A Canterbury Tale, 1944.
Written, produced and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.The opening scene shows us a retelling of the old story, ‘A Canterbury Tale’ in which people would make a pilgrimage to Canterbury. Shots of men and women on horseback end with the sight of a falconer, who lets a falcon soar into the air. The eagle, getting smaller and smaller into the distance suddenly transforms into an aeroplane which comes screaming back towards the camera. We have arrived in 1944. (incidentally this is also the scene that is supposed to have inspired Kubrick in the beginning of 2001 when the bone twists and turns into the air until it becomes the space station in orbit…
posted by Benjamin Nakizo at 10:19 AM
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It seems to play very much on the image of Britain as being a land of greenery, of rolling fields and lush forests. Images we have seen come through frequently in wartime literature of Britain.
Three main characters, an American GI, a British soldier and a woman from London. Apparently. The secondary plot is the solving of the mystery of whom in the village is the ‘glue man’, an individual who enjoys throwing glue into young ladies hair.
The GI seems to be the main character. Everyone he meets tells him that his sergeant stripes are on backwards.
A conversation takes place between the GI and a local English timber merchant about the best way to cut and store wood. They find they both agree on the methods. Is this some sort of hint at Anglo-American economic co-operation during the war?
A scene with Allison and the GI. Both have lost their loved ones.
Another scene in which she asks the blacksmith how he would look working in her job, selling things in a department store in London. This comes in response to his mocking of her agricultural knowledge. Roles are being reversed. The social order is being disrupted.
Children playing at war. Ha.
“Who are the isolationists?”
“Short sighted folk”
“Why don’t they buy spectacles?”
All about immorality, American GI’s and lonely English girls. So he threw glue in the girls hair to make sure they stayed inside. And with no girls around the GI’s were sure to attend his lectures.
‘Killing the fly on his babies nose with a sledge hammer’.
Some great cinematography inside Canterbury Cathedral, perhaps lending weight to the idea that the writers are trying to convey a spiritual message about wartime Britain. This is a land of natural beauty and godly people? This ties in with his use of the halo image over characters when they have great realisations about themselves. Although it is very hard to see this film in anything over than a war context. Perhaps it was not primarily designed to push some sort of artificial wartime memory. But then again on another level it almost certainly does do that.
The moths are eating away at Allison’s caravan. Eating away at her dreams and hopes for the future. But then she faints upon receiving word that her boyfriend is alive and well in Gibraltar. She recovers and then desperately scrambles to get rid of the moths, her dreams are back on.
But in her passion she forgets about the man she was with (not with with, but with). He has vanished. He had undergone something of a personal change and she was responsible for bringing him out of his shell (a shell in which he indulged in the age long art of throwing glue at village girls). Upon seeing her delight at the inevitable homecoming of her man he promptly vanishes.
Some exciting imagery with a regiment in full colours marching into the arches of Canterbury Cathedral. I’m sure he meant nothing by it but scenes of a militarised church play on my twisted conspiracy fantasies.
Not sure what to make of this really. It doesn’t seem a bad film, in fact I quite like it. It seems very … I don’t know the correct term in film languages. Art house? Long scenes of dialogue that are actually pretty cool. The bizarre ‘glue man’ plot is only really a narrative tool – and only a half effort at that – to get the scenes in which the writer wants.
Yes, I actually quite liked it. I didn't think I would. Worth another watch. If only I had the time.
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