A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickensliterary work· published 1859
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A Tale of Two Cities is a historical novel published in 1859 by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris, and his release to live in London with his daughter Lucie whom he had never met. The story is set against the conditions that led up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. In the Introduction to the Encyclopedia of Adventure Fiction, critic Don D'Ammassa argues that it is an adventure novel because the protagonists are in constant danger of being imprisoned or killed. As Dickens's best-known work of historical fiction, A Tale of Two Cities is said to be one of the best-selling novels of all time.
Adaptations (6)
A Tale of Two Cities has been adapted 6 times, across film and television film, from 1917 to 1980.
A Tale of Two Cities1917 · film · 70 min · dir. Frank Lloyd · IMDb ↗IMDb6.0At the outbreak of the French Revolution, Charles Darnay goes to Paris to rescue an imprisoned former family servant. He is himself imprisoned and condemned by the revolutionary forces there. His wife, the former Lucie Manette, is secretly loved by a gentlemanly wastrel, Sydney Carton. Carton embarks on a daring plan to save the husband of the woman he loves.
A Tale of Two Cities1922 · film · dir. W. Courtney Rowden · IMDb ↗IMDb5.8During the turbulent days of the French Revolution, Frenchwoman Lucie Manette falls in love with Englishman Charles Darnay who's hiding his true identity and purpose.
- The Only Way1927 · film · 100 min · dir. Herbert Wilcox · IMDb ↗IMDb5.8
A dissolute English advocate goes to the guillotine in place of his aristocratic double.
A Tale of Two Cities1935 · film · 128 min · dir. Jack Conway, Robert Z. Leonard · IMDb ↗Set against the conditions leading up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror, French doctor Alexandre Manette serves an 18-year imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris, followed by his release to live in London with the daughter he has never met.
A Tale of Two Cities1958 · film · 117 min · dir. Ralph Thomas · IMDb ↗IMDb7.1Set against the conditions leading up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror, French doctor Alexandre Manette serves an 18-year imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris, followed by his release to live in London with the daughter he has never met.
A Tale of Two Cities1980 · television film · 162 min · dir. Jim Goddard · IMDb ↗IMDb6.6Set against the conditions leading up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror, French doctor Alexandre Manette serves an 18-year imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris, followed by his release to live in London with the daughter he has never met.
