A Knight's Tale (film)
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A Knight's Tale (2001) is a film written and directed by Brian Helgeland which is very loosely based on The Knight's Tale from The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.
Set in medieval Europe, the plot centers on a young peasant squire called William Thatcher, played by Heath Ledger, who, after the death of his knight, Sir Ector, joins the jousting circuit, an act forbidden to those not of noble birth. Thatcher travels around Europe under the pseudonym of Sir Ulrich von Lichtenstein, along with two fellow squires, Wat and Roland (Alan Tudyk and Mark Addy); his well-spoken herald, Geoffrey Chaucer (Paul Bettany); and his female armourer, Kate the Farrier (Laura Fraser). Along the way, he falls in love with a noble young lady, Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon), and develops a rivalry with Count Adhemar of Anjou (Rufus Sewell).
The film combines action, comedy, and romance, and is notable for its anachronistic use of classic rock songs, such as Queen's "We Will Rock You" and David Bowie's "Golden Years".
It can be assumed the movie is set sometime between 1368 and 1376; Chaucer mentions having already written The Book of the Duchess, which was written no earlier than 1368, while Edward, the Black Prince (who appears in the movie) died in 1376 as well as a reference to a French pope which could either be Pope Urban V or Pope Gregory XI who reigned during that period and are both French.
Controversy
Despite receiving mixed critical reaction, one supporter of the film at the time of its release was film critic David Manning who, among other things, labelled Ledger "the year's hottest new star". In late 2001, however, Manning was revealed to be fictitious, created by Sony to fake publicity for the film.As of August 2005, Sony has agreed to refund $5 to anyone who saw the film - as well as Hollow Man, The Animal, The Patriot or Vertical Limit - in American theatres between August 3, 2000 and October 31, 2001.
See also
External links
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