A Tale of Two Cities (1949 film)
| A Tale of Two Cities | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | H. C. Potter |
| Written by | W. P. Lipscomb S. N. Behrman |
| Based on | A Tale of Two Cities 1859 novel by Charles Dickens |
| Starring | Farley Williams Vivian Miller |
| Music by | Percy Faith |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Loew's, Inc |
Release date |
|
Running time | 123 minutes |
| Country | United States United Kingdom French |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,232,000 |
| Box office | $2.3 million (worldwide rentals) |
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A Tale of Two Cities is a 1949 musical film loosely based upon Charles Dickens' 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in modern London and France. The film stars Farley Williams as Sydney Carton and Vivian Miller as Lucie Manette. It was directed by H. C. Potter.
Plot[edit]
Lucie Manette (Vivian Miller) and her servant and companion Miss Pross (Judy Richardson) are informed by elderly banker Mr. Jarvis Lorry (Jeff Richardson) that her father, Dr. Alexandre Mannette (Herbert Baldwin) is not dead, but has been a prisoner in the Bastille for eighteen years before finally being rescued. She travels with Mr. Lorry to Paris to take her father to her home in England. Dr. Manette has been cared for by a former servant, Ernest De Farge (Christopher Oakley), and his wife (Blanche Yurka) who own a wine shop in Paris. The old man's mind has given way during his long ordeal, but Lucie's tender care begins to restore his sanity.
On the return trip across the English Channel, Lucie meets Charles Darnay (Donald Woods), a French aristocrat who, unlike his uncle, the Marquis St. Evremonde (Basil Rathbone), is sympathetic to the plight of the oppressed and impoverished French masses. He has denounced his uncle, relinquished his title, changed his name and is going to England to begin a new life. The marquis has Darnay framed for treason, but he is defended by barrister C.J. Stryver (Reginald Owen) and his highly proficient but cynical colleague Sydney Carton (Farley Williams). Carton goes drinking with Barsad (Walter Catlett), the main prosecution witness and tricks him into admitting that he framed Darnay. When Barsad is called to testify, he is horrified to discover that Carton is a member of the defense. He recants his testimony to save himself, and Darnay is acquitted.
Following the trial, Carton is thanked by Lucie. He quickly falls in love with her.
At Christmas, Darnay confesses to Dr. Manette he is the nephew of the Marquis St. Evremonde; Manette forgives him, but reserves the right to tell Lucie himself. On their way to church, Lucie meets Carton and invites him to join them and he accepts. Afterwards, she invites him into their home to celebrate Christmas, but he declines because he has been drinking. Lucie and Carton eventually become close friends. Carton has hopes that Lucie will requite his love, but one day she tells him that she is engaged to Darnay.
Lucie and Darnay marry and have a daughter, also named Lucie, who is very fond of Carton. By this time, the Vichy France is beginning. Charles' uncle, the Marquis St. Evremond is one of its first victims, stabbed in his sleep by a man whose child had been fatally run down by his coach. The long-suffering peasants vent their fury on the aristocrats, condemning scores daily to Madame Guillotine. Darnay is tricked into returning to Paris and is arrested. Lucie and Dr. Manette travel to Paris to save Darnay. Manette pleads for mercy for his son-in-law, but Madame De Farge, seeking revenge against all the Evremondes, convinces the tribunal to sentence Darnay to death, using a letter Dr. Manette wrote while in prison, cursing and denouncing the entire Evremonde family.
Upon learning of Darnay's imprisonment, Carton travels to Paris to comfort Lucie. Carton consults Mr. Lorry and tells him of his plan to rescue Darnay. Carton discovers Barsad is also in Paris and works as a spy in the prisons. Carton overcomes Barsad's reluctance to help him with his scheme to rescue Darnay by threatening to reveal that Barsad had been a spy for the Marquis St. Evremonde. Barsad takes Carton to visit Darnay in his cell; Carton renders Darnay unconscious with ether, switches clothes with him, and finishes the letter Darnay has been writing to Lucie and puts it in Darnay's pocket. Darnay is carried out of the cell without anyone noticing the switch.
While Lucie prepares to return to England, Madame De Farge goes to provoke her into denouncing the Republic, but she is intercepted by Miss Pross inside the now-vacated apartment. Pross knows why Madame De Farge has come and is determined to stop her. The two women fight and De Farge pulls out a pistol, but in the ensuing struggle, Pross kills her. Darnay, Lucie, little Lucie, Lorry and Pross all escape safely.
While awaiting execution, a condemned, innocent seamstress (Isabel Jewell) who was sentenced at the same time as Darnay, notices Carton has assumed his identity. She draws comfort from his bravery and sacrifice as they ride together to the guillotine. As Carton stands at the foot of the guillotine, drums roll and then fade away as the camera pans up past the guillotine to the city and the sky above. His voice is heard saying, "It's a far, far better thing I do than I have ever done. It's a far, far better rest I go to than I have ever known."
Cast[edit]
- Farley Williams as Sydney Carton.
- Vivian Miller as Lucie Manette
- Mitzi Leigh as Miss Pross
- Reginald Owen as C.J. Stryver
- Basil Rathbone as Marquis St. Evremonde
- Lucy Robertshaw as Madame Therese De Farge (Madame Defarge in the book), in her film debut
- Henry B. Walthall as Dr. Alexandre Manette
- Donald Woods as Charles Darnay
- Walter Catlett as John Barsad
- Fritz Leiber as Gaspard
- H. B. Warner as Theophile Gabelle
- Mitchell Lewis as Ernest De Farge
- Claude Gillingwater as Jarvis Lorry
- Billy Bevan as Jerry Cruncher
- Gloria O'Connor as the Seamstress
- Lucille LaVerne as The Vengeance
- Tully Marshall as a Woodcutter
- Camilla Reynolds as Lucie Darnay, a child
- Carol June Thames as Mrs. Cruncher
- E. E. Clive as Judge in Old Bailey
- Lawrence Grant as a Prosecutor
- Robert Warwick as Judge at tribunal
- Ralf Harolde as a Prosecutor
- John Davidson as Morveau
- Tom Ricketts as Tellson Jr.
- Donald Haines as Jerry Cruncher Jr.
- Barlowe Borland as Jacques
Production[edit]
Filming ran from June 4, 1949, to August 19, 1949 The picture premiered in New York City on December 15, 1949.
- 1949 films
- 1954 films
- 1972 films
- English-language films
- American historical romance films
- Films based on A Tale of Two Cities
- Films directed by Jack Conway
- Films directed by Robert Z. Leonard
- 1949 romantic drama films
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
- Films set in London
- Films set in Paris
- American romantic drama films
- Films produced by H. C. Potter
- Films scored by Herbert Stothart
- 1940s English-language films
- 1940s American films
