 |
:
Eric Portman,
Eric Portman,
Sheila Sim,
more...
:
Emeric Pressburger,
Michael Powell,
Emeric Pressburger,
more...
see all cast/crew...
: Criterion
: Drama, Foreign, Suspense/Thriller, British Drama, UK, War, WWII, Criterion Collection
: English
see additional details...
|
|
Set not in the 14th century milieu of Geoffrey Chaucer but in wartime Britain, A Canterbury Tale begins with rural justice of the peace Eric Portman adopting a "lock up your daughters" policy when the American soldiers are stationed nearby. To escape the arbitrary edicts of Portman, British tank sergeant Dennis Price, American GI John Sweet and shopkeeper Sheila Sim head down the road to Canterbury. Each of the principals finds their lives changed by the journey. In particular, Sweet (a real-life American sergeant, rather than the usual stereotyped "yank" common to British war films) encounters genuine romance. A product of the always adventuresome "Archers" (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger), A Canterbury Tale contains some extremely creative cinematic moments, though it is the quieter scenes which work best. Esmond Knight narrates the film and shows up in a couple of amusing cameos. A ubiquitous presence on American TV, Canterbury Tale is available in two versions; the American release version, cut from 124 to 95 minutes and including several arbitrary scenes with Kim Hunter, is the lesser of the two. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
GreenCine Says:
A Canterbury Tale (Criterion) (1944; $29.97). Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger never made a bad film in their many years of collaboration, and this reworking of Chaucer - reset in wartime Britain - is no exception. "Highly recommended," extolls DVD Talk, "an enchanting cinematic parable that inspires and uplifts, reminding contemporary audiences of the struggles of the past and how they may reflect on the present and future." As to be expected from Criterion, the two-disc set is full of lovely extras and illuminating commentaries as well.
|
|
|
|
| A Canterbury Tale (Criterion Collection) (Bonus Disc) (1944) |
 add to list
|
|
|
|
| boooooring
by rtarcher
July 4, 2007 - 3:54 PM PDT
|
|
|
0 out of 4 members found this review helpful
|
i would give this a 1/10 but i thought some of the photography looked nice
i don't know what i expected from this film
but, wow, whatever it was it didn't deliver
and less
it starts off as some kind of halfassed mystery that basically gets solved almost immediately but they spend the next hour plus looking for proof
then the whole mystery gets discarded during the last 45 minutes or so just so that everyone can go to canterbury and get "blessed"
whatever
the whole point of the film is apparently that canterbury is some magical place where everyone's fears/dreams get resolved
i should've turned it off as soon as we realized this was an overlong uneventfully wack film about 15 minutes in |
| One of the best, from two of the best filmmakers, ever.
by talltale
July 30, 2006 - 10:27 AM PDT
|
|
|
3 out of 4 members found this review helpful
|
Here's another rich and wonderful piece of moviemaking from the Powell/Pressburger team--as well as a lovely little time capsule of WWII Britain: the land girls, small town England, and what real patriotism is all about. Watching it now, as America continues to decimate Iraq, forces us to confront the sleazy variety of "patriotism" that much of America and some of Britain are currently experiencing. Made in 1944, while WWII still raged, A CANTERBURY TALE is a discovery as good as anything I've seen from this amazing filmmaking team. Beginning with a lovely link to Chaucer's tales, then using a quick cut that ought to remind you of something Stanley Kubrick is now heralded for doing (though he did it nearly a quarter-century later!), it moves ahead to tell the story of four people whose paths cross to a purpose.
Full of quiet surprise and a lead character (played by Eric Portman) who is enormously problematic, the film makes you look, listen, think and feel intently. For me, cinema can't provide much more. As the movie seems to meander along, it is actually picking up an enormous head of steam which will--at the end--let loose a blast of patriotism, pride, beauty, sound, architecture and spirituality. Regarding the latter, I do not refer to the fact that the finale is set in a cathedral--as beautiful and symbolic as this one may be. This film rises above any stricture of creed because of the honest humanism of its creators.
This is a "war film," as it appears from the view of civilians who remain at home. Among other things, it shows that, while a civilian population in wartime must give up a great deal (concerning Iraq, this is something American at home have yet to do), the rewards can be commensurate. This astonishing film stands, after more than sixty years, as one of those rewards. |
|
|
More reviews for titles in this product:
|
|
|
|
Your cart
© 2006 All Media Guide, LLC. Portions of content provided by All Movie Guide®,
a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.