IMDb >
A Canterbury Tale (1944)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at
blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
blockbuster.com
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsA Canterbury Tale (1944) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 9 | slideshow) |
Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
21 January 1949 (USA) moreTagline:
Four modern pilgrims in a story of today - yet away from war.Plot:
A 'Land Girl', an American GI, and a British soldier find themselves together in a small Kent town on the road to Canterbury... more | add synopsisUser Comments:
"Happy The Man ..." is me after watching this moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Eric Portman | ... | Thomas Colpeper, JP | |
| Sheila Sim | ... | Alison Smith | |
| Dennis Price | ... | Peter Gibbs | |
| Sergeant John Sweet | ... | Bob Johnson (as Sergt. John Sweet, U.S. Army) | |
| Esmond Knight | ... | Narrator (non-US versions) / Seven-Sisters Soldier / Village Idiot | |
| Charles Hawtrey | ... | Thomas Duckett | |
| Hay Petrie | ... | Woodcock | |
| George Merritt | ... | Ned Horton | |
| Edward Rigby | ... | Jim Horton | |
| Freda Jackson | ... | Prudence Honeywood | |
| Betty Jardine | ... | Fee Baker | |
| Eliot Makeham | ... | Organist | |
| Harvey Golden | ... | Sergt. Roczinsky | |
| Leonard Smith | ... | Leslie | |
| James Tamsitt | ... | Terry |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
124 min | USA:95 minCountry:
UKLanguage:
EnglishColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The organ music had to be played on the St. Alban's cathedral organ because the one at Canterbury Cathedral had been dismantled and stored away for the duration of the war. moreQuotes:
Prudence Honeywood: That's your room. You won't get much of a view I'm afraid.Alison Smith: You should have seen the view from my room in London.
Prudence Honeywood: Was it a long street with every house a different sort of sadness in it?
Alison Smith: It was a long row of back gardens, and the tall, sad houses were all the same.
Prudence Honeywood: Ghastly in winter.
Alison Smith: Airless in summer. You seem to know them.
Prudence Honeywood: The only man who ever asked me to marry him wanted me to live in a house like that. I'm still a maid.
more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for A Canterbury Tale (1944) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp | Giant | Novecento | Across the Universe | All Quiet on the Western Front |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Drama section | IMDb UK section | Add this title to MyMovies |










After a dozen viewings or so I still rate this as one of my Top 20 favourites, the passing of time doesn't seem to lessen its brilliance, if anything it improves with age. The Carlton budget DVD out at the moment makes the black and white photography gleam even more now, so I wonder why the BBC have always shown such an inferior copy.
ACT is a pleasant inconsequential masterpiece, with no heavy points to labour, no axes to grind and for wartime not too many flags to wave. But it leaves you wishing that Olde England could've been better preserved from the elected savages in charge of us since, and that perhaps it wasn't so surprising that people were ready to defend such a country and its lifestyles to the death. The only thing Chaucer inspired in me in all of his tales was the desire to reach the end of the journey.
The story? Mysterious fetishist keeps pouring glue onto unsuspecting girls heads at night - 3 intrepid souls determine to find and unmask the weirdo, but vacillate when their moment comes. The four main characters weave in and out of the tale, moving it forward gently to the rather grand climax. But what about the Glueman himself - did he go back home to his reprehensible pastime or did he meet a sticky end? Did Bob get his marijuana? Did they manage to get the moths out of Allison's caravan? Did Peter ever stop playing on his organ?
Refreshing: 1/ A platonic relationship between three handsome men and one beautiful woman. 2/ The most violent scene is where the troops burst out clapping the Sgt. who repaired the slide projector. 3/ A basic plot premise so flimsy and yet so captivating.
A most profitable way of spending two hours.