A Canterbury Tale
Director: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Year Released: 1944
Rating: 2.0
A group of WWII-era "pilgrims" take the symbolic journey to Canterbury Cathedral, each with a piece of their lives unfulfilled for one reason or another (the G.I. never heard back from his girlfriend, the young lady is looking for her long-lost caravan and the memories along with it). The laid-back tone and absence of any serious drama is both a relief and a problem - a sizeable portion of the running time is devoted to finding out why some night owl is flinging glue in women's hair (??) - and without tension, comes across as a little humdrum and somewhat inconsequential. I wasn't particularly 'swayed' by the picture's "enchantment" with the English countryside - it could have used the color of some of the other Powell and Pressburger films - but I do think it could be read as an attempt to symbolically erase - or at least neutralize - some of the horrors of the War, and pray for a better tomorrow.
