A Tale of Two Cities

Taking shelter in the tavern is Sydney Carton and Lucie Manette. This is their first meeting. Lucie Manette, a young woman who has been raised as an orphan and a ward of Tellson's bank, has learned that her father is alive and has recently been released from prison after eighteen years of unjust incarceration. She is traveling to the French suburb of Saint Antoine with Mr. Jarvis Lorry, a longtime Tellson's employee who had managed her father's affairs before his imprisonment. They find her father at the home of Ernest Defarge, a former domestic of Dr. Manette's who has housed the doctor since his release. Though her father is teetering on the brink of insanity, she solemnly vows that she will be true to him and devote her life to helping him recover himself.

Directed by Oota Tetsunori, A Tale of Two Cities leans on a strong ensemble — Jun Sena, Ayabuki Mao, Sakurano Ayane — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 2003.