''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a 1922 British silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Walter Courtney Rowden Walter Courtney Rowden was a British screenwriter and film director. He is sometimes referred to as William Courtney Rowden. He was known for Corinthian Jack (1921), Daniel Deronda (1921), Simple Simon (1922), and Vanity Fair (1922). His other cre ...

and starring Clive Brook,

Ann Trevor Ann Trevor (1899–1970) was a British actress. Her stage work included the original production of Noël Coward's ''Hay Fever'' at London's Ambassadors Theatre, in 1925. Selected filmography * ''Wuthering Heights'' (1920) * ''Build Thy House'' ...

and

J. Fisher White Joseph John Fisher White (1 May 1865 – 14 January 1945) was a British stage and film actor. The eldest of four sons of Rev. John White, of Ampfield, of that family formerly of Hursley, by his wife Martha, daughter of Rev. John Fisher, he took ...

. The film is an adaptation of the 1859 novel '' A Tale of Two Cities'' by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

, and its plot concerns events taking place during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

. It was made as part of the "Tense Moments with Great Authors Series" of films.

Premise

During the French Revolution, a jaundiced British

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

takes the place of a French

aristocrat The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...

who has been sentenced to the

guillotine A guillotine is an apparatus designed for efficiently carrying out executions by beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secured with stocks at th ...

Cast

* Clive Brook as Sydney Carton *

as Lucie Manette *

as Doctor Alexandre Manette

Bibliography

* Scott, Ian. ''From Pinewood to Hollywood: British Filmmakers in American Cinema, 1910-1969''. Palgrave MacMillan, 2010.

External links

* 1922 films British historical drama films British silent short films 1920s historical drama films Films set in the 1790s Films directed by Walter Courtney Rowden Films set in London Films set in Paris Films based on A Tale of Two Cities British black-and-white films 1922 drama films 1920s English-language films 1920s British films Silent drama films {{1920s-UK-film-stub