Customer Reviews

A Tale of Two Cities

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Despite the packaging on the box and DVD, this movie does NOT contain the Ronald Coleman classic as labeled. Instead it contains a recording of the 1952 ABC Network "Plymouth Showcase" version, with lesser actors, complete with commercials for the 1953 Plymouth.

If you like old movies with great actors this is the one to purchase. Ronald Colman is a holywood icon and will remain so for many years. It;s a geat movie with a moral that is timeless.

Yes, this is a 'creaky' early-television production, which of necessity (time) guts most of Dickens' great novel. And certainly the kinescope quality of nearly 60 years ago doesn't fly by today's high-def standards. Nevertheless, this is more than worth a look thanks to the casting of Wendell Corey as Sidney Carton, Corey is one of those unsung heroes of American movies, a character actor who seldom landed a leading role but whose presence always elevated anything he appeared in. (Maybe the fact that he was himself an alcoholic---he would die in his 50s of liver ailments---made him especially appropriate to portray the noble wastrel Carton). Here he gives a quietly effective, no-frills performance scaled to the small screen and the one-hour time constriction. Also of note, the crowd-scenes in Paris are pretty impressive for a live, stage-bound TV production from 1953. Sum up: worth it for Wendell, or, if like me, you're a fan of early TV.

I really was looking for the movie not the TV version. I brought back memories.