Synopsis
The 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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Cast
- Ronald ColmanSydney Carton
- Elizabeth AllanLucie Manette
- Edna May OliverMiss Pross
- Reginald OwenStryver
- Basil RathboneMarquis St. Evremonde
- Blanche YurkaMadame De Farge
- Henry B. WalthallDr. Manette
- Donald WoodsCharles Darnay
- Walter CatlettBarsad
- Fritz LeiberGaspard
Recommendations
- 100
TV Guide Magazine
One of director Jack Conway's finest efforts, the film never suffers from a sense that the novel has been compressed or rushed. Moving, fresh and aware of its effects, this film stands as one of Hollywood's finest adaptations of a novel. - 100
Variety
Metro achieves in A Tale of Two Cities a screen classic. - 90
The New York Times
For more than two hours it crowds the screen with beauty and excitement, sparing nothing in its recital of the Englishmen who were caught up in the blood and terror of the French Revolution and of Sydney Carton, who gave his life for his friends. - 90
Los Angeles Times
Endearing, sumptuous 1935 adaptation of Dickens' sweeping epic set against the French Revolution. [15 Oct 2006, p.E10] - 88
Chicago Tribune
The first, and best, of the three versions of Charles Dickens' tale of the French Revolution. [05 Dec 2008, p.C5] - 88
Portland Oregonian
The historical details of costumes and settings are exemplary and the cast superb. Those best of times and worst of times must have looked much like this. [12 Jul 1996, p.39] - 80
The Guardian
Vintage screen Dickens with a cutting edge: the French terror is vividly, hauntingly realised, all chaos and guillotine ghouls. [16 Aug 2000, p.23] - 80
The New York Times
Directed by Jack Conway, the picture is a compelling expansion of Dickens's story of the French Revolution, with the central role of Sidney Carton, a disreputable lawyer, memorably projected by Ronald Colman. [14 Feb 1999, p.6]
