A Canterbury Tale (rewatch) - When I think of the Archers, "odd" isn't the word that first comes to mind. But when you think about it, even if they didn't do Jodorowsky-esque mindCINECAST!s, a lot of their work had a strangeness or strange element to it. Black Narcissus, Tales of Hoffmann, The Red Shoes, A Matter of Life and Death... and this one, a film that isn't that weird on the surface but is damn near impossible to classify. The movie has a plot but doesn't seem terribly interested in sticking to it... it presents a series of glimpses into rural English life, and yet is not merely a collection of pastoral episodes. Whatever it is, it creeps under your skin, or more accurately embraces you like a warm blanket. The ease and simplicity of the storytelling (aided by the lovely cinematography) draws you in to the lives of these characters, especially Shiela Sims and John Sweet (whose performance is amateurish in the most endearing way). It's all so quaint, but never to the point of being twee. I didn't need to buy this DVD, but it was nice returning to it, it's got such a "homey" feel to it. Rating: 8
Every once in awhile I forget just how awesome this movie is. It sneaks up on you the way a goofy wartime propaganda film turns into one of the most transcendent experiences in all of cinema.
Are Powell & Pressburger, after Welles, the weirdest of mainstream 1940s filmmakers?