A Canterbury Tale details
| Format: | U DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Hay Petrie, Esmond Knight, Eric Portman, Sheila Sim, Charles Hawtrey, George Merritt, Edward Rigby, Dennis Price |
| Directors: | Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell |
| Genre: | Drama - Historical, War |
| Studio: | ITV STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
A Canterbury Tale |
U Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 59 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 11 Oct 1999 |
| Main languages: | English |
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Most helpful review
Prime Cut Powell and Pressburger
By Chunkysimon (44 reviews) from Falkirk , 09 Sep 2004[Highly rated reviewer]
Powell and Pressburger as part of the British Film industry were encouraged to support the war effort in WW2 via their films. All of them are worth watching. None of them are the standard Flagwaver that Churchill was looking for apparently.
So in this film they wrote a story of rural England almost undisturbed by the War which was raging around them. Well almost. It follows the story of an American, a Landgirl and a British Soldier investigating the 'Glueman'. There are so many things which I love about this film that it's hard to know what to say.
It just shows a love of the rural environment which is evident in many of their films. But also there's the mystery of life that comes from people living together. Then there's the idea that people can live together and work together for a goal.
Maybe the best thing for me is the sense of Spirituality that pervades this film. I can't recommend it highly enough really.
I went to Canterbury about 7 years ago, and I recognised the same Canterbury in the film. So maybe in some ways the rural life did survive just as the film suggests.
My only word of warning is that you might not like it if you are looking for an Ealing Comedy Style film, or a proper war picture. Try Passport to Pimlico and Mrs Miniver for that.- Was this review helpful to you?
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(29)Utterly charming wartime tale
By Electricvic (84 reviews) from London , 13 Oct 2012I'm not sure whether this wartime Powell and Pressburger film angered the establishment the way their previous effort, the great Colonel Blimp, did. I doubt it, because the film ticks all the propaganda boxes: England (or at least Kent) is well fed and happy, taking the threat of bombing and wartime displacement in its stride, while visiting Americans are warmly welcomed as cousins from over the water.
I don't mean to disparage A Canterbury Tale by calling it propaganda - it's far better than that. It may be black and white, but it's a modern film, where the tales of the three protagonists - US and British sergeants (played by Sgt John Sweet and Dennis Price), and a land girl (Sheila Sim) - are set against the backdrop of an ancient landscape where Chaucer's Canterbury pilgrims passed 600 years before. The plot is fairly odd - a small town is plagued by night-time attacks on women by the Glue Man, so-called because he pours glue in their hair - but it's totally free of sentimentality.
The war, it's saying, is a moment in history, and long after it's over, England will still be here.
Interesting note: Sweet, who wasn't a professional actor, donated his fee for the film to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.- Was this review helpful to you?
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A mystic paean to England and her ways
By bolshie (10 reviews) , 01 Aug 2012[Highly rated reviewer]
This unusual film may have been meant to remind the troops why England was worth fighting for, but there is nothing cynical or jingoistic about it. The War is a looming presence in the background, but rather than providing moments of dashing drama it is the impact on the human scale, such as a G. I. distressed by a lack of letters from his girl back home, that is the focus.
Beautifully shot, with a strong, understated performance by the entire cast, it slowly wends through a rather dotty plot to give a compelling picture of an England that endures, strengthened through her links to the past.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Strange, but nice
By Barnseytheclaret (190 reviews) from Sheffield , 31 Aug 2010THis film is hard to fathom! What it is trying to say seems just out of reach, and yet that doesn't seem to affect one's enjoyment of it! I think the cinematography is excellent for the era, and fans of b+w films should give it a go.- Was this review helpful to you?
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sentiment v sentimentality
By Zamy (552 reviews) from London , 16 Mar 2009This look at life in Kent during World War 2 puzzled audiences at its 1943 release. Over the years it has grown in stature and is now accepted as one of the masterworks to come from Powell and Pressburger. If the rather bizarre story does lead to some head-scratching this is soon set aside in admiration for the spellbinding filming which draws a fascinating picture of life in Kent particularily as it effects a visiting American serviceman. Human sentiment is to the fore and roundly wins over sentimentality as English and American meet and get to know each other. A life-enhancing film.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Strange but inspiring
By a customer from Leicester , 04 Feb 2009From a gentler age but in a tougher time (WWII) this film does what so many fail to do today. It lifts the spirits and gives hope.
Powell & Pressburger of course with all their hallmark touches of gentleness mixed with strength.
I recommend this if you are fed up with Hollywood CGI and Hong Kong flying fists.- Was this review helpful to you?
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