald Owen, Basil Rathbone, Lucille La Verne, Blanche Yurka, Henry B. Walthall and Donald Woods. It was directed by Jack Conway from a screenplay by W. P. Lipscomb and S. N. Behrman. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Film Editing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucie Manette</span> Fictional character

Lucie Manette is a character in Charles Dickens' 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madame Defarge</span> Fictional character in A Tale of Two Cities

Madame Thérèse Defarge is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. She is a ringleader of the tricoteuses, a tireless worker for the French Revolution, memorably knitting beside the guillotine during executions. She is the wife of Ernest Defarge.

Doctor Alexandre Manette is a character in Charles Dickens' 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities. He is Lucie's father, a brilliant physician, and spent eighteen years "in secret" as a prisoner in the Bastille prior to the French Revolution. He is imprisoned because in the course of his medical practice he learns of abusive actions by two members of the aristocratic Evrémonde family. While realizing the power at court of nobles such as the Evrémondes, Manette reports them to a minister of the royal government. He is seized from his young family and imprisoned under a lettre de cachet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Carton</span> Fictional character

Sydney Carton is a central character in Charles Dickens' 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities. He is a shrewd young Englishman educated at Shrewsbury School, and sometime junior to his fellow barrister Stryver. Carton is portrayed as a brilliant but depressed and cynical drunkard who is full of self-loathing because of what he sees as his wasted life. He feels a deep unrequited love for Lucie Manette, who nevertheless inspires him to try to be a better person. Near the end of the novel, Carton manages to change places with Lucie's husband, Charles Darnay, hours before Darnay's scheduled execution in France, giving his life for Lucie's sake. Later, Lucie and Charles name their second son after Carton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Darnay</span> Fictional character created by Charles Dickens

Charles Darnay, Charles D'Aulnais or Charles St. Evrémonde is a fictional character in the 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

<i>A Tale of Two Cities</i> 1859 novel by Charles Dickens

A Tale of Two Cities is a historical novel published in 1859 by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris, and his release to live in London with his daughter Lucie whom he had never met. The story is set against the conditions that led up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror.

Ernest Defarge is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marquis St. Evrémonde</span> Fictional character

The Marquis St. Evrémonde is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities.

<i>A Tale of Two Cities</i> (musical) Musical by Jill Santoriello

A Tale of Two Cities is a musical with book, music and lyrics by Jill Santoriello based on the 1859 novel of the same name by Charles Dickens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Cruncher</span> Fictional character from A Tale of Two Cities

Jeremiah "Jerry" Cruncher is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jarvis Lorry</span>

Jarvis Lorry is a character in Charles Dickens' 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss Pross</span> Fictional character created by Charles Dickens

Miss Pross is a character in Charles Dickens' 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stryver</span> Fictional character

C.J. Stryver is a character in Charles Dickens's 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities and in the television and film adaptations of the story. He is a barrister in London, with the character Sydney Carton working under him.

<i>The Only Way</i> (1926 film) 1926 film by Herbert Wilcox

The Only Way is a 1926 British drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring John Martin Harvey, Madge Stuart and Betty Faire. It was adapted from the play The Only Way which was itself based on the 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. John Martin Harvey had been playing Carton in the play since 1899 and it was his most popular work. It cost £24,000 to make and was shot at Twickenham Studios. The film was a commercial success and reportedly took over £53,000 in its first two years on release. It was a particularly notable achievement given the collapse in British film production between the Slump of 1924 and the passage of the Cinematograph Films Act 1927 designed to support British film making.

<i>A Tale of Two Cities</i> (1980 film) 1980 American made-for-TV historical drama film by Jim Goddard

A Tale of Two Cities is a 1980 American historical drama film made for TV, directed by Jim Goddard and starring Chris Sarandon, who plays dual roles as two characters who are in love with the same woman. It is based on the 1859 Charles Dickens novel of the same name set in the French Revolution.

<i>A Tale of Two Cities</i> (1917 film) 1917 American film

A Tale of Two Cities is a 1917 American silent historical drama film directed by Frank Lloyd and starring William Farnum, Jewel Carmen, and Charles Clary. The film is based on Charles Dickens' 1859 novel of the same name, which has been filmed a number of times.

<i>A Tale of Two Cities</i> (1980 TV series) British television series which first aired in 1980

A Tale of Two Cities is a British television series which first aired on BBC 1 in 1980. It is an adaptation of the novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Paul Shelley plays the duel roles of Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay, the first actor to do so since William Farnum in the 1917 silent adaptation. Two weeks later, an American production was released featuring Chris Sarandon in the same duel roles.

A Tale of Two Cities is a British television series which first aired on BBC 1 in 1965. It is an adaptation of the novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Out of the 10 episodes produced, 8 are believed to be lost. Episodes 2 and 3 survive, and various promotional photographs and productions stills featuring the actors in costume are available online.

<i>A Tale of Two Cities</i> (1989 TV series) French TV series or program

A Tale of Two Cities is a British-French television series which first aired on ITV in 1989. It is an adaptation of the novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Dixon, Wheeler W., ed. (2001). Collected Interviews: Voices from Twentieth-century Cinema. Carbondale, Illinois: SIU Press. p. 110. ASIN   B007K4U0A4.
  2. McFarlane, Brian (1997). An Autobiography of British Cinema. London, England: Methuen Publishing. p. 559. ISBN   978-0413705204.
  3. Scheuer, Philip K. (7 July 1958). "British Betty Box Knows Box Office: Visiting Producer, Director Credited for 'Doctor' Series". Los Angeles Times . p. C11.
  4. "New Films in London". The Guardian. 8 February 1958. p. 3.
  5. Weiler, A. H. (5 August 1958). "'A Tale of Two Cities' in New Version; Dirk Bogarde Stars in a British Import". The New York Times.
  6. "Monthly Film Bulletin review". www.screenonline.org.uk.
  7. "A Tale of Two Cities (1958) – Ralph Thomas | Review". AllMovie.
  8. "A Tale of Two Cities". TV Guide.