I love Powell and Pressburger's films, especially Black Narcissus, A Matter of Life and Death, The Red Shoes, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp and The Thief of Baghdad. A Canterbury Tale is no exception, in fact it is every bit as wonderful as those films. Essentially it is gentle, it is sweet-natured and it is beautiful, but it is also thought-provoking and atmospheric with eerie tone shifts. As to be expected, the production values in this film is absolutely exquisite, as skilled as the photography is, it is the scenery that really delights, while Allan Gray's music is very nice. The script is good on the whole, and the story(a re-think of Chaucer?) may be peculiar on paper but actually it is nothing of the kind. Instead it is well-structured, beautiful and most importantly it impresses as a study of a community resistance to change, and I admit I was moved by this film. The direction is great, and the acting I had little problem with- excepting Dennis Price from Kind Hearts and Coronets and Charles Hawtrey from the Carry on franchise there was nobody I recognised straight away but the actors all played their parts well. The pace is perhaps meditative, but purposefully so to reflect the film's gentle tone. All in all, a lovely, thoughtful film and one of Powell and Pressburger's best. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Review of A Canterbury Tale
