The film, “A Tale of Two Cities”, is unique in its portrayal of the French Revolution alongside a Britain that has recovered from its own Civil War. This contrast helps demonstrate the gravity of the consequences of actions taking during the liberal and radical phases of the French Revolution. The context the film gives of the French Revolution by paralleling Paris and London as well as the discussions of the American Revolution and beliefs at that time help establish a larger picture of the events in 17th and 18th century Europe. The film also showed the English courts and lifestyle associated with London along with French destitution. The comparison between the different groups of society in each country really help students like myself get a grasp on all of the complex and complicated events before, and during the French Revolution. Finally, “A Tale of Two Cities” accurately portrayed the time period it was set in through the fashion, beliefs, historical events, and common opinions of political figures at that time.

In the film "A Tale of Two Cities", the film or filmmaker appeared to have the definite message and point of view that "an eye for an eye and the whole world is blind". At the beginning of the film, the peasants in France are depicted as destitute all because of the oppression they live in under the aristocrats. The cruelty of the cold-hearted aristocrats is shown through Charles Darnay's Uncle, the Monseigneur St. Evremonde, as he dismisses the horrors inflicted on the peasantry with the line "hunger is an indulgence for these peasants". In addition to this, the Marquis, after running a child over in his carriage, blamed the peasants for not being able to take care of themselves let alone their children, even going as far as to express more concern for the damage that may have been caused to his horses. The Marquis is portrayed as a self-involved, inconsiderate villain. Viewing the peasants as swine and lecturing anyone he came across who sympathized with the impoverished peasants, calling them in a derogatory manner "humanitarians", as well as taxing the peasants to starvation simply for his perfume and monkeys at parties is what ultimately resulted in the Marquis' death. This villainy, however, almost paled in comparison to the horrors of the French Revolution.

One of the most vivid scenes was in the mock "courtroom". The peasant "Judge" along with his "jury" dismissing the lives of other fellow citizens; no evidence provided, based purely on emotion, and finalizing these people's lives with the "casual" verdict of "GUILTY! Death within 48 hours". This court looks ridiculous and is the grave of justice when compared to the court in England. The revolutionaries claimed "liberty, equality, and fraternity" but they stripped the privileges of their own countrymen, imprisoned them based on nothing but a relation of minor sorts to an "aristo", and then murdered them. All the while cheering and jeering. The film shows how the revolutionaries, after a lifetime of oppression had no compassion or pity for the lives they left in ruin in the wake of their witch hunt for "aristos". The mob rule was shown for what it was at its beginning, with an opening screen of flames and a guillotine. The Revolutionaries contradict themselves and Lucie's father, Dr. Manette, when they proclaim "Death to the Aristos!" , "Death to all their friends!",  "Death to all their servants!",  and finally, "Death to the innocent", all of this was against what Dr. Manette had learned through his suffering in the Bastille, "Don't punish the innocent". This scene shows that the revolutionaries had fallen to the level of their "enemies", and their end goal of simply justice had fallen out of sight as well.

Both sides, uncaring and wealthy aristocrats and the bloodthirsty peasants, tore apart families such as Charles Darnay and his wife Lucy's family, and the Madame Defarge's family, when she was a young girl. Through all of this, the film, "A Tale of Two Cities", is able to expertly show the message "an eye for an eye and the whole world is blind" as the two opposing forces: oppressed and oppressor, interchanging throughout the film and throughout the tale of the French Revolution, wound each other and attempt revenge. I agree with the message of the film: "an eye for an eye and the whole world is blind" because as stated earlier, the bloodthirstiness of the mob of peasants resulted in the unnecessary shedding of innocent blood. While the peasants did suffer under the oppression of the aristocracy, they, in turn, became the villains and the oppressors, allowing the thrill of the revolution and the mob mentality to carry them so far away from their true goal of justice and safety. While the film was dramatized, it in no way exaggerated the onslaught of meaningless killings that resulted from the French Revolution. I feel as though the message the film portrayed accurately depicted the reality of both human nature and from that, the French Revolution.

In “A Tale of Two Cities”, the filmmakers used poverty and crime to send the message of France’s decline to the audience. Two events in the film that really stood out to me, and truly showed the desperation the French peasants felt prior to the Storming of the Bastille, are when a barrel of wine breaks in the street, and the riot in the street over meat being fed to Evremonde’s dogs in front of starving peasants. These scenes are not only heart wrenching as children sip filthy handfuls of wine, scooped from the squalor of the road, from their father’s shaking hands, and women are trampled by horses as they desperately cling to meat they ripped from dogs, but are also disgusting to the very human spirit when immediately afterwards the “aristos” hold a feast with pet monkeys and lavish foods, most of which would be wasted while the nobles gorge themselves.

Meanwhile, in England, the film depicts the fashion and beliefs of Englishmen through characters discussing George Washington and his significance, as well as the Puritan fashion with pious clothing and the classic puritan hat. The film also demonstrates the non-puritan fashion of wealthier families with elegant gowns and suits, and wigs. Also mentioned in the film is the still present divide between the two major sects of Christianity: Catholicism and Protestantism, that had resulted from the Protestant Reformation and Luther’s 95 Theses. In the film, while the English Protestants are going to Christmas Mass, one of the ladies (Posse) mentions how bankers and Frenchmen are atheists. This reflects the negative opinion English Protestants have of French Catholics.
“A Tale of Two Cities” effectively organizes and displays the complex events of the French Revolution with title screens, locations and dates, as well as dramatic imagery. The key events in the film such as the storming of the Bastille, execution of nobility, and reactions of other European powers to the horror of the French Revolution are accurately portrayed and follow not only the book by Charles Dickens to a tee but also history itself. The very end of the film conveys the pointless bloodshed of innocent lives as the camera pans up over the guillotine and Sydney Carton can be heard welcoming death as he finds sanctuary in protecting the people he loves and making use of the life that he has so far wasted, saying, “it’s a far better thing I do than I have ever done. It’s a far better rest I go to than I have ever known”.

Sydney Carton represents the flippancy of the English and other European states at the beginning of the French Revolution through his half-hearted and drunken attempt in his treason case involving Charles Darnay. Throughout the film, however, Sydney grows to understand the gravity of his choices and ultimately changes because of his affectionate friendship with Lucie, eventually abandoning his drinking habits. The goodness of Darnay and Lucie allow Sydney to see the reality of other people and then take action. Similar to this, as the French Revolution grew more and more violent, outside European powers came to realize its importance and danger to them.

The film “A Tale of Two Cities” portrays the historical events of the French Revolution along with the emotions and opinions of everyday citizens by effectively presenting the relationships and drama from Charles Dickens’ book. The filmmakers are careful to impress upon the audience the gravity of the events taking place, showing the destruction of humanity as the victims become the villains. Finally, the film ties the historical context, fashion, beliefs, and political opinions of both late 18th century France and Britain, up into a neat bow. A period in history as complicated as the French Revolution could easily have its details lost to the audience, however, the filmmakers and Charles Dickens masterfully combine elements of regular storyline plots with history, yielding the film, “A Tale of Two Cities”.