The Best of Times - The Worst of Times…
“…it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us... In short, it was a period very like the present...”
One of my favorite characters in literature is Sidney Carton - the drunken barrister from A Tale of Two Cities written by Charles Dickens in 1859. I was first introduced to him as a child watching the 1936 film adaptation starring the wonderful Ronald Colman.
Ronald Colman (1891 – 1958) was an amazingly successful British actor whom after being severely wounded in World War I, found first success on the British stage and in silent film. He then traveled across the pond and was loved by American audiences as well for four decades.
He could play anything from an intellectual to a swashbuckler – I really recommend checking out all of his films - he had a great screen presence and was famous for his faraway look. When the talkies came he luckily had “the velvet voice,” so he moved into that era more popular than ever as a favorite leading man.
He has lived in me since the first instant I discovered him in the pages of the novel.
For most of his career, he had wanted to play Sidney Carton. His fans were used to his characters being complicated. Here he falls in love with the beautiful Lucie Manette but her heart belongs to Charles Darnay – the handsome, honorable French aristocrat who has rejected his rank just before the French Revolution and moved to London.
As in all works by Charles Dickens there are many great characters but I’m going to focus on the love triangle. In the novel Charles Darnay and Sidney Carton were exact opposites in character but were identical in appearance.
In other productions, the same actor plays both parts but Ronald Colman insisted on only playing Sidney. It ended up being the best decision because the audience was much more emotionally attached to him in the end - it is known for being the best version.
Sidney’s character arc is my favorite kind – the cynical man who has given up on ever being a model citizen. He has every reason to not be happy as he has no wife, no aristocratic status.
Although he is a brilliant barrister, it doesn’t help him find a place in good society. He’s given up hope of finding a purpose to his meaningless life until he meets Charles and Lucie when he successfully defends Charles after he’s been falsely accused of spying.
He witnesses Lucie’s love for Charles and gets a glimpse into what he's missing. Lucie is grateful to Sidney and being a faithful Christian, she decides to befriend him and try to show him a happier path.
During a beautiful scene in church at Christmas, Sidney watches her pray for him. Ronald Colman is brilliant as it highlights his strength from the silent era... not a word is spoken but you see he doesn't feel he deserves her prayers but yet is so moved by her advocacy for him to God that his own Faith begins to be restored.
Over the years he visits as a friend of the family and becomes a favorite “uncle” to Lucy and Charles’s daughter. One day Sidney confesses to Lucie that because of his love for her, given the opportunity he would make “any sacrifice in this world, I would give my life to keep those you love near you.” Lucie is very moved and says she hopes he never has to make good on that vow.
(Spoiler Alert - I Share the Ending!)
As the story progresses Charles is later arrested in Paris and sentenced to the guillotine, swept up in the madness that was the French Revolution and because of his connection to his aristocratic uncle who is hated by the bloodthirsty Madame Defarge who knits while those she hates lose their heads - all hope is lost to set him free.
Sidney sees this as a perfect opportunity to make good on his promise to Lucie. He travels to Paris, conspires behind the scenes to get into Charles’s cell, renders him unconscious and switches clothes. The guards then remove “Sidney Carton" and Charles is then reunited with his family.
As Sidney waits in his cell, there is a calmness about him because for the first time in his life, he’s made a selfless decision, one out of love. He trusts that his sacrifice will bring him in Favor with God and hopefully, his past sins will be forgiven, giving him Everlasting Life.
IMHO God sends him a sign just before his execution by introducing him to an innocent, frightened seamstress who is but one before him in line.
She knows he’s not Charles, the only one in the world who knows his secret. He reassures her that there is a heaven and that they both will be there together very soon as they are lead to the guillotine. She says she can be strong because of his bravery and he tells her to look only at him until she is taken away.
As he walks up the stairs, he’s at peace – a man who has found his purpose.
“It’s a far, far better thing I do than I have ever done. It’s a far, far better rest I go to, than I have ever known.”
He's confident and comforted in knowing that Lucie will always hold him in her heart, grateful to him knowing how much he loved her. As she and her husband grow old and her child grows up, she’ll know that the only reason, they were able to live out their lives was because of Sidney’s beautiful selfless sacrifice.
This movie clearly illustrates how quickly a civilization can dissolve into hate, anger and vindictiveness as this film vividly illustrates the Terror. Yet another reason to be grateful for our Founding Fathers in the US for setting up a system that kept things from going out of control.
The concept of self sacrifice and redemption is throughout religion, mythology and the arts. It’s a fascinating and complex idea promoting how our lives are connected and valuable. Sydney Carton is a classic example of how an individual can find meaning through faith and love in the midst of chaos and death.
It’s a beautiful film that I highly recommend for the family - a lot of good conversation will come of it!!
