The Canterbury Tales

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jordan m There are hotdog eating contests with less wieners than this movie has. In retrospect I do wish I had been able to watch this and see the artistry behind it, but I couldn't. The truly comedic parts are few and far between (the guy getting his ass branded was a highlight) and the underlying purpose of the movie seemed to be to linger as long as possible on the nude forms of non-actors who were willing to do this for the money, knowing they had no intention of pursuing a legitimate acting career. The ending sails past the line of artistic merit and social commentary and serves purely to challenge the audience to sit through it. It's almost like the Jackass of its era except that it masquerades as legitimate cinematic art. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The weakest link in Pasolini's Trilogy of Life, the Canterbury Tales fails where the Decameron and Arabian Nights succeed in transforming bawdiness into something metaphysical. As a burlesque comedy it succeeds, but it couldn't possibly measure up to the other entries in the trilogy. I think I made a mistake in watching the English dub of the film, although the Italian dub also suffers in not matching up with the visuals. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Not even, but at the finale Pasolini’s vision is overwhelmingly powerful and redeems the movie’s weaknesses. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/14/19 Full Review Audience Member The second part of the Trilogy of Life shows Pasolini's comical assumption about England during the medieval era. The costumes, the store, and the sendoff to Chaplin are the only saving graces in this film and that really is not enough to recommend. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member A hymn to youth, love and sexual desire. Mischievous and blasphemous as the look on Pasolini's eyes playing Chaucer himself. A genuine "Pasolinian" movie. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Pier Paolo Pasolini breathes barnyard caricatures and cartoonish charm into Geoffrey Chaucer's classic Canterbury Tales, the second feature in the director's 'Trilogy of Life'. Pasolini's maxims may not be as clear-cut as they were in his adaptation of The Decameron, but his sophomore effort is certainly no less fun, and no less audacious. Highlights include lascivious students using "lights-out" to their advantage, Ninetto Davoli doing a bit of Charlie Chaplin, and a bizarro depiction of hell, which sees Friars farted full-speed out of Satan's backside. Fans of the poet-filmmaker hybrid will be in their element. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Canterbury Tales

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