Whan That Bonus — Lucas Blogs About A Knight's Tale

Hold the phone! Now give the phone to me. That's not a book!

Wait a minute! A Knight's Tale isn't that that cheesy jousting movie with anachronistic music?

Well, first two things: 1) yes, and B) to be fair, since it takes place in Chaucer's lifetime and all the characters speak Modern English, it's also presented in an anachronistic language.

Well, yeah, but—

Also, why do people get so worked up about the anachronisms in the movie as if that were some sort of gotcha. As if the use of anachronistic music was an accident instead of an intentional choice.

It's more that I think it's a bad choice.

Whatever, a couple months ago I blogged about "The Knight's Tale" so I thought that it would be fun to blog about A Knight's Tale.

Okay. So what do you have to say about the movie.

It's good. It's a fun movie.

Do you have anything else to say?

Uh . . . sure.

Go on.

All right, so we'll start with a quick synopsis: William Thatcher (Heath Ledger) is the squire of the recently deceased Sir Ector (Nick Brimble) who, along with friends Wat (Alan Tudyk) and Roland (Mark Addy), decides to take Ector's place in a tournament to earn money to eat. His initial success convinces his companions that they should just keep riding around France entering tournaments, where William assumes the new identity of Sir Ulrich von Lichtenstein with the help of unemployed scribe Geoffrey Chaucer (Paul Bettany). Along the way he finds a rival in the villainous Count Adhemar (Rufus Sewell at his Rufus Sewelliest) and a love interest in Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon), oh, and an armorer in Kate (Laura Fraser). He also encounters Prince Edward (James Purefoy) who similarly must hide his true identity to compete (after all, no one's foolish enough to risk injuring the prince). It's a pretty standard Cinderella story sports movie with a medieval twist; but competent execution, a charismatic cast, and the memorable use of anachronism help it rise above the crop of cheesy Medieval-ish Hollywood faire.

Fair enough, so how Chaucerian is it?

It's relatively Chaucerian. It is, after all, a story about pushing up against the limitations of Medieval social norms. Specifically in William's seemingly doomed romance with Jocelyn. Sort of like how Arcite has to live under an assumed identity to spend time around Emelye in "The Knight's Tale." Except that while Arcite doesn't actually pitch woo at Emelye, William definitely does and things seem to work out pretty well for him. I suspect that had Chaucer written it the ending wouldn't have been as happy, but you know, it is aimed at a modern than a medieval audience. Also, the scene at the end of the credits features four characters engaged in a farting contest to determine who pays for the next round of drinks.

That is pretty Chaucerian.

It is. Oh, also, when Chaucer is introduced in the story, he's in debt to a summoner (Steven O'Donnell) and a pardoner (Jonathan Slinger) whom he promises to "eviscerate in fiction." It's got some fun bits like that. I'm not sure how much this would fit in with the real Chaucer's biography, but Bettany definitely sells Chaucer as a man who's a bit down on his luck and more than a little unscrupulous. He's also clearly having a blast as William's hype man. And let me just say that the whole cast is actually pretty fantastic. Shannyn Sossamon's accent is a little shaky, but I like the way that she plays Jocelyn as kind of a cross between Maid Marian and a long-lost David Bowie persona. And here I also have to give props to the hair, make-up, and costuming department for making her various lewks throughout the movie so striking. And, as always, revisiting early Heath Ledger roles is a reminder that not only was Ledger an excellent actor, but that he had charisma and screen presence for days. And while Adhemar is a pretty standard sinister upper-class twat, Rufus Sewell imbues him with enough pride and menace to make him a credible villain. Heck, even the guy who plays Adhemar's herald gets to have a mini-arc where he begins to imitate Chaucer's style when introducing Adhemar at tournaments.

So we're just moving into talking about the movie's merit's then?

Yeah, did you expect me to just talk about how it relates to The Canterbury Tales?

Well, this is nominally a book blog.

Oh well. Anyway, A Knight's Tale doesn't reinvent anything, like I said, it's a sports movie. But the whole thing has a kind of shaggy charm that makes it a pleasant way to pass two hours. Now it does have its problems. The big one being that although William is challenging the inequality inherent in Medieval society, he is ultimately accepted not because he persuades those in power that commoners should be allowed to joust (not that many could afford it), but because he impresses Prince Edward enough to be knighted by the end of the film. Uh . . . SPOILERS.

I'm pretty sure you're past the statute of limitations on this one. Also, it would unrealistic for a single thatcher's son to overturn the social hierarchy of Medieval Europe.

It would, it just doesn't quite fit thematically to have the whole story be about someone who's challenging the inequality of the established order resolved by his being accepted into that order. There's also a bigger issue I have where in the middle of the film artificial tension is introduced into the love story by having William be a jerk to Jocelyn for no discernible reason. Although it does lead to a pretty good scene where his friends all help him write an apology letter. The other problem is that since the movie takes place during the Hundred Years War, Count Adhemar is a largely absent antagonist because he's called away to battle for a big chunk of the movie.

So there's less Rufus Sewell than there could be?

There's less Rufus Sewell than there could be. But overall it's a fun movie. The characters are engaging, the action is clearly shot, and it's not like there are any new movies for it to compete with right now.

A ringing endorsement.

Did I mention there's a scene where someone says, "Well, the pope may be French, but Jesus is English!"? Because that's a thing that happens in this movie.

Well, if that's something that's missing from someone's life, I agree that they will find that in A Knight's Tale.

Yep, we both recommend it.

You do not speak for me.