A Tale of Two Cities Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

A Tale of Two Cities Blu-ray Movie Review

It was the best of discs.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III February 15, 2021

Based on Charles Dickens' best-known work of historical fiction, Jack Conway's A Tale of Two Cities was the second Dickens adaptation from MGM in 1935, following David Copperfield. It's a stately and durable film version of the book just about everyone read in high school, brought to the screen in grand fashion with a career-best leading performance by Ronald Colman. He portrays bibulous lawyer Sydney Carton, whose cynical exterior softens for the unrequited love of lovely Englishwoman Lucie Manette (Elizabeth Allan). She's fallen for French aristocrat Charles Darnay (Donald Woods) and cares for her father Alexandre (Henry B. Walthall) after his lengthy imprisonment in the Bastille for nearly two decades. Alexandre isn't the only one starting over: Charles left France after denouncing his uncle, Marquis de St. Evremonde (Basil Rathbone), for cruel treatment of its poorest citizens... but soon, a revolution will be coming.

Much like its source book, A Tale of Two Cities is a surprisingly intimate drama set against a historically huge backdrop. Its tight interpersonal relationships -- whether they be tender moments or startling betrayals -- contrast nicely with the simmering French Revolution that begins with a nighttime murder and leads to a thunderous storming of the Bastille by the revolting, impoverished masses. Staged convincingly with a massive number of extras, it projects a gigantic scope and holds the weight of a true historical epic... yet A Tale of Two Cities is over and done with in two hours. There are sacrifices, of course, such as a number of text-heavy exposition breaks that feel more distracting than efficient; these narrative shortcuts stick out like a sore thumb in comparison with the film's otherwise well-balanced pace. Luckily, it gets back on track for A Tale of Two Cities' memorable and moving finale in which Sydney makes the ultimate sacrifice for Charles and Lucie in a time when the innocent and guilty were fed to the guillotine en masse.

Yet I'll admit that there's a big part of me that resents A Tale of Two Cities' ultimately hollow preaching which, to be honest, deflates Sydney's final sacrifice. Like another Warner Archive disc I recently reviewed, 1936's San Francisco, it has tacked-on sentiment that combines emotional masochism -- through the treatment of its characters -- with the questionable promise that everything will be better "in the next life". During most of A Tale of Two Cities, human effort is what ignites the spark of revolution and leads to real change. Sydney's outright surrender, combined with the film's heavenly coda, feels like the exact opposite. Besides, has he really given up everything if paradise awaits?

But perhaps religious debate is better left in a critique of the book itself, because Jack Conway's big-screen adaptation (which was produced by David O. Selznick, who also oversaw David Copperfield and King Kong, but was still four years away from Gone With the Wind) does a mostly commendable job squeezing the epic-sized story into a sleek package; it leaves almost nothing of real consequence on the cutting-room floor and still plays quite well over eight decades since its theatrical release. The performances are second-to-none -- aside from Madame Defarge's cackling assistant, who is just awful -- and its sparkling cinematography offers plenty of support to A Tale of Two Cities' terrific production deign. Everything has been preserved immaculately on yet another top-tier Blu-ray from Warner Archive Collection, which serves up another well-rounded disc with outstanding A/V specs and a nice collection of DVD-era bonus features.

A Tale of Two Cities Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sourced from a brand-new master (likely a 2K scan of the interpositive), A Tale of Two Cities sparkles like new on Blu-ray with a rich, silvery appearance that greatly supports its outstanding production design. From shadowy nighttime scenes to dimly-lit interiors, sunny days and cold, overcast skies above the climactic guillotine, this dual-layered disc maintains a very strong and film-like appearance with plenty of natural grain and deep black levels that reveal a wide array of shadow details. Depth is fantastic thanks to plenty of deep-focus cinematography and excellent lighting, while a handful of truly memorable crowd sequences -- none more immediately impressive than the storming of the Bastille, the crowded courtroom, and the throngs of bloodthirsty citizens eager to see public executions -- give the film a truly epic appearance that defies its otherwise modest and intimate moments. It strikes a great balance and this Blu-ray handles everything nicely, sporting a very clean appearance with no signs of compression artifacts, edge enhancement, or noise reduction. Simply put, it's nothing short of fantastic and die-hard fans will be very pleased.

As usual, Warner Archive has uploaded a few YouTube videos showing off their new restoration, including the full four and a half-minute opening sequence and a memorable conversation between Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay.

A Tale of Two Cities Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Although certainly good enough to get the job done, this Blu-ray's lossless audio mix can't quite match its pristine visuals for overall quality... but to be fair, any shortcomings are likely age or source-related. Dialogue is cleanly recorded and always intelligible -- save for a few lines spoken with strong English or French dialects -- and it's mixed fairly well with the rousing music cues that rarely fight for attention. However, Herbert Stothart's original score on its own sounds quite harsh at times with a very thin high end... especially during the film's biggest revelations, such as that aforementioned storming of the Bastille and a number of text-heavy transitions occurring before and after that monumental event. Even so, the film's brassiest moments don't last long since the majority of A Tale of Two Cities is filled with much more quiet and intimate moments that come through with a suitable amount of warmth.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the film, but sadly not the bonus features.

A Tale of Two Cities Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray ships in a standard keepcase with attractive poster-themed cover art and no inserts. Extras are standard fare for Warner Archive discs; a collective of vintage, era-specific material carried over from the DVD release.

• Lux Radio Theatre Broadcast (58:30) - This condensed adaptation, produced by Cecil B. DeMille, first aired on January 12, 1942 and stars Ronald Colman (reprising his lead role) and Edna Best.

• Classic MGM "Happy Harmonies" Cartoons

• Hey-Hey Fever (8:25) - This 1935 short starring Bosko -- ask your grandpa -- is his first appearance in an MGM short (and in color to boot!) following his long tenure at Warner Bros. After falling asleep near a "Mother Goose Bread" sign, Bosko dreams about famous fairy tale characters come to life.
• Honeyland (10:07) - Another 1935 short, this one stars a group of hard-working bees as they battle a spider who tries to muscle in on their territory. Spoiler alert: he gets it in the end.

• Audioscopiks (8:14) - An Academy Award-winning short documentary demonstrating the then-new technology of 3-D film that made use of the red-green anaglyph process... in glorious black and white, of course. Narrated by Pete Smith and starring a few nifty dames, a barfly, and others. What, no audience reaction track?

• Re-Release Trailer (1:17) - This surprisingly brief promotional piece can also be seen here.

A Tale of Two Cities Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jack Conway's A Tale of Two Cities is rightly regarded as a durable, timeless adaptation of Charles Dickens' extremely well-known source novel. It features wonderful performances and unfolds at a good clip but sometimes falters in its pacing (especially just after the halfway point), though it recovers nicely in the home stretch for its largely moving and memorable final moments. As usual, Warner Archive's Blu-ray offers tremendous support for the film including a solid A/V presentation and a decent collection of era-specific bonus features carried over from Warner's 2006 DVD edition. Highly Recommended to die-hard fans and as a blind buy to those with fond memories of the original book.