Showing:
BBC TWO, Wednesday September 5, 11.50pm
Synopsis:
(1944) A young land girl, arriving in Kent, is attacked by a mysterious man who pours glue in her hair. She and two soldiers determine to track down the 'glue man' and in the process begin a 'pilgrimage' which will lead each of them to self-discovery.
Read the full synopsis on BFI Screenonline.
Director:
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Producer:
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Cast:
- Eric Portman (J.P. Thomas Colpeper)
- Sheila Sim (Alison Smith)
- John Sweet (Sgt Bob Johnson)
- Dennis Price (Sgt Peter Gibbs)
Full cast and credits on BFI Screenonline.
Analysis:
Probably Powell and Pressburger's most personal and unusual film, A Canterbury Tale (1944) bewildered critics and audiences on its release, but has since come to be seen as one of their very best; Pressburger himself later declared it his favourite.
The film is structured as a mystery story, but its real purpose is to add a spiritual dimension to the propaganda message of earlier films like 49th Parallel (1941) and One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942).
There are no Nazis in A Canterbury Tale and, although the war provides its backdrop, the focus is on identifying a distinctively moral and spiritual English identity, in direct opposition to the harsh material objectives of fascism.
Read the full analysis on BFI Screenonline.
Review:
I can see why this film is often passed over in favour of the more famous P & P movies, but I would urge anyone who has not seen it to look it out and give it a try. I think you may be surprised by just how good it is.
Read the full user review on BBC Collective.
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