Overview
A gripping mystery unfolds in a quaint English town during World War II, where secrets lurk in the shadows.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- lyrical
- whimsical
- contemplative
- classic film evening
- historical cinema marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the restored film as an inventive, lyrical, and significant masterwork of British cinema, despite its initially difficult reception and unconventional pacing.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The land girl, British soldier, and American GI move through a Kent community where wartime disruption is filtered through hospitality, work, suspicion, and shared history.
The glue-man investigation leads the travelers toward the eccentric magistrate Thomas Colpeper and his expansive vision of England and Canterbury.
Railway lines, rural Kent, Canterbury, and the road itself connect the characters' present journey with English history and inherited cultural memory.
The glue applied to girls' hair creates comic intrigue, while the travelers' encounters with Colpeper and Canterbury carry philosophical and historical weight.
Films like A Canterbury Tale, and why
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
shared wartime home-front setting, reflective ensemble drama, and understated british wit
A Matter of Life and Death
shared Powell and Pressburger authorship, wartime british setting, romantic mystery, and heightened visual imagination
The Way to the Stars
shared wartime community portrait, rural british setting, gentle humor, and lyrical humanism
The Small Back Room
shared british wartime atmosphere, eccentric characters, mystery elements, and humane comedy-drama
Movie Details
- Directors
- Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
- Release Date
- 1944-08-21
- Runtime
- 125 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (132)
Cast
- Eric Portman
- Sheila Sim
- Dennis Price
- John Sweet
- Charles Hawtrey
- Esmond Knight
- Hay Petrie
- George Merritt
- Edward Rigby
- Freda Jackson
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is A Canterbury Tale about?
- Three wartime strangers investigate a bizarre village prank on the road to Canterbury, discovering a lyrical mystery about English history, community, and spiritual fellowship.
- What is A Canterbury Tale like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Canterbury Tale as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is A Canterbury Tale violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in A Canterbury Tale.
- What did critics think of A Canterbury Tale?
- Critics broadly regard the restored film as an inventive, lyrical, and significant masterwork of British cinema, despite its initially difficult reception and unconventional pacing.
- Which films are like A Canterbury Tale?
- Films with a similar feel include The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, A Matter of Life and Death, The Way to the Stars, and The Small Back Room.
- How long is A Canterbury Tale?
- A Canterbury Tale runs 125 minutes.
- Where can I watch A Canterbury Tale?
- In United States, A Canterbury Tale streams on fuboTV.
