Production Year: 1944 - Drama - Director: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Charles Hawtrey, George Merritt, Edward Rigby, Hay Petrie, Eric Portman, Sheila Sim, Dennis Price, Esmond Knight more
While World War II rages, an American G.I. and three Britons find themselves en route to the hallowed cathedral on the same Pilgrims' way taken by travelers some 600 years before... more
A Canterbury Tale (1944)
This compelling drama by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger ('A Matter Of Life And ... more
Death', 'The Red Shoes') is now acknowledged as one of their finest films.Their reworking of one of the tales from Chaucer's 14th century epic, largely set in wartime Kent, centres on American army sergeant John Smith, British soldier Dennis Price and landgirl Sheila Sim who, before making a modern-day pilgrimage to Canterbury, solve the bizarre mystery of a man who pours glue over the hair of village girls at night.
to celebrate the Criterion Collection's growing DVD legacy of Powell and Pressburger classics. Originally conceived as good-natured propaganda to support the British-American alliance of World War II, the film became something truly special in the hands of the Archers (a.k.a. writer/director/producers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger). Taking its literary cues from Chaucer's titular classic, it begins with a prologue that harkens back to Chaucer's time before match-cutting to present-day August of 1943, with the night-time arrival of U.S. Army Sgt. Bob Johnson (played with folksy charm by John Sweet, an actual American GI) on the shadowy platform of Canterbury station in the magically rural county of Kent (where Powell was born and raised). He is soon joined by two fellow train passengers: Alison Smith (Sheila Sim), a brashly independent recruit in the British Woman's Land Army; and Peter Gibbs (Dennis Price), a sergeant in the royal Army, and before long they're tracking clues to find "the glue man", a mysterious figure who's been pouring "the sticky stuff" on unsuspecting women as the midnight hour approaches. Their investigation leads to Thomas Colpeper (Eric Portman), a village squire whose local slide-shows celebrate life in an idyllic rural England threatened by wartime change. As Graham Fuller writes in an observant mini-essay that accompanies this DVD, is this a whodunit? Historical documentary? War film? Rustic comedy? It's all these and so much more: As photographed in glorious black and white by Erwin Hiller (faithfully preserved by one of Criterion's finest high-definition digital transfers),A Canterbury Talehas an elusive, magical quality that encompasses its trio of Canterbury "pilgrims" and translates into a an elusive, spiritually uplifting sense of elation that has made it an all-time favorite among film lovers around the world.--Jeff Shannon
to celebrate the Criterion Collection's growing DVD legacy of Powell and Pressburger classics. Originally conceived as good-natured propaganda to support the British-American alliance of World War II, the film became something truly special in the hands of the Archers (a.k.a. writer/director/producers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger). Taking its literary cues from Chaucer's titular classic, it begins with a prologue that harkens back to Chaucer's time before match-cutting to present-day August of 1943, with the night-time arrival of U.S. Army Sgt. Bob Johnson (played with folksy charm by John Sweet, an actual American GI) on the shadowy platform of Canterbury station in the magically rural county of Kent (where Powell was born and raised). He is soon joined by two fellow train passengers: Alison Smith (Sheila Sim), a brashly independent recruit in the British Woman's Land Army; and Peter Gibbs (Dennis Price), a sergeant in the royal Army, and before long they're tracking clues to find "the glue man", a mysterious figure who's been pouring "the sticky stuff" on unsuspecting women as the midnight hour approaches. Their investigation leads to Thomas Colpeper (Eric Portman), a village squire whose local slide-shows celebrate life in an idyllic rural England threatened by wartime change. As Graham Fuller writes in an observant mini-essay that accompanies this DVD, is this a whodunit? Historical documentary? War film? Rustic comedy? It's all these and so much more: As photographed in glorious black and white by Erwin Hiller (faithfully preserved by one of Criterion's finest high-definition digital transfers),A Canterbury Talehas an elusive, magical quality that encompasses its trio of Canterbury "pilgrims" and translates into a an elusive, spiritually uplifting sense of elation that has made it an all-time favorite among film lovers around the world.--Jeff Shannon
to celebrate the Criterion Collection's growing DVD legacy of Powell and Pressburger classics. Originally conceived as good-natured propaganda to support the British-American alliance of World War II, the film became something truly special in the hands of the Archers (a.k.a. writer/director/producers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger). Taking its literary cues from Chaucer's titular classic, it begins with a prologue that harkens back to Chaucer's time before match-cutting to present-day August of 1943, with the night-time arrival of U.S. Army Sgt. Bob Johnson (played with folksy charm by John Sweet, an actual American GI) on the shadowy platform of Canterbury station in the magically rural county of Kent (where Powell was born and raised). He is soon joined by two fellow train passengers: Alison Smith (Sheila Sim), a brashly independent recruit in the British Woman'sLand Army; and Peter Gibbs (Dennis Price), a sergeant in the royal Army, and before long they're tracking clues to find "the glue man", a mysterious figure who's been pouring "the sticky stuff" on unsuspecting women as the midnight hour approaches. Their investigation leads to Thomas Colpeper (Eric Portman), a village squire whose local slide-shows celebrate life in an idyllic rural England threatened by wartime change. As Graham Fuller writes in an observant mini-essay that accompanies this DVD, is this a whodunit? Historical documentary? War film? Rustic comedy? It's all these and so much more: As photographed in glorious black and white by Erwin Hiller (faithfully preserved by one of Criterion's finest high-definition digital transfers),A Canterbury Talehas an elusive, magical quality that encompasses its trio of Canterbury "pilgrims" and translates into a an elusive, spiritually uplifting sense of elation that has made it an all-time favorite among film lovers around the world.--Jeff Shannon
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Production Year: 1981 - Drama - Director: Franco Zeffirelli - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Brooke Shields, Martin Hewitt, Shirley Knight, Don Murray, Richard Kiley, Penelope Milford, Beatrice Straight
While World War II rages, an American G.I. and three Britons find themselves en route to the hallowed cathedral on the same Pilgrims' way taken by travelers some 600 years before and reported in Chaucer's epic poem.
Advantages: First rate entertainment Disadvantages: Not a single one!
...Canterbury really come to life, especially through the medium of this DVD.
The characters are in turns venal, crass, rude, diplomatic, churlish, bombastic, chivalrous, angry and friendly as they each tell their own tales on the long trek that made up the pilgrimage. And they are all vividly and sharply drawn. From life, or so it seems. We both seemed to recognise the characters in people that we know or knew at one time or another.
The vocal talents are provided by the crème de la crème of British acting of stage, cinema screen and television. Sean Bean, Richard Griffiths, Robert Lindsay, Tim McInnery, Bill Nighy, Bob Peck, Liz Smith and Imelda Staunton all feature on this superlative DVD.
The tales shown on the DVD are: The Squire's tale, the Cannon's Servant's tale, the Miller's tale, The Reeve's tale, The Nun's Priest's tale...
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Advantages: A true classic of the English language Disadvantages: In Middle English without translation, it can be difficult to read
...In Chaucer's work, 'The CanterburyTales', perhaps the greatest of English literary works from the period of the language known as Middle English, there is one particular piece that have always stood out for me.
'A Clerk ther was of Oxenford also,'
This is perhaps my favourite character, as when I first read it, it seemed to epitomise what I hoped for in my own life.
'That unto logik hadde longe y-go.
....
For him was lever have at his beddes heed
Twenty bokes, clad in blak or reed,
Of Aristotle and his philosophye,
Than robes riche, of fithele, or gay sautrye,
But al be that he was a philosophre,
Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre,
But al that he mighte of his freendes hente,
On bokes and on lerninge he it spente,
and bisily gan for the soules preye
Of hem that yaf him wherwith to scoleye.
....
...gladly wolde...
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Advantages: "Between a jest and a joke? Disadvantages: ? many a truth can be told."
...The CanterburyTales (1972)
►►►main menu◄◄◄
1. Play film
2. Select chapter
3. Also available: other films by the same director that are available on DVD.
4. Director?s biography
5. Weblink: www.bfi.org.uk
►►►language◄◄◄
Italian with English subtitles. Did I mention that before? The Italian language is CHARMING!
►►►running time◄◄◄
107 minutes.
►►►chapter division◄◄◄
1. credits
2. prologue
3. the merchant?s tale
4. the friar?s tale
5. the cook?s tale
6. the miller?s tale
7. the wife of bath
8. the reeve?s tale
9. the pardoner?s tale
10. the summoner?s tale
11. epilogue
►►►story AND notes◄◄◄
It is easier to follow...
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very helpful 10.06.2007
(05.08.2007)
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