A Knight's Tale (2001)
Country: US
Technical: col/Super 35 132m
Director: Brian Helgeland
Cast: Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Rufus Sewell, Paul Bettany, Shannyn Sossamon, Christopher Cazenove, James Purefoy
Synopsis:
During the reign of Edward III a humble thatcher's son loses even his humble living as a squire when his master his killed in a jousting tournament, and resolves to take his place, with the help of Geoffrey Chaucer's public relations services.
Review:
Extraordinary 'triumph of the little man' fable, which addresses its historic character affectionately as Geoff but has little to do with the eponymous tale. It makes a great deal of its jousting scenes, which are spectacular but cannot even get the detail right that knights rode on the left! The abiding tone is irreverent and doggedly anachronistic, extending to a range of chart-toppers being used as pageantry backing, and the film is overlong for what is essentially a celebration of camaraderie and meritocracy in the face of the perfidious Rufus Sewell and the hereditary arrogance for which he stands. How fortuitous, then, that the Black Prince should prove as decent and chivalrous as our novice hero. But seriously, this is just a bit of fun, isn' t it? Well, at times, yes, when Sewell and Bettany enliven things a bit. Elsewhere its heart's in the right place but it's an uneven mess.
Country: US
Technical: col/Super 35 132m
Director: Brian Helgeland
Cast: Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Rufus Sewell, Paul Bettany, Shannyn Sossamon, Christopher Cazenove, James Purefoy
Synopsis:
During the reign of Edward III a humble thatcher's son loses even his humble living as a squire when his master his killed in a jousting tournament, and resolves to take his place, with the help of Geoffrey Chaucer's public relations services.
Review:
Extraordinary 'triumph of the little man' fable, which addresses its historic character affectionately as Geoff but has little to do with the eponymous tale. It makes a great deal of its jousting scenes, which are spectacular but cannot even get the detail right that knights rode on the left! The abiding tone is irreverent and doggedly anachronistic, extending to a range of chart-toppers being used as pageantry backing, and the film is overlong for what is essentially a celebration of camaraderie and meritocracy in the face of the perfidious Rufus Sewell and the hereditary arrogance for which he stands. How fortuitous, then, that the Black Prince should prove as decent and chivalrous as our novice hero. But seriously, this is just a bit of fun, isn' t it? Well, at times, yes, when Sewell and Bettany enliven things a bit. Elsewhere its heart's in the right place but it's an uneven mess.
Country: US
Technical: col/Super 35 132m
Director: Brian Helgeland
Cast: Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Rufus Sewell, Paul Bettany, Shannyn Sossamon, Christopher Cazenove, James Purefoy
Synopsis:
During the reign of Edward III a humble thatcher's son loses even his humble living as a squire when his master his killed in a jousting tournament, and resolves to take his place, with the help of Geoffrey Chaucer's public relations services.
Review:
Extraordinary 'triumph of the little man' fable, which addresses its historic character affectionately as Geoff but has little to do with the eponymous tale. It makes a great deal of its jousting scenes, which are spectacular but cannot even get the detail right that knights rode on the left! The abiding tone is irreverent and doggedly anachronistic, extending to a range of chart-toppers being used as pageantry backing, and the film is overlong for what is essentially a celebration of camaraderie and meritocracy in the face of the perfidious Rufus Sewell and the hereditary arrogance for which he stands. How fortuitous, then, that the Black Prince should prove as decent and chivalrous as our novice hero. But seriously, this is just a bit of fun, isn' t it? Well, at times, yes, when Sewell and Bettany enliven things a bit. Elsewhere its heart's in the right place but it's an uneven mess.