A Canterbury Tale [2 Discs] [Criterion Collection]

Director: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger Michael Powell

Overview

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.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/25/2006
UPC:	0715515018920
Original Release:	1944
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	2:04:00
Sales rank:	19,347

Special Features

Closed Caption; 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

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

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

Technical Credits

Michael Powell

Emeric Pressburger

Michael Powell	Director,Screenwriter,Producer
Emeric Pressburger	Director,Screenwriter,Producer
Desmond Dew	Sound/Sound Designer
C.C. Stevens	Sound/Sound Designer

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- A Canterbury Tale: The Film
1. Prologue [5:47]
2. "Next Stop, Canterbury" [7:33]
3. Mr. Colpeper [7:32]
4. The Hand of Glory [9:10]
5. The Wheelwright [6:09]
6. "Things Don't Always Add Up" [5:23]
7. Landgirl [8:23]
8. Colpeper's Lecture [8:07]
9. Village Mystery [3:32]
10. Sticks and Stones [11:18]
11. Salvage Mission [11:05]
12. Miracles [8:41]
13. Higher Courts [8:32]
14. "Always an Organist" [7:27]
15. The Caravan [7:11]
16. Heavenly Messenger [7:31]
17. End Credits [1:19]
1. Literary Connections [5:47]
2. The Three Travelers [7:33]
3. Eric Portman [7:32]
4. Country and City [9:10]
5. Documentary Realism [6:09]
6. A Minor Miracle [5:23]
7. "Hopping" [8:23]
8. "What Is His Message?" [8:07]
9. Alfred Junge [3:32]
10. A Children's World [11:18]
11. Attention to Detail [11:05]
12. The Power of Imagination [8:41]
13. Court of Conscience [8:32]
14. The Cinematic Cathedral [7:27]
15. Neoromanticims [7:11]
16. Yanks in Britain [7:31]
17. End Credits [1:19]

Menu

Disc #1 -- A Canterbury Tale: The Film
   Play the Movie
   Chapters
   Color Bars
   Commentary
      Commentary: Off
      Commentary: On
      Index
      Color Bars
   American Version Excerpts
      Prologue
      Ending Sequence
Disc #2 -- A Canterbury Tale: The Supplements
   Sheila Sim Interview
      Play
   John Sweet: A Pilgrim's Return
      Play
   A Canterbury Trail
      Play
   Listening to Britain
      Burgin Introduction
      Listen to Britain (Burgin)
      Listen to Britain (Jennings)
         Play

Editorial Reviews

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.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler