A Tale of Two Cities (Blu-ray Review)

Jason Lockard February 08, 2021

Reviewed by Jason Lockard

Charles Dickens was a prolific writer, penning many of the greatest stories in history. Most of which have received screen adaptions. Probably the most notable would be A Christmas Carol.

In 1935 producer David O. Selznick brought the world two Dickens classic to the silver screen first David Copperfield and than A Tale of Two Cities.

Now the good folks at Warner Archive Collection has brought film collectors another classic that they just may want to add. Ronald Colman in the Charles Dicken's classic A Tale of Two Cities.

The film starts with the iconic word written in the book "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." The film is a tale of romance in a tumultuous world during the French Revolution. A pair of lookalikes, Sydney Carton (Ronald Colman) an alcoholic English lawyer and Charles Darnay (Donald Woods) a former French aristocrat, fall in love with the same woman in the midst of the troublesome times.

This is a brilliant screen adaption of Dickens novel. While there is some differences. I think it very faithful to the source material. It truly is a dramatic piece if cinema. The cast is a true star studded one. Ronald Colman is perfect as Sydney Carton. He dreamed of playing the role ever since he read the book. So intent on playing the role he willingly shaved his trademark mustache.

David O. Selznick surrounded Colman with an amazing supporting cast including, Reginald Owen (who played Scrooge in A Christmas Carol) as C.J. Stryver, Basil Rathbone as Marquis St. Evremonde, Elizabeth Allan as Lucie Manette, Edna May Oliver as Miss Pross, Donald Woods as Charles Darnay and many many more.

The film is presented in 1080p in it's original full screen format 1.37:1 and DTS-HD Master Audio: English 2.0 mono. There is also English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. I have to say this transfer looks and sounds stunning in High Definition. It is definitely a tremendous upgrade from the previous DVD releases.

As awesome as the film transfer is. Warner Archive Collection went above and beyond to add some very cool bonus features on this Blu-ray release. I love extra bonuses and Warner Archive didn't disappoint here.

* A Pete Smith Short Audioscopiks

* 2 Classic MGM Happy Harmonies Cartoons: Hey, Hey Fever and Honeyland

* Lux Radio Theater radio show adaptation starring Ronald Colman

* Theatrical Trailer

Warner Archive Collection has done it again releasing a remarkable film from the Golden Age of Hollywood in stunning HD, so that generations to come can marvel in the amazing performances of these Hollywood legends.

If you are a fan of Charles Dickens films this 1930s classic Blu-ray release is an absolute must own. Head over to Amazon.com and order a copy today.