A Canterbury Tale [2 Discs] [Criterion Collection]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

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, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 2
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Screen: Black and White
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Features:
  • cc
  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer
  • Audio commentary by film historian Ian Christie
  • Excerpts from the American version, with Kim Hunter
  • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • New video interview with actress Sheila Sim
  • A Pilgrim's Return, a documentary about John Sweet, by Nick Burton and Eddie McMillan
  • A Canterbury Trail, a new documentary visiting the film locations, by David Thompson
  • Listen to Britain, a 2001 video-installation piece inspired by A Canterbury Tale, by artist Victor Burgin
  • Listen to Britain, a 1942 documentary by Humphrey Jennings
  • A booklet featuring essays by Graham Fuller, Peter von Bagh, and actor John Sweet

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Eric Portman - Thomas Colpepper, J.P.
       Sheila Sim - Alison Smith
       Dennis Price - Sgt. Peter Gibbs
       John Sweet - Bob Johnson
       Charles Hawtrey - Thomas Duckett
       Freda Jackson - Prudence Honeywood
       Hay Petrie - Woodcock
       George Merritt - Ned Horton
       Edward Rigby - Jim Horton
       Betty Jardine - Fee Baker
       Margaret Scudamore - Mrs. Colpeper
       Michael Golden - Sergeant Smale
       John Slater - Sergeant Len
       Michael Howard - Archie
       Charles Paton - Ernie Brooks
       David Todd - David
       Esma Cannon - Agnes
       Leonard Smith - Leslie
       Harvey Golden - Sgt. Roczinsky
       Eric Maturin - Geoffrey's Father
       Anthony Holles - Sergeant Bassett
       Graham Moffatt - Sergeant Stuffy
       James Tamsitt - Terry
       Joss Ambler - Police Inspector
       H.F. Maltby - Mr. Portal
       Judith Furse - Dorothy Bird
       Eliot Makeham - Organist
       Jeanne Shepherd - Gladys Swinton
       Jane Millican - Susanna Foster
       Kim Hunter - Johnson's Girl
       Barbara Waring - Polly Finn
       Beresford Egan - P.C. Ovenden
       Esmond Knight - Narrator/ Seven-Sisters Soldier/ Village Idiot

• Director:

  Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

• Producer:

  Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

• Screenwriter:

  Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

• Cinematographer:

  Erwin Hillier

• Composer (Music Score):

  Allan Gray

• Editor:

  John Seabourne

• Production Designer:

  Alfred Junge

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Desmond Dew, C.C. Stevens

• First Assistant Director:

  George R. Busby

• Camera Operator:

  Cecil Cooney

• Production Manager:

  George Maynard

REVIEW:

• A Canterbury Tale is a marvelous film -- and don't worry, one doesn't need an appreciation for Geoffrey Chaucer to be able to enjoy it. Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger have once again shown how it is possible to work magic in the cinema -- and as with all the best magic, figuring out how it works is pretty darn difficult. By all rights, Canterbury shouldn't be such an absorbing, engrossing and charming piece of work. The story wanders, starting out as one thing, becoming another, and ending a third. It's even structured in three distinct acts, which should make it feel rather stiff. But Canterbury is anything but stiff. It melts, it floats, it simmers, it soars -- and yet it always knows where it's going, even if the viewer isn't always quite so clear. Perhaps the secret to the film's success is that Powell and Pressburger are only tangentially concerned with the actual details of the plot; what they're really interested in is making the gentlest kind of propaganda film, a war film that gets at the heart of why Britain was at that time embroiled in a devastating war. It beautifully, movingly yet never cloyingly explores the very nature of England -- not the country, but the spirit -- to demonstrate why it was worth the lives of so many people. And yet it does this without becoming heavyhanded. There's also plenty of comedy and beauty in Canterbury, not to mention some of Powell and Pressburger's finest cinematic tricks -- including a breathtaking "hawk into plane" transition at the beginning of the film that is simply stunning. The compositions are masterful and dramatic, the cinematography is just about perfect, and the entire effect is simply a joy. Dependable actors such as Eric Portman and Dennis Price give delightful performances and are joined by novice John Sweet, whose unaffected, natural style is a treat. Canterbury must be experienced. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi