Pasolini's artistic, sometimes violent, always vividly cinematic retelling of some of Chaucer's most erotic tales.
When he was just 16, "The Masked Singer" host Nick Cannon was inspired by "The Fresh Prince" to create the ultimate TV sitcom.
Related News
-
Women’s Advocacy Group WeForShe Announces 2019 WriteHer Script List
05 February 2019 | Deadline -
May 8th Blu-ray & DVD Releases Include The House That Dripped Blood, Emanuelle And The Last Cannibals, The Devil Incarnate
08 May 2018 | DailyDead -
Chris Harrison, Ryan Seacrest and More Celeb Pranksters on April Fool's Day 2018
02 April 2018 | E! Online
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: The Canterbury Tales (1972)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
1 win.
See more awards »
Learn more
More Like This
The Decameron
(1971)
Comedy
|
Drama
|
History
Director:
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Stars:
Franco Citti,
Ninetto Davoli,
Jovan Jovanovic
Arabian Nights
(1974)
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Fantasy
Director:
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Stars:
Ninetto Davoli,
Franco Citti,
Franco Merli
Oedipus Rex
(1967)
Drama
Director:
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Stars:
Franco Citti,
Silvana Mangano,
Alida Valli
Medea
(1969)
Drama
|
Fantasy
Director:
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Stars:
Maria Callas,
Massimo Girotti,
Laurent Terzieff
Biography
|
Drama
|
History
Director:
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Stars:
Enrique Irazoqui,
Margherita Caruso,
Susanna Pasolini
Porcile
(1969)
Drama
Director:
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Stars:
Pierre Clémenti,
Jean-Pierre Léaud,
Alberto Lionello
Teorema
(1968)
Drama
|
Mystery
Director:
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Stars:
Silvana Mangano,
Terence Stamp,
Massimo Girotti
The Hawks and the Sparrows
(1966)
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Fantasy
Director:
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Stars:
Totò,
Ninetto Davoli,
Femi Benussi
Drama
|
Horror
|
War
Director:
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Stars:
Paolo Bonacelli,
Laura Betti,
Giorgio Cataldi
Mamma Roma
(1962)
Drama
Director:
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Stars:
Anna Magnani,
Ettore Garofolo,
Franco Citti
Accattone
(1961)
Drama
Director:
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Stars:
Franco Citti,
Franca Pasut,
Silvana Corsini
Documentary
Director:
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Stars:
Gato Barbieri,
Donald F. Moye,
Marcello Melis
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Hugh Griffith | ... | Sir January | |
| Laura Betti | ... | The Wife from Bath | |
| Ninetto Davoli | ... | Perkin | |
| Franco Citti | ... | The Devil | |
| Josephine Chaplin | ... | May | |
 |
Alan Webb | ... | Old Man |
| Pier Paolo Pasolini | ... | Geoffrey Chaucer | |
|
|
J.P. Van Dyne | ... | The Cook |
| Vernon Dobtcheff | ... | The Franklin | |
|
|
Adrian Street | ... | Fighter |
| Orla Pederson | ... | Pilgrim (as OT) | |
|
|
Derek Deadman | ... | The Pardoner (as Derek Deadmin) |
| Nicholas Smith | ... | Friar | |
|
|
George Bethell Datch | ... | Host of the Tabard (as George B. Datch) |
| Dan Thomas | ... | Nicholas | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (90) »
Storyline
Pasolini's artistic, sometimes violent, always vividly cinematic retelling of some of Chaucer's most erotic tales.
Plot Keywords:
male full frontal nudity | erotica | male pubic hair | male rear nudity | strong sexual content |Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Release Date:
30 May 1980 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Canterbury Tales See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (premiere)Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Tom Baker's voice was not dubbed over by another actor and kept his own voice. See more »Goofs
Some of the women have tan-lines from bikinis. See more »Quotes
The Wife from Bath: There's nowhere in the Gospels that says we ought to stay virgins. Anyway, tell me, what were the genital organs made for at the creation? Not to lie dormant I suppose. And nobody's going to tell me they were just put there to piss through. Mark you, I use it for that as well. And every man must serve his wife in wedlock...See more »
Alternate Versions
The original UK cinema version was cut by the BBFC with edits to anal sex shots, a man being whipped, and Rufus urinating on the crowd during the 'Pardoner's Tale' segment for an 'X' certificate. The cuts were fully restored in 2001 and the certificate downgraded to a '15'. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.Contribute to This Page
Watch Hollywood hits and TV favorites for free with IMDb Freedive. Start streaming on IMDb and Fire TV devices today!
Explore popular and recently added TV series available to stream now with Prime Video.
Having seen all of Pasolini's medieval trilogy inspired from international literature classics, I cannot but admit that this is his least inspired contribution. I don't know exactly what's wrong with the film - maybe it's the majority of the acting, or else it's the script. Naturally, having read the book beforehand helps to tell which tale is being shown, but assuming that the majority of the viewers have not read Chaucer's masterpiece, I doubt how many managed to guess what the tales are about. Still the movie has Pasolini written all over it: shockingly explicit scenes, watersports, unisex nudity galore (even senseless), sickening graphics of people vomiting and devils shitting monks, sex all over the place etc... Only for Pasolini admirers or for people who like an "uncut" interpretation of ambiguous medieval classics.