Jim

Cheers Fell - now I know!

Good morning boys.

Steve Crook

And then, after AMOLAD, they made some really dramatic films
But AMOLAD is still my personal favourite.

Steve

Clinton Morgan

Young devil!

Steve Crook

Would you repeat the question? It, erm, had "enamored" in it.

Steve

Clinton Morgan

Thanks Steve, that made me chuckle. I'm watching 'Black Narcissus' tonight. Court in session and all that.

clearview

I first saw A Canterbury Tale some ten years or so ago and was unable to grasp just what an amazing film it is. I have since watched it many more times and have also read the account of the film in Paul Trittons book of the same name.

Although the 'glueman' storyline is rather 'surreal' the film can be credited with giving the viewer a fascinating and somewhat 'magical' view of England in the early war years.

Much can be attributed to its patriotism and naivety for making this unique amongst British films.

Patriotism is not considered PC now but goodnes knows how this nation would have survived without it. A Canterbury Tale is if nothing else, something from which we can learn

Steve Crook

What, a man going out at night and squirting a sticky fluid onto women's heads?
What's strange about that?
The first draft of the script had Colpeper going out and slashing the girl's dresses.

It's not a "whodunnit", the culprit is given away quite early on.
It's more like a "whydunnit".

And the landscape is almost like another character. Especially as most films at the time were made entirely in the studio.

Steve

Clinton Morgan

Aren't sections of the cathedral set blown up photographs? They look like it to me. It doesn't make the film look fake in fact the two dimensionality of it all creates an otherworldly atmosphere. I also like rear projection shots when movie characters are driving cars. I now watch 'Black Narcissus' and mentally point out the paintings.*

Even though I know it is in a studio I still believe that they are in Canterbury Cathedral the same way I still believe that Roger and Wendy are on that small Scottish island.

<span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%">*Not in a mocking way of course. I might discuss this at length in the 'Black Narcissus' thread. I believe that the sections of the set that obviously look like paintings are meant to look like paintings due to the film's mood.</span>

Steve Crook

The shots of the Cathedral screen, between the nave and the choir do look a bit too much like the photographs or paintings that they are. But what about the shots where Peter goes in the South door and follows the organist up the stairs. That whole area was re-created in the studio but still fools some Cathedral guides into thinking that it was filmed in the Cathedral.

In fact they couldn't film inside the Cathedral. The Dean wouldn't give permission and anyway, all the stained glass windows had been removed. But there is one shot, sneaked with a hand-held camera, of the roof inside the real Cathedral.

The Town Hall is based on the Town Hall at Fordwich, the smallest Town Hall in Britain. But that was too small to get the cameras and lights inside, so they rebuilt that in the studio.

In Black Narcissus, there are more paintings than you might suspect. Not just the mountains and the amazing vertiginous drop below the bell tower. The buildings of "St. Faith's" were only made with one storey. The rest is added with hanging miniatures.

Steve

Fellwanderer

And I've now discovered thanks to another member that I'm "A Man of Kent"

I discovered A Canterbury Tale a couple of years ago and it has developed quite a hold on me.

For most films, from the unbelievably poor through to the excellent, I find my general impression of them doesn't alter too much - though the poor I do my best to forget about and ignore in future.

A Canterbury Tale is different. I'll admit I didn't think it was great when I first saw it but I was most definitely wrong. It seemed to get under my skin and, despite now having it on dvd, I can't resist trying to watch it every time it is shown and my rating for it goes up every time.

A masterpiece

FELL

samkydd

There was a semi-porno film called The Canterbury Tales with a naked Tom Baker romping around the screen. Remembering the images I can see why he is now in Little Briton!

"...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"

Clinton Morgan

I've never seen that but isn't that the one by Pasolini with Robin Askwith in it as well? Pasolini also adapted 'The Arabian Nights' and 'The Decameron'. The latter book influenced Geoffrey Chaucer to write 'A Canterbury Tales'. On the Imdb it mentions that a modern version of 'The Decameron' is being directed by David Leland with 'Little Britain's' David Walliams in a role.

Steve Crook

Yes, Tom Baker was in the Pier Paolo Pasolini version I Racconti di Canterbury (1972), as was Robin Askwith.
It has moments of interest - but not too many of them.

Steve

Rob Compton

Let me guess Steve - you watched it purely in the name of P & P research!

rgds
Rob

samkydd

We did the book at school and that was enough for me! Couldn't understand a word of it! What with that, Homer's Illiad and Macbeth no wonder we loathed the subject at the time! All the good books in the world and we had to have our GCE exam based on the ones that weren't written in English!

I may try and see this film though just to see what Chaucer was running on about!

"...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"