A Tale of Two Cities (1980 TV series)

Last updated

A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities (1980 TV series).jpg
GenreHistorical drama
Based on A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens
Written byPeter Harding
Directed by Michael E. Briant
Starring Paul Shelley
Sally Osborne
Nigel Stock
Composer Paul Reade
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes8
Production
Producer Barry Letts
CinematographyElmer Cossey
Running time30 minutes
Production company BBC
Original release
Network BBC One
Release5 October (1980-10-05) [1]  
23 November 1980 (1980-11-23) [1]

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. [2] 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. [3] Two weeks later, an American production was released featuring Chris Sarandon in the same duel roles. [4]

Contents

It is the only BBC adaptation known to exist entirely.[ citation needed ]

Plot summary

Cast

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.

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.

<i>A Tale of Two Cities</i> (1911 film) 1911 film

A Tale of Two Cities is a 1911 silent film produced by Vitagraph Studios, loosely based on the 1859 novel by Charles Dickens.

<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 English author 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.

<i>A Tale of Two Cities</i> (1958 film) 1958 film

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).

<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.

<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.

Dicky Monteith is a 1922 British silent drama film directed by Kenelm Foss and starring Stewart Rome, Joan Morgan and Jack Minister. Its plot involves a lawyer who tries to con a drunken client out of a large sum of money. It is an adaptation of a play by Tom Gallon and Leon M. Lion.

<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.

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) 1989 multi-national 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 Pointer 1996, p. 181.
  2. Baskin 1996, p. 175.
  3. Farina 2022, pp. 134–135.
  4. Farina 2022, pp. 135.

Bibliography