PRIVATE SCREENING

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 183, 1 May 1936, Page 16

PRIVATE SCREENING

gCREENED privately in Wellington a few nights agio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s screen adaptation of the famous Charles Dickens story, “A Tale of Two Cities,” held its audience spellbound from start to finish. With Ronald Colman, at the very top of his form, as Sydney Carton, the cast includes Elizabeth Allan as Lucie Mauette, Edna Maj- Oliver (who almost walks away with the show) as Miss Pross, Donald Woods as Charles Darnay, and Blanche Yurka, who gives an outstanding performance as the vengeance-seeking Madame de Farge. Every member of the cast gives a flawless performance, even those who have but tiny parts. The settings surpass anything seen for many years, and not since the days of "Intolerance ’ and “Ben Hur” have there been such enormous mob scenes. Another thing that is remarkable about the film is the amazing attention to detail, and in this respect the show is faultless. The picture is said to have been two years in production, a fact that one can readily appreciate when one sees the enormous amount of work that has been put into it. “A Tale of Two Cities” is a triumph for its cast, its producer and its director.