RALPH THOMAS

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBB.5

United Kingdom, 1958.  The Rank Organisation.  Screenplay by T.E.B. Clarke, based on the novel by Charles Dickens.  Cinematography by Ernest Steward.  Produced by Betty E. Box.  Music by Richard Addinsell.  Production Design by Carmen Dillon.  Costume Design by Beatrice Dawson.  Film Editing by Alfred Roome.  

Faithful adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel isn’t up to the brilliance of the 1935 version with Ronald Colman but is a strong rendering all the same. Dirk Bogarde is the freewheeling barrister who gets involved in the French Revolution for the love of a beautiful woman (Dorothy Tutin), whose aristocrat lover (Paul Guers) is the target of angry peasants. Beautiful period detail and terrific acting from the entire cast (including an early appearance by Christopher Lee as a tyrannical landowner) make for a memorable experience.