A Knight's Tale (2001)

After his master dies, a peasant squire, fueled by his desire for food and glory, creates a new identity for himself as a knight.

Director:

Brian Helgeland

Writer:

Brian Helgeland

Stars:

Heath Ledger, Rufus Sewell, Shannyn Sossamon

4 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Heath Ledger	...	William Thatcher
Rufus Sewell	...	Count Adhemar
Shannyn Sossamon	...	Jocelyn
Paul Bettany	...	Geoffrey Chaucer
Laura Fraser	...	Kate
Mark Addy	...	Roland
Alan Tudyk	...	Wat
Bérénice Bejo	...	Christiana (as Berenice Bejo)
Scott Handy	...	Germaine
James Purefoy	...	Colville
Leagh Conwell	...	Young William Thatcher
Christopher Cazenove	...	John Thatcher
Steven O'Donnell	...	Simon the Summoner (as Steve O'Donnell)
Jonathan Slinger	...	Peter the Pardoner
Nick Brimble	...	Sir Ector

Storyline

Inspired by "The Canterbury Tales," as well as the story of Ulrich von Lichtenstein, this is the story of William, a young squire with a gift for jousting. After his master dies suddenly, the squire hits the road with his cohorts Roland and Wat. On the journey, they stumble across an unknown writer, Chaucer. William, lacking a proper pedigree, convinces Chaucer to forge genealogy documents that will pass him off as a knight. With his newly-minted history in hand, the young man sets out to prove himself a worthy knight at the country's jousting competition, and finds romance along the way.

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Plot Keywords:

knight | tournament | chaucer | writer | jousting | 

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Taglines:

He didn't make the rules. He was born to break them.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for action violence, some nudity and brief sex-related dialogue

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 May 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Corazón de caballero

Filming Locations:

Barrandov Studios, Prague, Czech Republic

Box Office

Budget:

$41,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,013,559 (France) (16 November 2001)

Gross:

$1,525,952 (France) (23 November 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Escape Artists, Finestkind

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min 144 min (extended)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS (8 channels)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Two of the characters in the film, Peter The Pardoner and Simon The Summoner, are characters from Geoffrey Chaucer's work, "The Canterbury Tales".

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Goofs

Right before William is told, instead of losing, to win the tournament for Jocelyn, William asks Wat if he remembers the church when they were kids. Wat's hair then changes from being down his forehead, to pushed back, between the shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
William: Should we help him?

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Crazy Credits

As the first credits appear, the camera swings to show a constellation behind William and Jocelyn. The constellation is Orion, the Hunter. Jocelyn refers to William as the Hunter before she learns his name.

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Connections

References Dragon Warrior III (1988)

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Soundtracks

"Get Ready"
Written by Smokey Robinson (as William Robinson, Jr.)
Performed by Rare Earth
Courtesy of Motown Record Company, L.P.
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Action packed, funny, and touching

"A Knight's Tale" is a wonderful story of a group of friends who fight, train, and love as they are led by William (Ledger)in his quest to "change his stars" and become a knight. Tongue-in-cheek humor is administered throughout, much of it appropriately timed. The cast is superior (observe Bettany's mastering of his craft), as they are believable and likable. Casenove's performance as John Thatcher is superb and touching. Not to be taken too seriously, this movie will please if viewed for what it is- an action comedy. Keep watching after the credits for a funny clip ;). Also recommended: First Knight, King Arthur (2004), Rob Roy, Braveheart, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail.