A Canterbury Tale
United Kingdom • 1944
Synopsis
Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger • 1944 • United KingdomStarring Eric Portman, Sheila Sim, Dennis Price Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s beloved classic A CANTERBURY TALE is a profoundly personal journey to Powell’s bucolic birthplace of Kent, England. Set amid the tumult of the Second World War, yet with a rhythm as delicate as a lullaby, the film follows three modern-day incarnations of Chaucer’s pilgrims—a melancholy “landgirl,” a plainspoken American GI, and a resourceful British sergeant—who are waylaid in the English countryside en route to the mythical town and forced to solve a bizarre village crime. Building to a majestic climax that ranks as one of the filmmaking duo’s finest achievements, the dazzling A CANTERBURY TALE has acquired a following of devotees passionate enough to qualify as pilgrims themselves.
Synopsis
Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger • 1944 • United KingdomStarring Eric Portman, Sheila Sim, Dennis Price Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s beloved classic A CANTERBURY TALE is a profoundly personal journey to Powell’s bucolic birthplace of Kent, England. Set amid the tumult of the Second World War, yet with a rhythm as delicate as a lullaby, the film follows three modern-day incarnations of Chaucer’s pilgrims—a melancholy “landgirl,” a plainspoken American GI, and a resourceful British sergeant—who are waylaid in the English countryside en route to the mythical town and forced to solve a bizarre village crime. Building to a majestic climax that ranks as one of the filmmaking duo’s finest achievements, the dazzling A CANTERBURY TALE has acquired a following of devotees passionate enough to qualify as pilgrims themselves.
Criterion Closet Pick
(1)
Credits
Crew
WriterMichael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
CinematographerErwin Hillier
ComposerAllan Gray
EditorJohn Seabourne Sr.
ProducerEmeric Pressburger, Michael Powell
Cast
Eric Portmanas Thomas Colpeper, JP
Sheila Simas Alison Smith