Synopsis
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.
Cast
| Thomas Colpeper | Eric Portman |
| Alison Smith | Sheila Sim |
| Sgt. Peter Gibb | Dennis Price |
| Sgt. Bob Johnson | Sgt. John Sweet |
| Seven Sisters Soldier/Narrator/Village Idiot | Esmond Knight |
Credits
| Director | Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger |
| Written, produced, and directed by | Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger |
| Cinematography | Erwin Hillier |
| Sound | John Seabourne Sr. |
| Music | Allan Gray |
| Conducted by | Walter Goehr |
| Production Design | Alfred Junge |
Disc Features
SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer
- Audio commentary by film historian Ian Christie
- Excerpts from the American Version, with Kim Hunter
- 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, 2001 video installation piece inspired by A Canterbury Tale, by artist Victor Burgin
- Listen to Britain, a 1942 documentary by Humphrey Jennings
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
- PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by Graham Fuller, Peter von Bagh, and actor John Sweet
From the Current
A Tribute: A Canterbury Tale
by Jul 24, 2006If the most important subjects of film are light and time, I can’t think of a more poignant work than A Canterbury Tale. As seen by the Archers—the writing-directing-production team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger—light and time are the basis of our identity, which happens to be...
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