A Tale of Two Cities (1958 film)
| A Tale of Two Cities | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Ralph Thomas |
| Produced by | Betty E. Box, Earl St. John |
| Written by | Charles Dickens (novel), T.E.B. Clarke(screenplay) |
| Starring | Dirk Bogarde, Dorothy Tutin, Paul Guers |
| Music by | Richard Addinsell |
| Cinematography | Ernest Steward |
| Editing by | Alfred Roome |
| Distributed by | J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (UK, theatrical), Rank Film Distributors of America(US, theatrical) |
| Release date(s) | 1958 |
| Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
A Tale of Two Cities is a 1958 British film of the Charles Dickens novel A Tale of Two Cities. It starred Dirk Bogarde and Dorothy Tutin, and was directed by Ralph Thomas.
[edit] Cast
- Dirk Bogarde as Sydney Carton
- Dorothy Tutin as Lucie Manette
- Paul Guers as Charles Darnay
- Marie Versini as Marie Gabelle
- Ian Bannen as Gabelle
- Cecil Parker as Jarvis Lorry
- Stephen Murray as Dr. Manette
- Athene Seyler as Miss Pross
- Alfie Bass as Jerry Cruncher
- Ernest Clark as Stryver
- Rosalie Crutchley as Madame Defarge
- Freda Jackson as The Vengeance
- Duncan Lamont as Ernest Defarge
- Christopher Lee as Marquis St. Evremonde
- Leo McKern as Attorney General-Old Bailey
- Donald Pleasence as John Barsad
[edit] Production
Ralph Thomas insisted on the film being shot in black and white as he felt the book was written in black and white.[1]The film was shot in the Loire Valley in France with several thousand American soldiers posted nearby in Orleans used as extras.
[edit] Faithfulness
- ^ Dixon, Wheeler W. Ralph Thomas Interview Collected Interviews: Voices from Twentieth-Century Cinema 2001 SIU Press
Largely accurate to the novel with a few sub plots removed and the story of Doctor Manette's imprisonment moved to the beginning of the film. The other change was the ending as Carton's prophetic words were difficult to film instead he focuses on the near future seeing his companion go to her death and saying "Suddenly, I want to weep but I must hold my tears check lest they think it is myself I weep for; and who would weep for Sydney Carton? A little time ago none in all the world; but somebody will weep for me now, and that knowledge redeems a worthless life, worthless but for this final moment, which makes it all the worthwhile. It is a far far better thing that I do than I have ever done it is a far far better rest that I go to then I have ever known." [edit]
