A Tale of Two Cities Dream Cast

Dorothy Tutin and Dirk Bogarde in A Tale of Two Cities (1958)

A Tale of Two Cities is my favorite novel. So, even the whiff of a chance of a rumor that it may be filmed is enough to get me out dream casting. As it is, we're pretty sure that BBC4 will be adapting it soon. It's more than due, since the last TV version was in 1989, and it hasn't been on the big screen since 1958, if we don't count The Dark Knight Rises (which, given the cop-out ending, we don't). The new version is written by Alan Bleasdale, and Netflix might co-produce. There's also a feature film which has been on the shelf for ages. So who knows? Maybe we'll get two, which means there will be lots of thinkpieces from me.

To begin with some minor characters...

True Grit (2010) - Movie Review

In 2010, the Coen Brothers (infamous for such bizarre epics as O Brother Where Art Thou) released True Grit, a remake of a John Wayne movie. What happened next took everyone by surprise: It was a hit. In fact, it pretty much dethroned the original, with its extraordinary blend of moral clarity, black humor, and phenomenal acting.

I have two primary comments.

One, I never knew that Leaning on the Everlasting Arms was such an excellent Western theme song. It should have been obvious.

Two, it’s a crime that Hailee Steinfeld’s name was not on the front of the case. A crime. Only seldom (I think of Christian Bale and Q’orianka Kilcher) have I seen such impressive child acting.

On that note, it’s really Steinfeld (then fourteen), as Mattie Ross, who carries the movie, despite the presence of big names like Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin.