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Bookmark this pageA Canterbury Tale (1944)
Director: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Michael Powell's extraordinary film proceeds from the faintly bizarre story of three characters (a land girl, a British sergeant and a US sergeant) who, arriving by the same train in a small Kent village, make friends and set out to unmask the mysterious 'glue man' who pours glue on to the hair of girls out late at night with servicemen. But the film shows a sharp awareness of the tensions underlying a country community in wartime - from rural resentment of the influx of outsiders to more long-term fears of the decay of a traditional social order. An assertion of stability to counterbalance these is provided by Powell's almost mystical sense of historical continuity, epitomised by Canterbury Cathedral and the Pilgrims' Way as captured in Erwin Hillier's lyrical photography. Though infuriatingly difficult to categorise, the film is bold, inventive, stimulating and extremely entertaining.Author: AS
User reviews of this film
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- Frank said...
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Posted on Oct 21 2007 21:16
First rate. Watched it twice this year. Powell and Hillier:
two brilliant moviemakers at work. - Report as inappropriate
Cast & crew
Director: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Producer: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Cast: Eric Portman, Sheila Sim, John Sweet, Dennis Price, Esmond Knight, Charles Hawtrey, George Merritt, Edward Rigby full cast
Duration: 124 mins
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