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• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B000FI72RQ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #309,847 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite an Impressive Production of Dickens's Novel., July 24, 2006

By 

Bradley Headstone "Sean ARES Hirsch" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Tale of Two Cities (DVD)

Overall, these people did a good job of transferring this famous novel of Charles Dickens to film. To be sure, there were 3 things from the book I did miss. (1) The comical scene when Mr. Lorry keeps insisting to Miss Manette that he is: 'just an instrument, just a machine,' (2) The scene where Mr. Lorry slowly tells Dr. Manette that the shoe maker's bench must be destroyed, and (3) Madam Defarge's comeuppance. But other than that, the transfer of this novel to film is actually quite impressive. As in the book, Mr. Lorry tells Miss Lucille Manette that her father has spent many years in the French prison, but that he is alive and well. (Mr. Defarge is hiding him.) Mr. Defarge starts out nice enough, but like Shakespeare's Macbeth, Mr. Defarge is to eventually degenerate. After Lucille is reunited with her father, the story switches back to England. Charles Darnay faces charges of treason. But through the help of the benevolent lawyers Mr. Stryver and Mr. Carton, Charles is released. As in the book, we learn that Mr. Carton is an alcoholic. Things are fine in England, but the threat of war in civil war in France between the under privileged citizens and the cruel aristocracy continues to keep the tension. At one point (as in the book) a young child is killed by Charles's uncle. Charles goes back to France for a short while to give up his position. (He can not stand the cruelty of the French Aristocracy.) While we may accuse Charles Dickens of national bias in favor of England, history is on his side. Generally speaking, the English monarchy was more receptive to the needs of the English. Charles and Lucille fall in love and are married. (Though Lucilles father is struck for a moment when he realizes who Charles is.) Moving on, war breaks out in France between the aristocracy and the French citizens. (While this is an animated movie, parents may wish to screen it first and see if it is fit for young children. It's very good, but it does get violent.) Interestingly, Charles Dickens does NOT allow us to see the victory of the citizens as a happy end. (There is an especially cruel act of Defarge during the battle.) As in the book, Charles learns that one of his loyal servants is in trouble, and he risks going back to France, despite the warnings of Mr. Lorry. It is not long before Charles is taken and must stand trial. Charles Dickens uses a technique that was used by Cliff Marlowe in his "Edward II," and William Shakespeare in his "Richard II." When the French citizens have power, they are actually worse than the French Aristocracy was when they had power, and our sympathy is shifted over to the Aristocracy. Power seems to corrupt whoever has it. (Pardon the cliche.) The once benevolent Defarge loses whatever sympathy we may have had for him when he uses old papers from Dr. Manette to seal the fate of Charles. In a clever use of a flashback, we see characters of both the aristocracy and the common people, and we see that Dr. Manette has been a victim not only of the French Aristocracy, but the revenge driven citizens of France. (One thing not in the book that I have to admit was a good change was that Charles delivers an articulate speech where he explains that he had nothing to do with any of the atrocities named before him: "I renounced all title and claim to the Darnay family and fortune, in disgust at the Darnay family, and its crimes against the people of France.") But of course, the French citizens are not interested in facts or truth. They simply want vengeance. Most of you know that Mr. Carton sacrifices his life to save Charles. (These people add one more thing that Charles Dickens did not write. Lucille actually finds out what has happened and falls into utter sorrow.) Do not shun this movie because it is animated. While it does deviate from the book slightly, it still follows it quite well.