The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-12-27
Loew|s Film
Relates Sad
Love Story
Deserves Ranking Among
Best Score OF Movies
From Hollywood.
BY JOHN w. THOMPSON

of JUN w. THOMPSON
The wrong man was sent to the
guiliotine. His head rolled into the
basket along with many artistic
cratic French craniums. Thus ends
"A Tale of Two Cities" now at
Loew's, which, in picture form, as
in novel, is still one of the worlds
saddest tales. The film deserves to
be placed among the best score of
pictures Hollywood has produced.
"A Tale of Two Cities" truly is
big picture: big from a production
standpoint, massive from view of
material covered. In the latter
sense it is not apt to be the lasting
memory David Copperheld" was.
For in sweeping over so vast a field,
it has not had time to deal in de-
tails, either of characters or of facts.
However, the perfection of each
scene is still maintained. The pho
Biography, continuity and chronology
are excellently patterned, and al
though few dates are mentioned, it
to the audience.
The story has been nicely un-
touched. 1t gives one the best-knoWn
characters of the book almost every
school child has had to read, and
puts them into motion picture form
with a delicate plot which lets one
recreate whatever is missing from
the actual run of things.
Colman Is Brightest Star
Ronald Colman as Sidney Carton,
of course, is the brightest of the
stars. His performance seems at times
to drop little into monotony, but
it is Sidney Carton in the best man
ner. He fulfills all our schoolday
qualifications Of the man who gave
his life that his rival might live.
Throughout the picture we found
ourselves pleasantly disturbed by
the fine work of Blanche Yurka, who
plays the role of Madame DeFarge
she who knits while she plots a
revolution. She steals the show in
Old Bailey by refuting DR.. Manette's
patriotic discourse on the merits Of
Charles Darnay, forces the assem-
blage to reconsider and decide to
execute the prisoner.
This is Miss Yurka's first movie,
although she has been in number
of stage hits, including "Hedda Cab
Ter" and 'Lysistrata."
Catlett Also Good
Another gentleman of the movies
who plays his first real dramatic
role, is Walter Catlett, who hitherto
has been seen only behind horn
trimmed spectacles and spouting
cracks in two-reelers. Mr.. Cat
let's portrayal of the four flushing
Barsad, who would spy for any party
who had ready cash, proves that
comedy is not strait jacket for
him.
Elizabeth Allan is better than
usual as the lovely Lucie Manette;
Claude Gillingwater is surprisingly
adept in the part of Jarvis Lorry
Donald Woods, who played leading
roles here in stock with the Casey
players, makes an acceptable Charles
Darnay, and the comedy OF the piece
is ably corralled by Edna May Oliver
as Miss Pross and Reginald Owen
as Mr.. Stryver, Cartons partner.
The villainy of the story is ably
spread about by Basil Rathbone.
Lucie Manette is told by Mr.. Lorry
in the beginning of the picture that
her father, thought dead, is a
prisoner in the Bastille, has been
rescued by his former friends, the
DeFarges. There she meets him,
takes him to England where she
nurses him back to sanity. On the
trip home she meets Charles OAR
nay, falls in love with him, marries
him. In a trial after Mr.. Darnay
has been charged with treason, Mr..
Cartons testimony saves his life and
Lucie is forever grateful. But Sid
ney falls in love with Lucie, too. He
gives up the drinking which has
wrecked his life, takes new hope and
aspiration. When Lucie tells him
she is marrying Charles he goes back
to drink. But he rises from his
ruined state long enough to save
Charles from the revolutionists'
knife.
"A Tale of Two Cities" along with
"David Copperfeld" and "Scrooge"
all Dickens pictures-make up the
best produced trilogy of movies on
the shelf.