MovieChat Forums > A Tale of Two Cities (1935) Discussion > Elizabeth Allan .... Lucie Manette

Elizabeth Allan .... Lucie Manette

posted 18 years ago by krawczykk20
10 replies | jump to latest

Elizabeth Allan, who played Lucie Manette, has to be one of the lovelist actresses ever to appear in Hollywood, during the silver-screen days. At a time when there was a push for ugly tomboys and androgynous actresses (a trend that's never really gone away, in Hollywood), Elizabeth Allan was a stunning example of true femininity and beauty. Even today, there are few actresses who are this attractive. It's a shame that she didn't have a more notable Hollywood career.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] edwagreen 17 years ago

Guess what? In real life her daughter was Elizabeth Montgomery. Allan was married at one time to Robert Montgomery.
Allan was gorgeous in the film, I grant that. However, what about the hags, Blanche Yurka, Edna May Oliver and a youthful Isabel Jewell? They were some actresses!

[–] rdbzhch-1 17 years ago

According to IMDb the woman who was married to Robert Montgomery was named 'Elizabeth Bryan Allen'. Her last name was spelled 'Allen' not 'Allan'. They could be the same person, however it is not likely.

rdb.

[–] d.doherty 17 years ago

Further, Montogomery was not married to the Elizabeth Allan who was the Duke's leading lady in "Donovan's Reef"(1962).

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] alisotom 10 years ago

Elizabeth Allan was married to Wilfred J O'Bryen for 45 years, her one and only spouse, not to Robert Montgomery.

[–] rrb 15 years ago

It would've helped if she'd been able to act.

[–] vinidici 10 years ago

It would've helped if she'd been able to act.

What, exactly, do you find that's so inadequate about Miss Allan's performance in this? The character she's playing is a beautiful and religiously devout woman. How is she not able to execute the the part to your liking? If they had wanted scenery-chewing Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer or Myrna Loy as Lucie, they would have used any of these MGM contract actresses.

Okay folks, show's over, nothing to see here!

[–] ecjones1951 9 years ago

As lovely as Ms. Allan was, she was rather one-dimensional as an actress. Granted, this role didn't call for her to be anything more than sweet and kind, but she played similar roles in a similar fashion over a long career. She was not horrible, not God-awful, not an embarrassment, none of those things. She didn't need to chew the scenery to be effective, but given that she has two men vying for her hand, her character might be expected to have more depth.

[–] vinidici 9 years ago

But the depth of Miss Allan's character wasn't among the main priorities of the director, the screenwriter or even Charles Dickens himself. She (Lucie) is simply a straightforward character serving as the catalyst for much of the action in the narrative and for the motivation behind other characters like Carton, Darnay and Miss Pross.

This film didn't NEED a screen diva as Lucie, only an attractive woman who could competently perform her scenes; and Elizabeth Allan delivered the goods in those respects.