Saturday Movies: A Knight's Tale (2001)

What did you expect when you got A Knight's Tale to watch? Was it a story based straight the Chaucer tale you had been reading? An accurately historical depiction of knights? Or just a fun movie looking to use some fun styles of the time and merge it with modern world ideas? Hopefully you answered yes to the last question. Those who are a fan of the stories, or wanted something more historically up their alley won't get their kicks from this one. Those who like a light, fun, and uplifting story though will like how vibrant this movie is. With a nicely woven in score from Carter Burwell, and a mixture of modern music from musicians like Queen this is a whole type of movie on it's own.

Summary: William's master has died, and as a peasant squire he has always wanted more. This seems the moment to do that, so with the other squires they still his master's identity and William becomes a knight. With the help of Chaucer they are able to legitimatize papers to make this official. William though does get sidetracked with love, Jocelyn, and his prideful attitude might be the downfall of his knighting career.


Acting: Heath Ledger is a one of a kind actor, and it's a real shame that his talent isn't around now. There is no other actor I've watched that can transform themselves as Ledger does. Ledger can be the fun guy who is falling in love, and fighting for honor, a guy in a complicated relationship that is all but shunned from society, or an insane killer rabid on having fun with his victims. He does it all well. Shannyn Sossaman is Jocelyn and is good with the role, and has some of the funner outfits I've seen worn in a movie. Paul Bettany is Chaucer and he fits the role that requires some awkward nude moments. Alan Tudyk is a squire along with Mark Addy, and they both add a nice friendship to the movie with William. Then there is Laura Fraser as Kate who is a nice addition as a female friend to the crew.

Filming: The movie is shot with settings that don't really make the time feel authentic, but instead it's like you're going to RenFest and living it through there. Nonetheless, it's still a lot of fun. The costumes also have this modern twist as well, even down to the hair. With the score you have this level of what feels like a fun time as well. The movie also keeps itself bright and light in nature with the color. You have patterns that are bold in green and match the upbeat vibe.

Plot: The plot is a fun plot that doesn't have too many serious moments, but when it does it sort of catches you off guard with just how deeply those moments make you feel. You don't expect for the more serious moments where William is making the final leaps into adulthood to affect you as they do. Plus, the dynamic between his friends work well too. It doesn't feel like anyone is taking their selves too seriously and everyone seems to be more naturally friendly with one another.

A Knight's Tale seems like a movie that would have plenty of people who enjoyed the movie, and plenty of people who also despised it. It isn't meant to be accurate or share a serious story in a way that catches the interest of the viewer. The story is one that is a funner type of movie to watch, and finding a movie that doesn't try to take itself too seriously is rare.

Rating 8 of 10.