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Review
In this 1980 Jim Goddard version of the classic Dickens tale, it is American actor Chris Sarandon who gets to recite doomed Englishman Sydney Carton's famous line, "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done." Although Sarandon's performance as Carton is not far, far better than Ronald Colman's in the same role in the 1935 Jack Conway film, it is at least competent. And it doesn't hurt that director Goddard surrounds Sarandon with veteran British actors -- including Peter Cushing, Kenneth More, Nigel Hawthorne, and Barry Morse -- to season the film with Dickensian flair and flavor. As anyone familiar with the novel is aware, love is a central theme -- romantic love, patriotic love, humanitarian love, and in Goddard's film, this theme comes across even when Sarandon does not. Of all of the film versions of A Tale of Two Cities (at least eight), this one is not the best, but neither is it the worst; instead, it is a worthy offering that deserves a look. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide

Synopsis
Chris Sarandon does the "far, far, better thing" when he tackles the dual role of Syndey Carton and Charles Darnay in this Anglo-American TV adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. The ubiquitous producer/screenwriter combination of Norman Rosemont and John Gay was responsible for this lavish, faithful cinemazation of Dickens' multiplotted account of the French Revolution. Featured in the huge cast are Peter Cushing as Dr. Manette, Alice Krige as Lucie Manette, Billie Whitelaw as the vengeful, eternally knitting Madame DeFarge and Barry Morse as the odious aristocrat St. Evremonde. Poignantly, the film also offers the late Kenneth More, making one of his last appearances as Jarvis Lorry, and the magnificent Flora Robson, taking her final bow in the role of Miss Pross. An Emmy nomination went to Olga Lehmann's costume design. A Tale of Two Cities debuted December 2, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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10 Reviews 5 star:  (4) 4 star:  (1) 3 star:  (2) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:  (2)           Average Customer Review (10 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most helpful customer reviews   1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: A Tale of Two Cities, Jul 25 2002 By  John R. Duffer (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews This review is from: Tale of Two Cities (VHS Tape) I was very dissappointed with with this film version and it just did not make the grade - the film is flawed, and the people are flat. I don"t get the feeling I got when watching the original version. Something is wrong...The story line is not right, the people in the roles are not right and therefore are not able to portray the right feelings/emotions. It was all flat and I did not beleive in the people I was watching. I'm sorry, but the best film adaptaton is the 1935 version and I think will always will be! Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   Not the same as the book, but. . . ., Jun 16 2004 By  Ruth Henriquez Lyon (Duluth, Minnesota USA) - See all my reviews       This review is from: Tale of Two Cities (VHS Tape) . . .it was a good watch anyway. Chris Sarandon was outstanding in the roles he played of look-alikes Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton. He captured Carton's sardonic humor well, and evoked his melancholic fatalism and innate dignity with much pathos. A quite elderly Kenneth More put on a great performance as the officious but kindly banker, whose character provided much humorous dialogue. The character of Miss Pross, the sharp-eyed chaperone, was absolutely wonderful. I never expect a movie to follow a novel very closely -- books and films are two completely different art forms and cannot be translated one to the other with good effect. As the movie begins we see the words "Based on the novel by Charles Dickens." With those words we are given fair warning that what is to follow is an interpretation of Dickens' vision. What this film did was capture what is so wonderful about Dickens' novels -- the alternation between the humor and the darkness at the center of much human experience. The scenes were knit together flawlessly, so that a rather complicated plot taking part in two different places came together without confusion or awkward transitions. The pacing was artfully done, and the last 40 minutes or so were very suspenseful. It's too bad the movie received so many bad reviews because it didn't follow the book. I've read the book and found it, like many of Dickens' works, to be wonderful, but also probably inaccessible to many readers. This film takes a good story and opens it up to those who may never open the book. Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   Loved It, Jun 14 2004 By  Mitzie Carvel (Olympia, WA) - See all my reviews This review is from: Tale of Two Cities (VHS Tape) This is my favorite version of A Tale of Two Cities. I do not agree with the review that said it was "flat". I have seen other versions and think Chris Sarandon did an outstanding job. Dickens would be proud Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers:  › See all 10 customer reviews...		Most recent customer reviews not bad at all This video is fine for understanding the basic issues of the French Revolution- I disagree with the above reviews and feel it is a decent follow up to a unit on the Revolution or... Read more Published on May 3 2002 by covespringclar exhilarating it was good at times it was bad at times it was funny at times it was sad at times it was happy at times it was passionate at times but all together it was pretty good. Published on Jul 22 2001 by kelly woodard This movie... As a high school English teacher, I would like to advise students NOT to view this film unless they have read and understand the book. Read more Published on May 25 2001 READ THE BOOK FIRST I have to read the book for an English class and I think that everyone should read the book before they watch the movie Published on Jul 13 2000 A Tale Of Two Cities, Incredible The only bad thing that was done in the movie was the casting of Gaspard, in the book, he is refrenced as a "Tall Joker," while the actor was far shorter than the other... Read more Published on May 18 2000 by asdfasdfasdf Excellent I have recently watched this movie in High School and I loved it. I thought that it was very detailed and real. The actors were incredible and the movie really made me think. Read more