A Knight’s Tale

What do Geoffrey Chaucer, The Princess Bride, the Nike logo, spiky hairstyles, the WWF, Gone with the Wind, feminism, democracy, the cult of celebrity, Academy Awards fashions, John Philip Sousa, Analyze This, MTV, and spectator sports have in common? Discovering these anachronistic references and more can turn writer-director Brian Helgeland’s (Conspiracy Theory) entertaining recent release, A Knight’s Tale, into a healthy dose of cleverly administered medicinal laughter.

In this semi-spoof action film Heath Ledger returns to US screens after making his much-celebrated debut last year in The Patriot. Ledger plays William Thatcher, one of three lowly born squires in service to a French knight who dies on the way to a jousting match. William decides to impersonate him to earn much-needed money. Knights must be of noble blood and have patent proof of their lineage so they can participate in tournaments. William, now Sir Ulrich, bluffs his way in and wins. After, William convinces his friends to continue the scam on the tournament circuit rather than return to England.

Enter, of all people, Geoffrey Chaucer. Wearing nothing, he trudges past the three as they travel along the road to the next tournament. Amazed, they question the man who introduces himself as an author who can write letters of patent for nobles. He tells the men to call him "Jeff" and they later discover he is also a gambler with a talent for shtick. In return for clothing and shoes, Jeff creates the necessary patents for William’s phony persona and becomes his hammy herald who warms up the crowds with panache.

A beautiful female blacksmith makes new armor for William and joins the itinerant group. A sultry noble woman, Jocelyn, sees William from the stands and they fall in love. William consistently bests Sir Adhemar who promises revenge. William also jousts with an anonymous knight who turns out to be the Black Prince, Edward. He plays a key role in the feel-good resolution of the film’s "conflict".

The world jousting championship is held in London. William seeks out his father, now blind, who had placed William in the service of the French knight twelve years before in hopes that William could change his "stars" and make a better life for himself. They reunite just before Adhemar exposes William’s humble roots and has him arrested. William is rescued, knighted, gets his lady and all ends well.

A Knight’s Tale is a kind of romanticized medieval road movie ‘lite’. It offers words of wisdom and deeds of honor along with sounds and images of medieval Christendom, however ‘lite’ the religious understanding of the characters seems to be. These play out through the lens of today’s American popular culture with humor rather than depth. A Knight’s Tale does not take itself too seriously and neither did I. It’s a fun watch for most teens and adults that will probably induce a stream of chuckles rather than belly laughs. And sometimes, this is just what the spirit needs.

Rose Pacatte, FSP is the Director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Boston, MA.

[Published by EVERYDAY CATHOLIC –St. Anthony Messenger Press- August 2001, Cincinnati, OH]