Narshty wrote:There's a slightly sneery tone to that piece not being particularly celebratory of the film itself, but more "Ha ha, the things these film geeks do in their spare time!" Mind you, it is Front Row.
Any social behaviour in Britain that does not involve embarrassing alcohol-fueled stupidity or stultification should be welcomed in today's climate.
I have been trying to articulate my feelings of
A Canterbury Tale concisely since I experienced it last sunday afternoon. I find it difficult to do this with Powell & Pressburger's films. With
A Canterbury Tale, the tone of the film fluctuates during the first two thirds of the film, with mystery, comedy and light drama elements within the strange narrative. However, within this meandering story, there is always a sense of purpose somehow and of fellowship among the main protagonists and even the folk of 'Chillingbourne'. In his commentary, Christie perceptively makes note of the early ideas of what is now known as the "Green Movement", being presented by the landmark books
Soil and Sense by Michael Graham and the legendary ecologist, Sir Frank Fraser Darling's wonderful
Island Years, an account of his times living on the various Hebridean islands. Later, when Alison meets Colpeper on the hill, she reflects that, "There are a lot of funny things in the world," to which she then gives the example, "Why should people who love the country, have to live in the city." Today, more people than ever could relate to that - almost everyone in my family would love to live in the country, so why don't we? How were masses of people driven to city living? What does it have to offer? On close study, nothing much, to be quite honest. Commercial farming, or "Agri-business", as it is sometimes called, has ruined traditional farming and its benefits to all. In Britain, we now import much of what we used to grow ourselves! Madness. Powell felt strongly about these issues and Pressburger and he were, as Christie also points out, that in the 1940s, they both felt that they were "crusading against Materialism" and their feelings and beliefs were woven into the fabric of their films. They spell them out in
A Canterbury Tale, though, but with considerable eloquence. Colpepper's antics in trying to gain attendance to his lectures anticipates the mischievous and often unethical stunts of the various conservation groups of the last thirty years, though he certainly was at his wits end; how desperate the state of play has become since then.
However, though this part of the film is fascinating, it doesn't seem to add up to much. That is, until we reach Canterbury. Once we reach the hallowed city, we experience a emotional elevation. Peter plays Bach on the famous organ in the Cathedral and from there on, fortune shines on the three pilgrims: Bob's doubts for his girl's feelings for him are dissolved and, more miraculously, Alison's fiancee is found to be alive! Begone moths! It's an incredible, wonderful moment. Off to mainland Europe for the three with renewed spirit, fighting an enemy that had new ideas of their own for how man should live in the 20th Century. They were defeated, of course, but not those bad ideas, which have led us to a future of ever-increasing madness and destruction.
I'm off to get some glue...
